Why it’s important to care for carers
If you see a runner on the river path between Kew and Hammersmith Bridges wearing the distinctive red and white T shirt, it will be Nick Baird, ex Ambassador and local resident, who chairs Carers UK – the UK’s leading charity campaigning for unpaid carers who support vulnerable family members and friends
‘I’ve been training for months for a fund-raising challenge for Carers UK’s 60th anniversary year, which involves events across all four UK nations: half marathons in Bath, Derry and Cardiff and a 14 mile ‘Kilt walk’ from Glasgow to Loch Lomond.
Nick Baird got involved with Carers UK because of his own caring responsibilities which I inherited when my mother died in 2018: ‘With no other close relatives nearby, I became the principal provider of emotional, personal and practical support to my grieving, elderly father and my disabled adult sister, who lives in a care home. Like many unpaid carers, I quickly understood the challenges of juggling work and care. And that many, many people had much greater caring demands than my own.
‘I came to realise what a big issue this is. Some 5.7 million people in the UK are providing unpaid care. This means that about one in seven people in the workforce are managing caring responsibilities alongside their work. But many more find they can no longer do this, meaning that, on average, around 600 people a day leave the workforce as a result. At a time when the UK has a significant problem with the declining proportion of working age people in the workforce, this really needs to be addressed. Although some can afford to give up work, many find themselves in financial difficulty alongside the mental and physical stresses of caring.
‘It is important for individual carers that they are better supported, it is vital for wider society. When carers are no longer able to support their loved ones, responsibility then falls to the NHS and care system which as we all know are struggling to cope with current demand.
‘So, Carers UK exists to make it more manageable for carers to continue to do what they do. At a political level, they have successfully campaigned for a statutory right for all carers to get an extra five days leave (albeit unpaid) and to increase the limit on what they can earn before claiming Carers Allowance. They work with hundreds of employers across the country to make workplaces more carer friendly. They provide advice and support to carers from how to claim relevant allowances, to where to go to get respite care, to sessions on health and well being and opportunities to chat to other carers to know they are not alone.
‘Like many locals, I was encouraged into running by the late Serge Lourie and I am sorely missing Serge’s amazing fund of shaggy dog stories that kept me going over the last 15 years while I was on extended training runs preparing for marathons in New York, Berlin and London, which I’ve run for Carers UK.
‘I now do my training with members of Serge’s old running group, a couple of whom will be joining me for some of the runs. Bath has particular significance for me – I’ve been running it for many years with my uncle who is 88 this year.
‘But, of all the events, the Glasgow walk makes me most apprehensive, having never walked any distance in my kilt before! I’m really hoping I can raise at least £3,000.’
If you’d like to support Nick Baird – even the smallest amount will help – his fund-raising page is:
justgiving.com/campaign/chair-the-nation
Carers UK website: Carersuk
Find out about other local people here.