MORE than 60 young carers will meet with HRH The Princess Royal when she visits Tain this month.
As part of her visit to the Highland town on 9 September, The Princess Royal will be meeting young carers from the Connecting Young Carers project (which supports young carers from all over the Highland area) at Tain Parish Church Hall. The project, which is a member of the network of Carers’ Centres run by The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, supports children and young people under the age of 18 who take on caring roles and responsibilities inappropriate to their age.
The young carers work closely with Eden Court Theatre and Creative Identities (an arts and media project for young people) to help them express their views and make their voices known to those who support them. The Princess’s visit will give her the chance to see the work of the project in action. Young carers will be taking part in drama workshops, digital media activities and First Aid lessons.
Frances Nixseaman, strategy development officer for Connecting Young Carers, said: “We are all delighted that The Princess Royal is visiting Connecting Young Carers in Highland. It’s great to see young carers being recognised in this way.
“We have more young carers attending this event than any other that we have organised. This event will bring together some of the agencies and people who have been working with young carers this year. I am really pleased that the Princess will see an example of the different ways that young carers have been receiving support in Highland this year.”
Connecting Young Carers supports young people who care by:
* educating and training teachers, doctors and youth workers and other professionals so that they can recognise the signs of a hidden caring role
* providing information and advice to young carers and their families
* visiting schools and talking to children and young people about young carers
* connecting young carers to clubs, activities and holidays which give them a break from their caring responsibilities.
The Princess Royal’s visit will also take in Tain Royal Academy and Tain Rose Garden.
For further information, please contact Emma Baird, Press and PR Manager Scotland, The Princess Royal Trust for Carers on 0141 285 7938/07791 230261 or email: ebaird@carers.org
A restricted number of journalists/photographers will be welcome at the event and a rota pass system will apply. If you would like to apply for a pass, please contact Emma Baird on the above number by Friday 4 September 2009.
Journalists/photographers who have been granted a pass will need to arrive by 12pm at Tain Parish Hall on 9 September. Photographs of the event will be available for media use after the visit – contact Emma Baird with any requirements.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
Connecting Young Carers is part of Highland Community Care Forum and currently has more than 130 young carers aged from five to 19 on its books. The young carers have a huge range of caring roles – from helping to look after siblings with special needs to supporting parents with physical or mental illnesses, drug or alcohol problems, disabilities or impairments.
In the past year, Connecting Young Carers has helped 85 young carers across Highland take a break from their caring role, sometimes by working in partnership with other agencies such as the British Red Cross, Eden Court Theatre and Creative Identities Digital Media Project (an initiative for young people set up by the Scottish Government using money seized from criminals).
High Community Care Forum is part of the network of The Princess Royal Trust for Carers. The Trust supports the UK’s carers and young carers through its unique network of independently managed carers’ centres, projects for young carers and interactive websites – www.carers.org and www.youngcarers.net
MEDIA RELEASE posted by The Princess Royal Trust for Carers. You too can post media releases (aka press releases) on allmediascotland.com. For more information, email here.
Contact: Emma Baird
Phone: 0141 285 7938
Email: ebaird@carers.org
Website: http://www.carers.org
