Carers' Service

Shepshed Carers' Support Group - July 2010

The next meeting of Shepshed Carers' Group will be on Tuesday 20th July.

Karen Chamberlain, Well-being Service Manager will join carers for lunch at 12.00pm at Kim’s Café on Charnwood Road. Karen will also have the Carers’ Week photos to show everyone.

All welcome. Please contact Joanne Clarke on 01509 631782 or e-mail joanne.clarke@voluntaryactioncharnwood.org.uk for more details.

Carers's Cuppa - June 2010

Carers' Week - June 2010

CHARNWOOD CARERS' SERVICE

TUESDAY 8TH JUNE - ULVERSCROFT VISIT - FULL
Lunch and refreshments and the opportunity to walk and relax in the grounds of the Manor and Grange.

MONDAY 14TH JUNE - CARERS' CUPPA 10am –12 noon
Information stalls, refreshments, meet with the Mayor of Charnwood. All welcome on the day.
Held at John Storer House, Wards End, Loughborough, Leics. LE11 3HA

TUESDAY 15TH JUNE - RELAX AT ROTHLEY COURT
Pilates sessions, lunch, jewellery making sessions, tour of historic chapel. Booking essential

FRIDAY 18TH JUNE - NEC GARDENERS' WORLD - FULL
Trip with NWL Carers' Project

SATURDAY 26TH JUNE - FAMILY DAY AT TRENTHAM GARDENS
Gardens, Monkey Forest, Shopping Village etc. Booking essential.

For details including costs please contact Joanne Clarke and Nita Patel, Carers’ Development Workers, Charnwood Carers’ Service, Voluntary Action Charnwood, John Storer House, Wards End, Loughborough, Leics. LE11 3HA. Telephone 01509 631783 or e-mail joanne.clarke@voluntaryactioncharnwood.org.uk nita.patel@voluntaryactioncharnwood.org.uk

Shepshed Carers' Support Group - May 2010

The next meeting of Shepshed Carers’ Support Group is on Tuesday, 18th May from 2-4pm at the Charnwood Road Community Centre.

Di Deacon, a trainer with CLASP - the Carers Centre, is coming to tell us about their Caring with Confidence course. We have received very many positive reports from carers who have attended these sessions. In addition we will have the full programme for Carers’ Week and the photos from our visit to Garendon Park last month.

New members are very welcome. Please contact Joanne Clarke, Carers’ Development Worker, tel: 01509 631782 or e-mail joanne.clarke@voluntaryactioncharnwood.org.uk

Carers' Visit to Garendon Park - April 2010

Members of Shepshed Carers’ Group enjoyed a lovely afternoon courtesy of Squire De Lisle at Garendon Park on Tuesday 20th April. Steve Peberdy who keeps rare breed sheep and cattle on the Park, showed us around the unspoilt and tranquil site, pointing out monuments and areas of historical interest. Carers enjoyed seeing the new lambs and beautiful Dexter cattle in Steve’s herd, followed by tea and biscuits in the Shooting Lodge. To see the photographs from this visit please click on the weblink below.

Shepshed Carers’ Group meets on the third Tuesday of each month, usually at the Charnwood Road Community Centre from 2-4pm. Speakers, discussions, lunches and outings are arranged and new carers are always welcome.

For more information please contact Joanne Clarke, Carers’ Development Worker at Voluntary Action Charnwood. Tel: 01509 631782 or e-mail joanne.clarke@voluntaryactioncharnwood.org.uk

Carers' Newsletter - March/April 2010

Charnwood Carers' Service - Carers' Forum (Tuesday, 30 March 2010)

Carers' Newsletter - March 2010

Shepshed Carers' Group - March 2010

We thought it would be a nice idea to start a bit earlier at our next meeting on Tuesday 16th March 2010 and have lunch at Kim’s Café before moving on to the Charnwood Road Community Centre for a slideshow at about 1.30pm. Kim’s have offered to put a couple of tables together for us at 12 o’clock, so if you’d like to come along, please get in touch, you'll be very welcome.

To join us on 16th March or to find out more about Shepshed Carers' Support Group, please contact Joanne Clarke, Carers' Development Worker. Tel: 01509 631782 or e-mail joanne.clarke@voluntaryactioncharnwood.org.uk

Shepshed Carers' Group - February 2010

The next meeting of Shepshed Carers' Support Group will be on Tuesday 2nd February 2010 from 2pm - 4pm at the Charnwood Road Community Centre, Shepshed when we'll be putting together the programme for the coming year. New members are warmly welcomed. For further details please contact Joanne Clarke, Carers' Development Worker on 01509 631782 or e-mail joanne.clarke@voluntaryactioncharnwood.org.uk

Shepshed Carers' Group - December 2009

Our last meeting of 2009 is on Tuesday, 15th December, at the Charnwood Road Community Centre from 2pm – 4pm. Karen Chamberlain will be coming to do some Christmas Crafts with anyone who’d like to join in, and it’ll also be a chance to catch up with everyone along with some festive refreshments. It would be great to see some new faces as well as old friends; if you’ve not been before, or for a while, you are very welcome.

For more information please contact

Joanne Clarke

Carers' Development Worker

Tel: 01509 631782

joanne.clarke@voluntaryactioncharnwood.org.uk

Carers' Rights Day Forum - Thursday, 3 December 2009

Everyone is welcome at our Carers’ Rights Day Forum on Thursday 3rd December 2009 at John Storer House, Loughborough. The meeting will start at 1.30pm, finishing at around 3.30pm with a break for light refreshments. The meeting will also be a chance to meet carers from our other support groups around the Borough.

Our speaker will be Helen Baum and colleagues from Charnwood Borough Council. The council provides a range of services, benefits and concessions to carers, and Helen and the team will explain these in detail and answer questions on eligibility and application procedures.

We look forward to seeing you on the 3rd for an interesting talk. If you require assistance with transport or sitting, please contact Joanne Clarke or Nita Patel for information. Tel: 01509 631783 or e-mail joanne.clarke@voluntaryactioncharnwood.org.uk or nita.patel@voluntaryactioncharnwood.org.uk

Shepshed Carers' Group Trip to Woodlands Garden Centre and Nurseries

Our next trip on Tuesday, 17th November is to Woodlands Garden Centre and Nurseries near Hinckley. Their full range of Christmas plants, gifts, decorations and displays are now on show along with a Christmas menu in the restaurant. Tuesday is also “double points” day for their Gardening Club members. The Garden Club is free to join, just complete a form and you can earn points straight away.

There will be a small contribution of £2 per person towards the cost of transport by Shepshed Special Community Bus. We will leave the Charnwood Road Community Centre at 10am, returning at approximately 2pm, giving us plenty of time to shop and have some lunch.

There are some places left on the minibus so if you’d like to join us just give me a ring at John Storer House on 01509 631782 or leave a message to secure your place.

Looking forward to a good day out.

Joanne Clarke
Carers Development Worker
e-mail: joanne.clarke@voluntaryactioncharnwood.org.uk

Carers' Newsletter - September 2009

Charnwood Carers' Service Conference

Funded in partnership with the NHS Trust

Tuesday 29th September 2009 10am – 3.30pm at Mountfields House, Loughborough

We’re pleased to present Charnwood Carers’ Service Conference and to invite you to attend. This is a chance for carers in Charnwood to get together to hear from and question the local policy makers and front line workers whose roles are often so crucial to caring. You will also meet other carers and share ideas, concerns and some well deserved relaxation.

After an inspiring talk from …… we’ll start the morning with a “Question Time” style debate when you can listen and question the people making decisions and implementing caring policy in Leicestershire. Andy Reed MP is our special guest in the afternoon when we’ll also have taster therapy sessions and browsing opportunities.

Please contact us on 01509 631783 for more details.

Charnwood Carers’ Service acts as a local point of contact for carers who have the responsibility for providing, or arranging care for someone who, because of long-term illness, disability or old age, is not able to care for him or herself. The service works with other agencies and support groups to raise awareness of carers’ issues and also:-

• Provides information about support groups,carers’ assessments, respite care, transport and benefits
• Administers grants such as “Take A Break”
• Runs Carers’ Support Groups in Loughborough, Shepshed and Sileby
• Organises a Carers’ Forum, which meets quarterly at venues around the Borough, giving carers and service providers the opportunity to meet and discuss issues which are important to carers
• Produces a quarterly Newsletter

Groups and Activities

There are over 400 carers registered with the service and many of these attend the monthly support groups and forums, submit “Take A Break” applications and get involved with Carers’ Week and Carers Rights Day activities. The Loughborough and Shepshed support groups enjoy a mixture of speakers, trips and social events, whereas the Sileby group meets for lunch at a local pub and then every third month has a speaker. All of the groups aim to give carers some well-earned rest from their caring responsibilities, with time to consider their own well-being.

Carers’ Forum and Partnership Working

The service organises quarterly Carers’ Forums, discussing issues of importance to carers and providing a channel through which to feed back concerns to funding providers and decision makers. Working in partnership with Shepshed Special Needs Umbrella Group and Shepshed Volunteer Centre, the Service is opening up the Forum to a wider audience in the area.

Carers’ Conference

The service will be hosting a Carers’ Conference at the end of September 2009. The service has received a grant for this event from NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland.

For more information contact Nita Patel or Joanne Clarke on 01509 631782/783
nita.patel@voluntaryactioncharnwood.org.uk
joanne.clarke@voluntaryactioncharnwood.org.uk

Shepshed Carers' Group - September 2009

The next meeting of Shepshed Carers' Group is on Tuesday, 15 September 2009 from 2 pm - 4 pm at Charnwood Road Community Centre.

The speaker will be John Hollis who is a volunteer for Age Concern LeicesterShire and Rutland. He will talk about the wide range of services they can help with including Age Concern's Home Care, Handyman, Day Care (through Adult Social Care) and Dementia Community Respite Services, plus information and advice on a variety of topics and insurances.

All welcome.

Please contact Joanne Clarke, Carers' Development Worker on 01509 631782 for more details.

Shepshed Carers' Group Trip

On the afternoon of Tuesday, 18 August members of the Shepshed Carers' Group will be visiting the Museum of Childhood at Sudbury Hall. Transport is free, but there is an entrance fee of £7.60 payable on the door, unless you are a National Trust member in which case entry is free. Carers in Shepshed are very welcome to join us and at our monthly group meetings held on the third Tuesday of each month from 2 pm - 4 pm at Charnwood Road Community Centre.

For further details about the group or to book a place on the trip please contact:

Joanne Clarke - Carers' Development Worker
Tel: 01509 631782

Take A Break - Applications for the 2009 allocation are now closed

Are you a carer?

Are you looking after an adult (18 years and over) who has either….

1. Mental ill health, and is receiving support from the secondary mental health service?

2. A physical, sensory or learning disability and is receipt of Attendance Allowance or the middle or high rate of the care component of the Disability Living Allowance.

3. A terminal/long term degenerative illness?

And are you…. Doing this for 28 hours a week or more?

If so…. You may qualify for a Take A Break grant funded by Leicestershire County Council

For more information on Take A Break:

• Eligibility
• How much you can apply for
• Where to apply
• How to apply
• Appropriate use of the grant

Please contact Joanne Clarke or Nita Patel
Carers Development Workers
John Storer House
Wards End, Loughborough, Leics. LE11 3HA
Tel: 01509 631782/631783

Carers' Week

Come and join us for Carers’ Week from 8 – 14 June.

There are an estimated 15,320 carers in Charnwood and we’d love to meet you. A carer is someone who has the responsibility for providing or arranging care for someone else, who, because of long-term illness, disability or old age, is not able to care for him- or herself.

Charnwood Carers’ Service is run by the Well-being Team at Voluntary Action Charnwood, based at John Storer House in Loughborough. The service provides:

• Information about support groups, carers’ assessments, respite care, transport, benefits and grants.
• Co-ordinates local forms giving carers and service providers in Charnwood the chance to meet and discuss issues important to carers.
• A quarterly newsletter covering local and national carers’ issues.

We are holding a week of events and trips to highlight the work of carers throughout Charnwood starting with a “Carers’ Cuppa” at John Storer House on Monday 8 June from 10am –12 noon. If you’re a Carer, please join us for a cuppa and to meet other carers who share similar experiences to your own. Please just come along - you’ll be made very welcome.

We’re also running trips to the Peepul Centre in Belgrave, Leicester on Wednesday, 10 June, cost £5, to Skegness on Friday, 12 June, cost £9.50, and visiting Shepshed Watermill on Sunday, 14 June – no charge. You are very welcome to bring along the person you care for if you wish.

For further information about the service or any of the trips, please contact Nita Patel or Joanne Clarke, Carers’ Development Workers on 01509 631782 / 631783 or call into John Storer House Monday – Thursday 9am – 4pm.