THERE are more national awareness days, weeks and months than there are days in a year.
This month, 41 campaigns are fighting for their 15 minutes of fame. Few will get much more than that.
But there is one that I believe deserves a place in our hearts and our minds every day of the year, and not just for a solitary week in June: National Carers Week, which concludes this Sunday, and which celebrates the tireless but too-often thankless work of 6.5 million carers across the UK.
Croydon counts 33,683 of these unsung Samaritans, some as young as five, who look after elderly, sick or disabled family members and friends for free.
The experts suggest this is a vast underestimation of the actual figures as many carers do not even classify themselves as such. We all care for our loved ones, but I challenge a single reader who wouldn't struggle to juggle school, work and a social life with full-time caring.
Many adult carers give up jobs and face isolation, financial hardship and poor health. Young carers miss out on extra-curricular school activities and the carefree childhood most kids take for granted.
Middle-aged women pay the highest price, as they are forced to drop everything at the peak of their careers, having already sacrificed a sizeable chunk of their life raising a family.
Little wonder 40 per cent of carers experience depression or psychological problems.
In Croydon we are lucky to have excellent voluntary groups that reach out to carers through respite, financial help and advice.
Our council is also doing its best to support carers despite unprecedented budgetary pressures.
Every pound spent on carers in Croydon saves the taxpayer £4.50 – they're worth their weight in gold!
I therefore welcome the Care Bill, currently going through the Lords, which for the first time puts carers on a par with those for whom they care. Volunteers at the Croydon Carers Centre, who are fundraising to buy a minibus for day trips and travel needs, tell me the majority of carers who walk through their door have not had respite in three years or longer.
Many events have been planned throughout Croydon this week to raise awareness of our brilliant carers, but it mustn't stop here.
Without carers our health and public services simply would not be able to cope.
We owe it to them to keep National Carers Week running indefinitely so that every corner of our community carries on reaching out to carers – to show them that we care too.
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