How you can help this Christmas

Christmas can be an especially difficult time for young carers. Whilst many of their peers and friends are thinking about unwrapping presents and spending time with their families, a young carer may be faced with the additional pressures of tidying the house, preparing food and caring for their loved one.

We would like to ask you to be part of our Christmas for Young Carers appeal which aims to give young carers across Cambridgeshire respite from their caring responsibilities and a Christmas they will never forget.

To find out more about the difference your support will make to young people, please watch this short film featuring Holly, aged 16, Matthew, aged 15, and Chloe, aged 13:

We would like to raise £4,000 which will allow us to give 100 children and young people a day to celebrate Christmas as children rather than as carers. There will be food and festive activities, such as ice skating, giving them a chance to have fun and make new friends.

Any amount that you can donate will go a long way to making a big difference this festive season. Respite activities have a positive and lasting impact on the lives of many young carers, helping to reduce social isolation, improve well-being and increased confidence.

Young Carers in Cambridgeshire

At Centre 33 we support approximately 800 young carers across the county each year. These are children and young people aged 8 to 18 who provide regular care to a family member, such as a parent or sibling, usually over 50 hours a week. These caring responsibilities can impact directly on their physical and emotional well-being, educational achievement and life chances. As a result, they face a complex range of issues such as bullying, social isolation, low self-esteem and limited opportunities for leisure time and activities.

We aim to ensure that young carers have the same life chances, levels of well-being and voice as their peers by reducing the negative impact of their caring responsibilities.