The last year has been tough for everyone.  Lockdown, for the most part, means missing the people we enjoy spending time with so that we can protect them.  But what about Carers?  Who, despite a pandemic, have people that rely on them on a day to day basis, where protecting and caring for them provides extra strain to a challenging period for us all.

Across the UK today 6.5 million people are carers, supporting a loved one who is older, disabled or seriously ill.  That’s 1 in 8 adults who care, unpaid, for family and friends. Within our lifetime, there will be 9 million carers.

Caring is such an important part of life. It’s simply part of being human. Carers are holding families together, enabling loved ones to get the most out of life, making an enormous contribution to society and saving the economy billions of pounds.

Many carers are stretched to the limit – juggling care with work and family life, or even struggling with poor health themselves. Carers often find it difficult to make ends meet if they’re unable to work or if they’ve reduced their working hours to care. 

Every day 6,000 people become carers. Many don’t know how or where to get help. It can be frightening and very lonely.

Carers are legends.

So, the Virgin Media Bootcamp is all about taking this time in lockdown, getting (or staying if you’re lucky!) fit, pushing ourselves and each other to the limit, and raising some money for a great cause; Carers UK.  Carers UK is here to make life better for carers. (https://www.carersuk.org/about-us/why-we-re-here)

We have a range of activity that’s happening across a group of over 120 people, all with targets for the month of March to push themselves.  Notably we have some special children getting involved; Heidi (age 2), Poppy (age 3), Phoebe (age 3), Liam (age 3), Sophie (age 4), Finn (age 4), Freya (age 5), Fearne (age 5), Amelia (age 5), Bodhi (age 5), Theo (age 6), Jude (age 7), Oscar (age 7) Olivia (age 8), Scarlet (age 9), Phoebe (age 9), George (age 9), Evie (age 9), Florence (age 10), and Charlie (age 10) doing up to 1,550 press ups, 1,550 sit ups, 25km running, 50km cycling, 10,000 steps (per day) Roly Polys and Star Jumps.  We also have a 9 year old (in Human years) dog called Ollie walking 80kms!

Over 120 people in total are doing over 6,000,000 steps, 500,000 reps (press ups, sit ups, star jumps, roly polys, squats and bicep curls), 20,000kms (running, walking, cycling, rowing and cross-trainer) and 10 volunterring hours.

That's well over 6.5m bits of activity for the 6.5m Carers in the UK!

Please give generously to this great cause. Even better, get involved.

The Virgin Media Bootcamp Team