Newcastle Carers was founded as an independent charity in 2012, and since then we have grown to become the leading provider of services to carers in the city.
Why was the charity founded?
Our purpose is to support unpaid carers of all ages in Newcastle to improve their quality of life and to overcome the challenges they face. The people who benefit from our work are mostly selfless individuals who devote much of their life to caring for loved ones who suffer from a serious illness or disability, mental health problems or drug and alcohol misuse. We provide a variety of information, advice, guidance and support to help these carers grapple with a wide range of issues that impact on their lives and the lives of the people they care for. This includes intensive one-to-one or whole family support where required, as well as opportunities for carers to come together to share their experiences or to socialise with each other.
Which area do you cover?
Our prime focus is supporting unpaid carers in Newcastle upon Tyne, and we currently have over 7,000 residents registered with us. However, we are also a member of a nationwide network of independent charities under the auspices of Carers Trust. We also collaborate with North Tyneside Carers Centre and Carers Northumberland on the Carers Into Work project (funded by the North of Tyne Combined Authority), which offers specialist support to help carers access education, training, employment or volunteering opportunities.
What type of fundraising events do you have?
At present not much of our income comes from fundraising events as such, although we do have teams competing in the Great North Run and Great North Swim (good luck everyone!). Our core offer to carers is funded mostly by Newcastle City Council and the regional NHS Integrated Care Board. However, we also provide a wide variety of additional social and therapeutic activities to meet carers’ diverse needs, and these are funded by grants from charitable trusts and foundations and from generous donations by individuals and businesses.
What have been your proudest moments so far?
Our proudest moments come from the positive feedback we receive from carers on an almost daily basis. All our staff and volunteers take great pride from knowing that the important work they do makes a real difference to the lives of these unsung heroes. This can range from enabling someone to access a benefit to which they are entitled, or to take part in an activity that gives them respite from their caring role, through to boosting carers’ self-esteem and resilience to the point where they are able to take more control of their lives.
Who are your main trustees and patrons?
We are very fortunate to have an extremely supportive and talented board of trustees, chaired by Mary Youngs (who is also a trustee of regional youth development charity The Key). Our trustees have a wide range of professional backgrounds, and most of them also have lived experience as an unpaid carer.
What are you currently working on?
Over the past few months, we have taken the opportunity to refresh our purpose, our values and our vision for the future. This has spurred us on to develop a more creative approach to strengthening and enhancing our service offer, guided by what carers have told us they need most. We are also investing in the long-term sustainability of our charity by building our internal capacity, improving the way we use technology, ensuring we can provide evidence of our impact, extending our network of partner organisations and diversifying our sources of income.
What does the future hold?
We are looking forward to working with all our stakeholders and partners to realise our refreshed vision of a world in which carers are recognised and valued, are well supported (practically, financially and emotionally) and have genuine choice over their level of caring responsibilities. We are strongly committed to enabling carers to achieve a balance between their caring duties and their own quality of life and to ensuring that no one of any age is expected to take on a role that prevents them from fulfilling their potential.
We will be led on this journey by our newly appointed permanent Chief Executive Officer, Luke Bramhall, who is joining us from regional charity Children North East.
How do you get involved?
Even if you are not an unpaid carer yourself, you will almost certainly know somebody who is – either in your workplace or within your circle of friends and family. If you would like to know how we can help, you can find more information on our website at www.newcastlecarers.org. uk . Alternatively, you can contact us by emailing info@newcastlecarers. org.uk or by phoning 0191 275 5060. We also offer drop-in sessions each week at our centre in Byker as well as locations in Gosforth, Cruddas Park and Westerhope.
There are many other ways you can support our work by, for example, making a donation, adopting us as your “charity of the year”, organising a fundraising event, offering a venue for group activities, hosting and/or sponsoring an event or simply raising awareness of our work within your own networks.
Following the success of our Afternoon Tea in June, we are now looking to source a suitable venue and attract some funding for a Christmas Party for carers in December 2023. If you can help us in any way with this, we will be delighted to hear from you!
www.newcastlecarers.org.uk