Unpaid carers from across Beds Bedfordshire gathered together to attend the first carers conference in the county.
The conference – organised by local charity Carers in Bedfordshire in partnership with East London Foundation Trust (ELFT)– had the theme of Carer Resilience and Wellbeing.
In the morning director of policy and public affairs at Carers UK, Emily Holzhausen OBE, shared the national picture around carer well-being and the implications for policy.
A consultant psychiatrist from ELFT talked about the key role carers play supporting individuals with dementia in a talk entitled ‘Thank Heavens for Carers’, and four local carers shared moving testimonies about their caring, and talked about the support and activities which have helped them maintain wellbeing and resilience.
In the afternoon, carers participated in a workshop on information and advice for carers.
Ros Harding – from Bedford Borough Council – and Jane Leek – from Central Bedfordshire Council – spoke about the local authorities’ perspective, before a wide ranging discussion on topics as diverse as information carers are given by GPs, and digitisation.
The event was set up in conjunction with Carers Rights Day, which took place on Friday. The national day aims to bring organisations from across the UK together to help carers know their rights and find out how to get the help and support they are entitled to.
The end of last Friday’s conference saw Anne Grant stand down as chair of Carers in Bedfordshire.
Tributes to Anne’s contribution to the charity were led by the president of Carers in Bedfordshire, Rt Hon Alistair Burt MP. Anne received gifts and a memory book of photos and memories from staff, board members and volunteers.
Carers in Bedfordshire’s support for carers is funded by Central Bedfordshire Council, Bedford Borough Council, Bedfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group, Luton Borough Council, Children in Need and a growing number of organisations.
Anyone wishing to contact Carers in Bedfordshire to find out more about the services they provide should contact 0300 111 1919 or visit carersinbeds.org.uk
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