Thanks for taking the time to visit mine and Vicky's JustGiving page.

Dear all,

Me and Victoria Jones, my lovely work mate are going to be abseiling down Guildford Cathedral on 5th June to raise money for an organisation called Crossroads (Surrey Care) - they have been looking after my Father by providing daily respite a few hours a week for the last 3 years.  They are an invaluable service to my Mother who is my Father's sole carer.  Now it's my chance to give something back to them, with the help of Vicky of course!!!! 

Anyone who needs just a few hours off, to have baths, go to the shops - stuff which we take for granted - these women are a lifeline.  We know that when they are caring for Dad he is in safe hands.  Any money I raise I know will be going to provide care for people like my parents - who desperately need help and don't get it....

We are being very brave (and stupid), as neither of us like heights that much, so please dig deep and help us raise as much money as we can to provide this wonderful organisation with the cash injection they sorely need.

Me and Jones are going over the wall on the 5th June, please feel free to come down and see us weep and rebel over the thought of scaling this monstrous building and we will update the site periodically with information and progress reports.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.

 

Facts from the Charity...

There is increasing recognition that society depends heavily upon unpaid carers, or people who look after a family member or friend and who may find themselves on call “24/7” for years on end – aburden that often takes a toll on their own health.

Crossroads Care Surrey supports 1,500 families in Surrey at present, supplying trained staff to take over a carer’s responsibility for a few hours each week.  This “me-time” contributes to the carer’s physical and mental well-being, enabling them to have some essential time to themselves, to meet with friends, do the shopping or simply relax and have a bath with no worry of leaving their loved ones in danger.  The key factor is that they can spend time with complete peace of mind, knowing that the Crossroads Care staff member is a trained professional working to a detailed care plan.

Crossroads Care Surrey is a registered charity and is member of the National Crossroads Association (www.crossroads.org.uk).

Crossroads mission is supporting carers.  A “Carer” is someone who looks after someone with a significant disability or terminal illness.  According to the 2001 census there were over 100,000 unpaid carers in Surrey.  The numbers will have risen since then, with the growth and ageing of the population in Surrey and with more children with complex disabilities surviving birth and childhood.

Nationally, it is estimated that there are 6m unpaid carers in the UK.  They save the state an enormous amount of money each year.  In 2007, a Leeds University study showed that if this unpaid care had to be funded by the state it would cost in excess of £87 Billion per annum.  This was more than the total cost of running the NHS in 2006/7.