Thank you for taking the time to visit Sutton Carers Centre's JustGiving page for the Carers Thames Walk, 2015.

We hope to raise as much money as possible, and to use the funds to make a difference to the lives of unpaid Carers who either live in the London Borough of Sutton, or care for someone who lives in the London Borough of Sutton.

We all will be Carers, or be cared for, at some point in time.  And many of our friends and neighbours care for loved ones every day, unpaid, often sacrificing many aspects of their own lives.  Please help us recognise what young and adult Carers do in our communities - and help raise funds locally to ensure that Carers get time out and support, too.

Martin Lunn (Carer and fundraiser) and Elaine Drage (Carer and Chair of Board of Trustees) are giving their time on Saturday, 30th May 2015, to walk their chosen distance through the beautiful city of London, to raise the profile of unpaid Carers. They have been motivated to raise money due to the inspirational devotion of our families and friends who give up so much to care for others, often whilst juggling work, school or other aspects of their own lives. 

Martin has walked and fundraised money for Sutton Carers Centre through the Carers Thames Walk and other personal walking challenges for over a decade now, walking thousands of miles for us. Indeed, he has been honoured as a top fundraiser by the Carers Thames Walk organisers in 2013. Martin took a well-deserved break last year, but is back and determined to raise as much money he can to support Carers in the London Borough of Sutton.

Elaine also has been doing the walk for years now, steadfastly raising thousands of pounds for Carers in Sutton. As the Chair of our Board of Trustees and a former Carer herself, she understands only too well the sacrifices that Carers make, as well as the challenges faced by the organisations that support them.

Please feel free to join the walkers, meet new people, raise money and awareness of Carers issues. 

If you would like further information about the Carers Thames Walk, please visit http://www.carersthameswalk.org.uk/welcome.htm or contact Celia on the number below.  For more information about Sutton Carers Centre and what we do to support Carers, please visit http://www.carers.org/local-service/sutton or contact our Centre on 020 8296 5611, or email enquiries@suttoncarerscentre.org.

So what difference will your sponsorship make?

Simply put, it will help us to keep our Centre running in times when funding is shrinking and demand is increasing. Many families and neighbours are finding themselves in increasingly complex situations, navigating physical & mental health and social care systems, to help the people they care about most, be they our parents, spouses, siblings, children or friends. We now have over 6000 Carers registered with us and there are estimated to be a minimum of another 12,000 Carers in Sutton alone, of all ages - children, working age adults and older people.

We try to make a difference for Carers by providing advice, information and training about caring through our telephone support service and drop-in Centre; practical and emotional support to help make caring a bit easier whilst staying well yourself; time for a break through complementary therapies, such as massage, aromatherapy and reflexology; help to maximise income, through benefit checks and assistance with funding applications; peer support groups and access to counselling and other talking and psychological therapies; for our young Carers, homework clubs, social activities and one-to-one support to make sure that caring does not get in the way of their life ambitions;  and lots more, things that help people in their caring roles whilst ensuring they stay well and have a life of their own, too.

Some Carers find juggling work and their caring responsibilities difficult, sometimes resulting in them needing to leave work to focus on their caring role.  This often can cause financial hardship.  Your donations will ensure that all Carers, irrespective of their financial situation, can benefit from the services we offer.  We will use funds to help Carers to attend workshops, day trips, complementary therapies, and take part in social celebrations to help them have a break from their caring role, avoid isolation, and build resilience to the challenges that life may bring.

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 – we can raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thank you again for your support.