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Princess Royal Trust Knowsley Carers Centre
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Based in Kirkby, the Princess Royal Trust Knowsley Carers Centre is a charity offering support and assistance to adult carers. With the help of funding from Knowsley Social Services and St Helens and Knowsley Health Authority, the centre provides a wide range of services to ease the burden on people who find themselves caring for a child, partner, relative or friend who is sick or disabled. There are an estimated 15,000 carers in Knowsley. The centre is trying to reach out and identify these. According to Helen Sim, Senior Support Officer for the Knowsley Carers Centre, many people are not aware that they are carers. “A lot of people don’t think of themselves as carers. They see it as a duty and the very valuable work they do often goes unrecognised.” Helen told Huyton Today, “Many carers find themselves under great physical and emotional strain and don’t know where to turn to for help. Our role is to help alleviate the stress and isolation of the caring role by providing an integrated point of contact for their needs.” In addition to providing practical help with things such as respite care and distributing a monthly newsletter, the centre also aims to give carers access to social events. These include a regular social club in Kirkby for which transport is available and ‘pamper days’ for carers, where they can enjoy activities such as head and body massages. The centre has also just received Small Grant funding from the Health Authority to provide leisure passes to sports and gym facilities in the area. For more information contact Helen Sim on 0151 549 1412. |