Below are some stories and experiences sent in by young carers.
Carers in Devon
Social Services Directorate
The Annexe
County Hall
Topsham Road
EXETER
EX2 4QR
01392 382331
Becky's story - taken from Youngcarers.net
On the 25th of June, Young Carers from everywhere gathered to join in with the three day young carers festival! Our group got there by coach. The trip took quite a long time, but it was all worth it in the end.
There was a YMCA bus that did all different activities, a few live bands playing (I think the best was definitely 'Dragonheart'), a salon, a radio station, a disco and sweet shops! It was great. There were nine of us in our tent, and we got along well, even though it was a little cramped! Most people stayed up for AGES watching the band, or at the disco dancing. Some of us told ghost stories to creep everyone out!
In the day, people entered the Karaoke, chatted on the radio, got their hair braided, got tattoos (not real ones though!), got their hair coloured, made music CDs, ate sweets, ate popcorn, made scrapbook pages, danced, and had overall fun! Everyone was a little disappointed at the weather, but on the last day it was sunny.
Everyone joined in with the goodbye bonfire, where we played games, we sang and we danced, and we watched people performing scenes. It was so cool, and we were all sad to be leaving, but everyone looked forward to going next year!
To find out more, please contact the Young Carers Development Worker, Westbank League of Friends, Farm House Rise, Exminster EX6 8AT, Tel.01392 824752
My name: Emma
Born: 15th August 1974 (it was a Thursday ... I have 'far to go')
Siblings: None
Likes: Spitfires, baggy jumpers, poetry
Dislikes: Fish, Delius, Rainbow (the children's TV programme not the things in the sky)
Parents: divorced (messily)
I was very young when my Dad left home. In fact, I don't really remember him at all - a bit of shouting perhaps, and Mum crying, but that's about all. I saw some photos of him once. I don't really look like him.
My Mum was severely depressed for most of my childhood. She had good moments when she laughed and smiled, but those times were rare. Mostly, she just sat and cried or stared at the floor. I had to look after myself a lot ... and my Mum as well. It seemed as though I was older than her, and she was my child. I didn't know anything at all about Young Carers or support groups in those days. I just managed as well as I could.
I went to school ... sometimes. Even when I was attending classes, I wasn't really listening, though. My mind was always elsewhere, worrying about what Mum was doing, whether she'd cope without me for a while. Having friends was difficult, too. I couldn't really go out anywhere with them at weekends or in the evenings, and inviting them to come home just stressed Mum even more, so I gave up asking. I suppose you could say I was lonely. Perhaps I was, although I don't really remember having time to think about it much. There was always the next meal to cook, the clothes to wash, the daily living to get on with ...
I started writing when I was in secondary school. I'd always enjoyed reading - probably the one thing that got me through my GCSEs (just about). I used to stay up late at night when Mum was sleeping, just so that I'd have an opportunity to read and write without having to rush off and attend to something else. Writing poetry helped me to sort out my feelings - finding words to express what I was going through made everything seem a bit more manageable. My poems aren't exactly great literary works of art, but they were a lifeline to me.
Mum committed suicide when I was nineteen. I'd talked about wanting to leave home, maybe go to college - nothing far away, but just making a life for myself. That was the most difficult time of all for me, then. I had to reconcile a life spent caring for my Mum with a future without her.
And now, here I am, nearly ten years later. I abandoned a brilliant career as a supermarket checkout operator two years ago when I got married and became pregnant (in that order, yes - but only just!). I'm now balancing my time between my family and my studies for a qualification in English.
Emma
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