Caring volunteers enjoy Christmas lunch as charity says “thank you”
Written by John Williamson on 08/12/2021
A Christmas lunch has been held to recognise the vital role of volunteers in supporting the work of the charity Carer Support South Lakes.
The charity, which supports unpaid Carers, says volunteers are the backbone of its work and has urged others to join its ranks.
The Christmas lunch was held at Carus Green Golf Club, in Kendal, and was attended by 31 of the Charity’s volunteers.
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Nicky Woods, the charity’s volunteer coordinator, says: “Many of our volunteers are ex-Carers themselves so they know the struggles and pressures involved and what it means to care for a loved one full time.
“The Christmas lunch is our way of saying thanks to them for their essential work – we could not support all the unpaid Carers in the South Lakes area without their help and effort.”
Description automatically generated with medium confidenceAmong the volunteers at the lunch was Stuart Graves, who is a Carer himself and volunteered to help run the charity’s Male Carers Group two years ago.
Stuart says: “There’s nothing better for the guys than to have a chat, exchange stories and have a laugh just for a couple of hours – a sort of respite from their caring responsibilities. It’s a great privilege to be part of the group.”
Carer Support South Lakes is always looking for and recruiting new volunteers. It has many volunteering opportunities including the Sitting Service – where volunteers sit with the Cared For allowing their Carer to have a respite break. They also need volunteers for a new Telephone Support Service, Support Group leaders, Admin Support, Young Carer Support and more. It works around people’s availability and spare time they may have.
“You don’t need any specialist training you just need to be willing to offer whatever time or help you can manage,” explains Nicky. “It can make such a difference to an unpaid Carer’s life.”
If you would like to help by giving a few hours of your time please contact admin@carersupportsouthlakes.org.uk or call 01539 815970: Option 6 and they will be happy to chat about how you can get involved.
