CAMPAIGNERS for better carer support have pledged to come together to improve services in Northwich during Carers Week and beyond.

Councillors, along with the Cheshire and Warrington Carers Trust (CWCT), carers and those with care needs, met Weaver Vale MP Mike Amesbury to discuss the challenges and advancements in backing those who care for others.

Cllr Helen Rowlands, a Labour member for Northwich Town Council and Rudheath Parish Council, arranged the meeting on Thursday, June 13 after her election campaigning highlighted the problems people were facing.

She said: “Out on the doorsteps in Rudheath I had conversations with a variety of people who were very frank about the extent to which they were suffering.

“In caring for loved ones with mental illnesses epilepsy, dementia, it’s having a considerable effect on their mental and physical health as well as a financial impact.”

Cllr Rowlands, along with town mayor and care professional Cllr Kevin Rimmer, are hoping to raise the profile of carers in the community, build connections between carers and campaigners, and encourage people to identify themselves as carers in order to access the relevant support channels.

Jolene Weaver, service lead at the CWCT, said the trust have 5,000 Cheshire West carers on their system since starting up in January 2018, meaning they can help support people and point them in the right direction.

She said: “We have always been a service supporting any carer – whether it’s for a child or adult, no matter the condition – with information, advice, and support.

“The local authority have been brilliant. They felt that people had slipped through the net.

“We provide everything from a quick chat over the phone to very intense one on one work. We aim to get people a break from their caring role for a few hours, and offer financial support.”

Among the trust’s support strands are social events such as lunch clubs and groups for those who work full-time, a ‘personal budget’ to help carers legitimise spending money on themselves, and continued inclusion for carers after they lose a loved one.

One Northwich woman, whose 17-year-old son is her full-time carer, expressed her concerns at the lack of information she had received, and the difficulty in – almost overnight – going from enjoying a comfortably lifestyle to having to ask for benefits.

Shadow employment minister Mike shared his own experiences of family care, and outlined Labour’s plans for a social care boost.

He said: “My dad was a carer for my late mum – he did it because he loved her and didn’t class himself as a carer. It’s key to define that.

“There needs to be some quite drastic and radical reform in the social care system, taking it back to its original principles.

“It’s been used as a vehicle for cuts – it’s highly unfair.

“We all pay in, and there should be no stigma in taking out what we need in a time of need. We need to be a bit more compassionate and a bit more loving as a society.”