Councillor Norman Work will be jumping off the Forth Bridge this weekend to raise funds for VOCAL (Voice of Carers Across Lothian), and will also mark the start of events taking place across Edinburgh to mark National Carers Week.
Other events include a city-wide art trail across the city featuring installations created by the Edinburgh Young Carers Project, wine tasting on a barge, song writing, arts therapy and a pamper session.
There are an estimated 65,000 unpaid carers in Edinburgh who play a crucial role in the provision of care to people who would not be able to remain at home and in their own communities safely, independently and with dignity without them.
The theme of this year’s Carers Week, which runs from June 8th until the14th, is focusing on building Carer Friendly Communities. These are communities which support carers to look after the person that they care for well, while recognising that they are individuals with needs of their own.
Councillor Work said: “This week is all about saying thanks to carers for their timeless and selfless work, and for providing an absolutely vital service to the community.
“Our job is to “care for the carers” by making sure they access much-needed help and support, whether it’s financial advice or respite for them.
“The Capital Coalition set up a Carers’ Champion to achieve this and will continue to help them through the implementation of the Joint Carers’ Strategy we developed with NHS Lothian and stakeholders.”
You can sponsor Cllr Work by accessing his JustGiving page, https://www.justgiving.com/Norman-Work5/, and details of this week’s events can be found on the VOCAL website.
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