Drumming up support for young carers in Sheffield!

On Tuesday 13th June, SYC took over Hallam Square to celebrate Carers Week in very loud style at our fantastic 'Move to the Beat' city centre event!

Carers Week is a national campaign which aims to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK.  Sheffield has an estimated 7,300 young carers.

To mark Carers Week 2017, we organised an evening of fun activities for young carers, their families, supporters and passers-by to raise awareness and celebrate the amazing contribution young carers make in Sheffield.  28 young carers and 24 of their family members attended and enjoyed an evening in the sun and some much needed respite together.

The event was opened with words of support from the Lord Mayor, followed by an amazing drumming workshop from Fun Drum which really grabbed the attention of passers-by. The crowds were then treated to some beautiful music from the Council and Carers Choir and Julia McInally from Sheffield Carers Centre, while everyone tucked into tasty treats provided by the Real Junkfood Project and enjoyed games and circus activities in the sun.

Sheffield Hallam University kindly hosted the event and also offered a campus tour for 10 young carers who got to see inside a university and find out more about uni life. Sheffield Live TV also interviewed a young carer brave enough to speak in front of the camera, helping raise even more awareness across the city.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to all the young carers, families and supporters who made the night so much fun and for helping us raise the profile of young carers. It was great to see so many people helping make Sheffield a carer-friendly city!

There were lots of other Carers Week activities this year too. Find out more here.

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