Carers Choice, an Essex-based charity that have supported carers since 1982 have been awarded the £10,000 grant for their Get Me In! project. The funding will go towards purchasing a new accessible minibus to provide transport for people with dementia, their carers, and others with mobility issues to access the wide range of support and activities available in their area.
Without a dedicated form of transport, people are struggling to cope at home without respite and are therefore forced into isolation. The Get Me In! project will help reduce loneliness and isolation in those with dementia and mobility issues by facilitating their access to specialist services.
Carers Choice offer a range of activities for those suffering from dementia and other mobility issues focusing on cognitive stimulation therapy, music, movement, and utilising outdoor spaces. The new minibus will also allow Carers Choice to take clients to places such as garden centres, the seaside, Hadleigh Castle, and much more.
The minibus will be used five days a week and will be available for hire by other community groups outside of Carer’s Choice’s core hours, meaning this investment will benefit the community as a whole.
It is particularly apt that this funding was granted during the 25th annual Carers Week, a time to celebrate and raise awareness of those caring. It aims to highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the enormous contribution carers make to families and communities throughout the UK.
Rebecca Harris MP, Patron of Carers Choice said:
‘I am very pleased that Carers Choice have received this substantial funding for their Get Me In! project. The organisation provides such vital support to carers and those cared for alike and this money will ensure that carers and the people they care for have a better quality of life’.
Angela Allum from Carers Choice said:
‘We were so very lucky to be in receipt of an Awards4All National Lottery grant recently. The grant was given as match funding, allowing our charity to purchase a minibus to be able to pick up and take home our Dementia Day Centre clients.
The National Lottery understood the need for good quality specialist day care and the benefits of early intervention for this devastating condition. They also understood the benefits of respite for the care givers which is a bonus when their loved ones attend our day centres.’
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