Harrogate charity says there are now 2,500 unpaid young carers in area as it looks ahead to Young Carers Action Day

Carers’ Resource, an independent award-winning charity which supports thousands of unpaid carers across the Harrogate, Bradford, Craven and Selby districts, aims to use Young Carers Action Day tomorrow, Wednesday, to raise awareness about young and young adult carers, the challenges they face and the support they need.

Typically, young carers help to look after someone because they have an illness or a disability, they experience poor mental health or they misuse alcohol or drugs.

Many of them care for relatives while still going to school each day.

As part of tomorrow’s events across Yorkshire, members of Carers’ Resource’s young carers team in Harrogate will be going into a number of primary and secondary schools in the district to talk to young carers.

Helen Prince, Head of Young Carers and Families at Carers’ Resource, described the day as a “great opportunity” to celebrate what young carers do.

“Young Carers Action Day is a great opportunity to draw attention to young carers and raise awareness about how adults around them can make changes to support them.

"With around three young carers in every school class it’s really important to raise awareness.”

The most recent statistics published by the Office for National Statistics from the 2021 census on unpaid care showed the number of young carers between the ages of 5-17 in the Harrogate local authority area is 325.

But the head of Young Carers in Harrogate believes the figure is far higher.

“The latest figures are likely to underestimate the scale of caring,” said Helen Prince.

"There is a lot of research that suggests around one in ten children and young people are young carers.

"That would mean there are really around 2,500 young carers in Harrogate.”

The situation facing young carers is highlighted by Benjy Hollins, 12, a young carer in Harrogate, who helps look after his younger brother who has additional needs.

“It can be hard. It can be tough being a young carer,” said Benjy.

“I help with everything like getting him food, getting his iPad, making sure he doesn’t run off, playing with him when he wants.

"It’s not easy but I don’t find it too hard daily because I have never lived without it.

"It’s part of me. It’s not something I would change.”

But young Benjy described the support he receives from Carers’ Resource as “brilliant”, adding: “It really does help.

"Carers’ Resource run a club every other Thursday and that helps you get away and have time with other people who care for someone,” the youngster added.

"They do trips in the holidays so I can get away and do something I might not be able to do with my brother.”

The results of a survey by Carers Trust released this month show 51% of young carers and young adult carers in the UK are caring for between 20 and 49 hours a week.

The work they do is also intensifying, with 56% saying the time they spent caring increased last year and 47% reporting they now care for more people than they used to.

If you are a young carer, or want more information, visit www.carersresource.org