You may have seen publicity about the new Carers Cafe taking place each month at the Queen Camel Memorial Hall. This might be just the thing for you - but you just might not know it yet! Not everyone who is a ‘carer’ realises it. Have a think about these questions:

• Is your husband/wife/partner unable to care for themselves and you are having to look after them as well as doing all the household chores?
• Are your parents very elderly and needing a lot of support and help from you to continue living in their own home?
• Are you the parent of a child or adult who is on the Autistic Spectrum or has learning difficulties?
• Do you have a son or daughter who is experiencing mental health problems but does not live near you?
• Is your partner terminally ill?
• Is your partner in residential care because it became impossible to care for them at home?

If you can answer ‘yes’ to any of the above, or to any other situation when you are providing care for another person, then you are very welcome at the Carers Cafe which is held monthly at Queen Camel Memorial Hall from 1.30 until 3.30 on the last Wednesday of each month.

We know that carers can be very lonely and it is a great help to meet other people in a similar situation and share experiences and knowledge. The cafe will be open on 24th June, 22nd July, 26th August and September 23rd and we hope to see you there.

At the Carers Cafe on 22nd July we will have a guest speaker, Susan Hartnell-Beavis from Blackford, who has written a guide for carers called “If Only I’d Known That”. We aim to develop a programme of guest speakers and optional activities, led by the requests and the needs of people who come to the Carers Cafe. Do let us know your ideas or suggestions; and please see local advertising for details of future Carers Cafes.

Andrea de Berker, Village Agent, 01823 331222, 07852961839, [email protected]