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Powys Carers Service Newsletter - Christmas 2004 -
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Directors Welcome
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Hello and welcome to
our Christmas Edition of our newsletter. It’s our first
Christmas and we’re celebrating with a special competition
for all carers to take part in. You’ll find our quiz towards
the end of the newsletter, good luck to all who take part.
Also in this edition, we recall the Newtown Santa Run and the
Young Carers Halloween party and the fun that was had by all.
In local legislation and services, we look back at National
Carers Rights Day and we find out more about the new Mental
Health Bill and an update of local Community Transport facilities.
As usual we have a lot to say in a small space. I hope you all
manage to find time to relax and enjoy your Christmas and I
wish all of you a healthy and positive New Year.
Kate Young
Director, Powys Carers Service. |
Ho Ho Ho
On Sunday 5 December Carers and Outreach Workers donned santa suits
and joined over 4000 other ‘Santas’ in Newtown to run
(cleverly disguised as walking by some of us) 4.5 miles.
Why on
a damp Sunday morning would so many people do such a thing?
Well, apart form entering the world record books for the largest
Santa run EVER. We were all there to raise money for Charity.
The Santa Run, now in its fourth year, is the brain child of
Newtown Dial-a-Ride. It is a fundraising event aimed at not
only raising funds for Newtown Dial-a-Ride, but also enabling
participants to raise money for their chosen charity.
All ‘Santas’ collect sponsors of which, half go
to Newtown Dial-a-Ride, the other half to the ‘santa’s’
chosen charity. Outreach Worker Sarah Baker with Doe and Herby
from the Llandrindod Wells Carers Group took part to raise money
for Carers Groups. Herby and Doe on behalf of Llandrindod Wells
carers group and Sarah on behalf of Knighton and Builth Wells
Group whose members have been busy collecting sponsors.
As yet we have no final total but would like to give a big thank
you to all who have
sponsored us. |
Young Carers at the Santa Run
Annabel, John and Chloe |
Hi Everybody!
It’s apparently my turn to write something
for the newsletter so I will tell you a little about me. I am not
going to tell you how old I am as it makes me feel even older. Suffice
to say that I grew up during the Second World War and have some memories
of the hardships that people faced in those days. I left school without
any formal qualifications and after several quite different jobs,
(one could leave a job at the end of a day and start a new one in
the morning) I enlisted in the Army for three years and served in
the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers where I learned the
trade of a Welder.
However, I did not continue the work when I left the Army but had
a number of varied posts in different walks of life. I eventually
decided that it would be a good idea to get some sort of professional
training so went back to college for a year full time. On completion
of my course I became a Community Development worker with Basildon
Development Corporation where I learned the skills of working with
voluntary groups, the broader community and local authority representatives.
A large part of my role was concerned with assisting local communities
to set up a variety of provisions, by establishing committees from
groups of interested people and assisting them through the complex
processes of planning, fund-raising and managing of facilities and
staff. It was during this phase of my career that I became a Voluntary
Associate and continued this interest further after qualifying as
a probation officer by working in a voluntary capacity with organisations
such as MENCAP, as it was known then. In 1978 I obtained a CQSW and
worked for the Probation Service for four years then moved to Social
Services to work with young people. I decided to take a short career
break in 1986 to travel to Australia to visit relatives and spent
four months over there. I think my most lasting memory is of swimming
on the Great Barrier Reef.
I returned to my old job in Social Work in Essex but at the end of
1988 moved to Mid Wales and worked for Powys Social Services department
until I took early retirement in March 1995. I became self-employed
and am still working in that capacity. In the last twelve years I
have had involvement with both those undertaking the care role and
those being cared for. In particular I managed Powys Young Carers
staff for about 18 months and met many of the young people carrying
out the role of carer in their own homes. It was this involvement
that influenced my decision to become a Director and Trustee of Powys
Carers Service earlier this year.
Over the time that I have worked with people and organisations that
care for others I have gained insight into the problems and difficulties
facing all those involved. I have seen the dedication of carers and
the effect it often has on their lives. This is why I believe that
it is so important to have an organisation like ours that can offer
support and information to those that most need it. I congratulate
everyone who is taking care of someone less fortunate than themselves
and sincerely hope that you all also feel that PCS is a worthy organisation
for you.
Alan Northover
Trustee |
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