Davina & Mel's London Marathon

Davina and I will be running the London Marathon 2017 for Bridgend Carers Centre. Bridgend Carers Centre is a registered charity that specialises in the provision of information and support to unpaid carers. The Centre provides one to one support including emotional support at appointments in the Centre and at home. The Centre provides a diverse programme of activities to enable carers to maintain their caring role. including short breaks, holistic therapies, walks and exercise, social events, training, information, events and opportunities. The Centre also provides specialist welfare benefits advice, legal advice and person centred counselling for carers. Each week we organise a Community Café. Bridgend Carers Centre benefit the community by providing a preventative service to enable unpaid carers to be identified for support and relevant information when they need it and in the way they need it as early as possible. Carers care for family members, partners, friends and neighbours due to illness, disability, age and mental health/substance misuse issues. By supporting the carer it enables the whole family to be fully supported and informed. There are over 3000 carers in Bridgend that Receive our information. However there are 18,000 carers in Bridgend County Borough that we need to identify. We raise awareness at GP surgeries and at the local Hospital to help staff to identify those carers for support. Carers that have access to our service are better informed, they are less social isolated with better networks of support and friendships. The Welfare Benefits Advisor has maximised income for carers significantly. Registered charity no.: 1125921