Carers: Croydon’s unsung heroes

I was invited to the launch Carers’ Week at Croydon Carers Centre where I had the enormous privilege of meeting some of the people who devote their lives to looking after others.

Croydon’s 33,000 carers play a phenomenally important role in the life of our borough. They are people who freely give up their time and energy to look after a relative or friend who can no longer cope on their own. These selfless people often go without holidays or even a break to make sure that an ill or disabled loved-one is properly looked after. There’s a growing crisis in care services with individuals increasingly left to their own devices. The work carers do saves the country millions of pounds a year, and it’s important they are given support themselves to make sure they have time off when they need it.

Last year Croydon Carers Centre made contact with around 6,500 carers and dealt with over 14,000 phone calls from carers. My predecessor as Member of Parliament for Croydon North, Malcolm Wicks, was a devoted champion of carers. I’m proud to follow in his footsteps by supporting these wonderful people who make such an important difference to some of the most vulnerable people in our community.