Welcome to the new edition of the Unpaid Carers' Newsletter

A carer is someone who provides unpaid care and support to a family member or friend who has a disability, illness, mental health condition, addiction or who needs extra help as they grow older.  

It isn’t someone who volunteers or is employed to provide support,  an unpaid Carer could be in receipt of Carers Allowance or working whilst caring.

Caring for someone you love will not always be easy, but you can be helped by the right support.  Here you can find the latest news and useful information to help you to continue to support the people you care for.

Carers Week - Monday 9 June to Sunday 15 June 2025

Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. It also helps people who don't think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support. A schedule of events to celebrate Carers Week are being held across Rotherham.

Infected Blood Inquiry

A Rotherham mother is reminding people to get tested if they had a blood transfusion prior to 1996 in a bid to help find undiagnosed patients affected by the contaminated blood scandal.

Angie discovered her daughter was infected with Hepatitis C last year after she had blood transfusions when she and her twin brother were born prematurely in 1978.

The siblings decided to get tested after seeing a news report last year about the release of the Infected Blood Inquiry report chaired by Sir Brian Langstaff.

Since then, Angie, who is her daughter’s main carer, has been raising awareness with carers and people with learning disabilities, with the support of the Hepatitis C Trust.

Her daughter is now testing negative but has ultrasound scans every six months and blood tests.

Angie said: “Please, please get yourself or your cared for person tested if you had a blood transfusion prior to 1996. It’s a silent killer and you don’t know it’s there until the damage is done.”

Since screening of blood donations was introduced, the risk of getting an infection from a blood transfusion or blood products is very low.

Anyone living in England over the age of 18 can order a free home test for hepatitis C from https://hepctest.nhs.uk/

Mental Health Strategy consultation

Rotherham Council is looking to co-design an adult Mental Health Strategy for the borough.

To achieve the best outcomes, we recognise the importance of putting you at the heart of everything we do. That means involving you in the things that matter to you and making sure we design our services based on your views.

We want to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to have their voice heard. Please take part in our online survey, the consultation runs until Sunday 27 July 2025.

If you need more information about the strategy or assistance in filling out the survey online or in person, feel free to attend any of our open drop-in sessions.

Direct Payments

Rotherham Council’s Adult Social Care Service has developed its Direct Payments offer to make them easier to access and understand for residents.   

A direct payment is an amount of money that Adult Social Care pays to a person to help them to pay for their care and support and allows them to have more choice and control over their day-to-day care.   

Unpaid Carers aged 18 and over are eligible to receive them however, they are not compulsory. It’s your choice if you want to receive them or continue getting your care services from the Council. 

 A suite of new documents to help residents understand Direct Payments have been created including a handbook about Direct Payments, an Easy Read version and a guide to being a good employer, which is toolkit for employing a Personal Assistant and includes documents such as contracts of employment, how to recruit a PA and payslips. 

For more information about Direct Payments and to view the documents visit: Direct payments – Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council 

New Young Carers Service – Family Action

There is a new service to support young carers in Rotherham.

The Young Carers Rotherham service, is run by charity Family Action and funded by Rotherham Council, supports the health and wellbeing of young carers and young adult carers (aged eight to 18) in Rotherham.

The service offers group work and one-to-one sessions all tailored to each young carer.

The service is opening 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Location

Office 20, Bizspace Business Park, Bow Bridge Close, Rotherham, S60 1BY.

For further information, please get in touch by:
Email: youngcarersrotherham@family-action.org.uk

Telephone: 01709 224959

Find out more here.

Rotherham in Bloom competition

Rotherham Council’s annual garden competition, Rotherham in Bloom, is  open for entries.

Rotherham in Bloom rewards Rotherham residents who make a real difference in their neighbourhoods by taking pride in their garden.

The competition welcomes entries from any Rotherham resident.

Each adult category will have two winners, one Council and one non-Council tenant each winning a £100 Love2Shop voucher, with two runners up in each category both receiving a £50 Love2Shop voucher.

The children’s category will have one first place prize winning a £100 Love2Shop voucher and one runner-up prize of a £50 Love2Shop voucher.

The categories include:

• Best garden – awarded to the most outstanding garden in the borough.
• Best pots, planters and hanging baskets – awarded to the creative use of pots and planters to brighten up any space.
• Best wildlife or sustainable garden – awarded to gardens that provide sanctuaries to birds, insects, hedgehogs, and other local wildlife.
• Best young gardener (0 - 18 yrs) – awarded to the best container garden, bug hotel, potted plant or tallest sunflower grown by a young gardener.

To enter, please visit - www.rotherham.gov.uk/housing/garden-competition

The closing date for entries is Friday 27 June.

Inclusive Cycling Session

Inclusive cycling session for people with a disability or long-term health condition are being held in Rotherham.

Sheffield Cycling 4 All is hosting the sessions and no equipment or experience is required.

The 10.30am to 12.30pm session is available for all and for walk ins. Group bookings are between 12.30pm and2.30pm.

Dates

Friday 6 June 2025

Friday 20 June 2025

Friday 4 July 2025

Location

Herringthorpe Athletics Stadium, Middle Lane South, Herringthorpe, Rotherham S65 2HR

For further information, please get in touch by:
Email: info@sheffieldcycling4all.org.

Telephone: 07922 183338.

Find out more here.

Swallownest Court monthly drop-in

Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) is hosting a monthly family and friends drop-in session at Swallownest Court.

At each session there will be a guest speaker, focusing on carers, to provide information and support that is available to you in our area.

The sessions will run on the first Thursday of every month from 6pm to 7pm in the conference room at Swallownest Court.

Drinks and snacks will be provided.

Rotherham Gismo

An online directory of not-for-profit groups providing help and support to people living and working in the Rotherham area. The site features around 600 groups offering a wide range of support services. Each group has its own page to explain their aims and highlight the various services and activities they provide. To help you navigate the site visit the Self Help User Guide

The Learning Community  - one of the groups you can find on Gismo.

The Learning Community is a Community Hub situated in the heart of Dinnington, Sheffield, offering a range of free support and activity:

• Supporting both mental health and long term condition patients increase  IT, employability and Functional skills. Increase mental wellbeing by teaching new skills to increase confidence, motivation and ability.
• Employability Skills – face to face and online, to help remove barriers and skills gaps, increase knowledge, capabilities and confidence whilst improving enhancing current or increasing new skills around the world of employment. Working with Employers such as Engie, South Yorkshire Ambulance Service, Roy Hatfields and many more.
• Pre Employment Training Workbook course or 2 Employability online Platforms (Skills 2 Success and Future Learn).

• Maths and English – whether you need to refresh or learn new skills whilst working towards accreditation.
• IT Support groups – drop in sessions in Dinnington to those interested in learning new skills.

Visit Services - Rotherham Gismo to find further information and other community groups near you.

Memory Hub at Hygge

Supportive group for people experiencing memory loss and their carers.

Every Thursday from 10am to 11.30am at Frith Space, 18 High Street, Rotherham, S60 1PP.

Dementia Voice

If you are caring for someone who is living with dementia, you can attend a local group in Rotherham, Dementia Voice, with them.

At Dementia Voice, you can share your experience, insights, and opinions to help make a positive difference to how communities view those living with dementia. Plus, it is a great place to increase your confidence, develop skills, get involved in engaging work, and meet others living with dementia.

The group meets on the second Friday of every month from 11am to 1pm.

Dates:

• Friday 13 June 2025
• Friday 11 July 2025
• Friday 8 August 2025
• Friday 12 September 2025
• Friday 10 October 2025
• Friday 14 November 2025
• Friday 12 December 2025

Location:
Garden House and Courtyard (next to the museum at Clifton Park), Doncaster Road, Clifton Lane, Rotherham, S65 2AH.

For further information, please get in touch by:
Email: rotherham@alzheimers.org.uk
Telephone: 01709 580543

Find out more here.

Choir That Cares

Rotherham Council is proud to support Carers Week 2025, taking place from Monday 9 June to Sunday 15 June. This national campaign celebrates the vital role of carers, those who support a friend or family member due to illness, disability, mental health issues, or addiction.

Throughout the week, Rotherham Council will be sharing carers’ stories, offering insight into what being a carer means to them. Among those featured are members of the Choir That Cares, a dementia and neuro-inclusive group supported by The Lost Chord and sponsored by South Yorkshire’s Community Foundation and Pippa Harder, a Lost Chord UK volunteer.

The choir is free and open to all, including carers and those supporting loved ones, neighbours, friends, or the wider community. Their reflections on caring roles will be shared on the Council’s social media throughout the week.

As part of Carers Week, Joanne McCreath, a member of the Choir That Cares, shared her story about caring for her son, who has Spina bifida, Hydrocephalus, Epilepsy and Autism. She’s been his full-time carer for 18 years, having left work to support him. Joanne spoke about the financial and personal impact of that decision, but also the pride she feels in helping her son attend mainstream school and now college. She recalled a family trip to Disneyworld, tricky to plan but incredibly rewarding, and how much it meant to her son.

Joanne also talked about the challenges of getting professionals to listen when you know something isn’t right, and how delays can make things harder. She believes it’s vital to recognise the role of carers, paid or unpaid, because so many people rely on them to live full lives. For her, connecting with others through local groups and social media has been a lifeline. It helped her realise she’s not alone and opened up new sources of support and friendship.

Choir That Cares           

Address: St Gerards Church, 2 Park Nook, Doncaster Road, Thrybergh, Rotherham, S65 4AE.      

Share Our Newsletter

Do you know anyone else who is an unpaid carer that you can share this newsletter with?

If so, forward this email on and ask them to subscribe.

For further information about carers, please click here.