Carers First and Anglian Water working in partnership this Carers Awareness Day  

Anglian Water and Carers First have teamed up to raise awareness of the support available to carers looking after someone in Lincolnshire and Essex. This could be caring for a child with special needs, or a partner who has dementia, a disability or mental health difficulties. The campaign coincides with Carers Rights Day (Thursday 26 November) and will run for 10 days through social and local media.   

A recent survey by Carers First showed that people often delay seeking support. Out of 1,150 carers, 41% said they did not know help was available, which is why Carers First are enlisting assistance from other organisations to improve awareness of the help available to many of their customers. A further 24% of carers did not want to admit they needed help and the other 24% did not have time to look for help. This often leaves to people reaching crisis point before getting support.  

Case Study: 

Carla gave up work to look after her son, 14, who has autism. She said “As a mum, I felt that I could do it, that I was fine, but I wasn’t fully aware of how caring was impacting my wellbeing. One day I visited my GP on a particularly hard day and broke down in tears.”  

Her GP told her about Carers First. This was the first time she had sought support. Carla said “They helped me secure the Carers Allowance, which I didn’t know was a possibility. Carers First helped increased my income and helped me connect with other carers.”  

Carers Rights Day brings together organisations from across the UK to reach out to carers with information, advice and support. The theme this year is ‘Know your Rights’. Anglian Water and Carers First will be sharing stories from people like Carla, who have benefited from support.  

Carers First has also produced a simple fact sheet showing Carers Rights and other help which is available. This includes registering (for free) to be on Anglian Water’s Priority Services Register, a service which provides additional practical support for customers who may need extra help due to varying factors including age, ill heath or disability. For Carla, it gives her peace of mind knowing Anglian Water is aware of her situation. Carla will now be amongst the first to get support should there be any interruption to water supply.  

Alison Taylor, Chief Executive of Carers First said: “We’re delighted to partner with Anglian Water on this campaign. We know people don’t always think of themselves as carers and many don’t realise that help is available. Our message is simple: If you’re looking after someone who couldn’t manage without you, please get in touch to find out how Carers First can help you.” 

Beth Kennedy, Anglian Water’s Partnership Coordinator said, “We are delighted to have teamed up with Carers First to highlight Carers Rights Day.  This is something we are incredibly passionate about and want to be able to support any of our customers should they be in need. Making sure all of our customers have access to water is essential and it is vital that we know who may need extra help should there be any interruptions to water supplies. 

We want to urge all carers to get their cared for signed up to our Priority Services Register, to ensure we are able to best support them.” 

Call Carers First helpline on 0300 303 1555 or email [email protected] to find out how they can help you.   

Register for the Priority Services Register by calling 0800 141 2934 or go online at: anglianwater.co.uk/priority