CHILDREN who help to care for loved ones have been recognised for their selfless efforts, thanks to a pioneering scheme adopted by a rural school in Teesdale.
A group was set up at Bowes Hutchinson’s Primary for “young carers” who attend the school, providing support and activities.
The aim is to show them that they’re not alone.
Now a support organisation, Family Action – The Bridge Young Carers, has awarded the school with a neighbourhood charter, which showcases the school’s commitment to helping “young carers” .
Young carers are children who help look after anyone from a parent to a sibling by doing tasks such as cleaning, cooking, keeping the person safe or just watching out for them.
Pupils Cameron and his sister Aimee, along with classmates Darcey and Daisy, who all look after someone special at home, proudly picked up the certificate at an assembly.
Cameron, ten, helps care for big sister Katie, 16, who has autism and suffers from seizures.
Cameron said: “Me and my family have to look after my sister Katie. I can see when she is having a seizure and I know what to do.”
His mum, Susan Foster, added: “All my five children have autism. Her brothers and sisters are very good at spotting the signs and Cameron can put her in a recovery position. Supporting young careers is important, especially in a rural area which doesn’t have the same services as bigger towns and cities.
“Having this in school gives young carers a voice and they can see it’s not just them – other people go through this too. They know they are different from their peers. It can be challenging and frustrating,” she added.
“But this teaches them that it’s okay to feel that it’s not fair.”
Darcey helps to look after her brother, Daniel, 11, who has learning difficulties.
Mum Michelle Greaves said the young carers group was set up at Bowes school through Darcey’s experiences.
Catherine Taylor, from Family Action – The Bridge Young Carers, praised the work being done, which includes assemblies, fundraising events and group sessions.
“Our organisation supports young carers in County Durham and this group at Bowes school is massively important,” she said.
![A COUNTY councillor is backing a campaign to get a pedestrian crossing in Staindrop. Frustrated parish councillors in the village summoned their county council representative Cllr George Richardson to their latest meeting to discuss several issues, including the call for a safe way to cross the A688. Earlier this year their request for a crossing was turned down by the county council’s highways officers. Parish council chairman Jonothan Raper described the reasons for the refusal as “spurious” and called on Cllr Richardson to support their campaign. He added: “One of the arguments they made was there is no clear line of desire when they studied the village – well this isn’t a clear line of desire because there isn’t a crossing, people cross whenever they can. “When the lollipop person was there, one of the things I noticed was people would walk all the way down to the lollipop person to cross the road to go to the shop or to go to the school.” He added a problem of parking at the primary school is exacerbated because people are too afraid to walk their children across the road. Cllr Richardson said he had supported previous attempts for a crossing point with the first being made about 15 years ago. He added: “We went fairly well down the road with that and they looked into it. The only recommended place was where the bus stop is and to get the visibility splays, people on the other side of the road would lose their parking. “That didn’t go down well so it just died a death.” Cllr Raper said he suspected the real reason for the officers’ refusal was the cost of installing a crossing. He added that much of the cost could be recovered from savings made on not having to employ a lollipop patrol. Cllr Raper said: “A lollipop person only provides a benefit of crossing for three hours of the day. You are getting 21 extra hours of crossing time [with a pedestrian crossing].” Cllr Richardson said he would raise the issue with the county council’s cabinet member for highways, Cllr John Shuttleworth.](https://teesdalemercury.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/georgeR-120x86.jpg)
