Bradford young carers enjoy summer of activities thanks to local charity Carers' Resource

Bradford young carers supported by local charity Carers’ Resource have enjoyed a fun-packed summer of activities.
Young carers were given a tour of Bradford City’s stadium

Carers’ Resource organised a range of activities, including a mountain bike adventure, kickboxing session, tour of Bradford City’s stadium, visit to White Scar Caves and to Bradford’s VR City, pond dipping at Hardcastle Crags, forest school session, cooking sessions and trampolining. In addition, the charity arranged a family trip to Yorkshire Wildlife Park and a visit to Junkyard Golf in Leeds with young adult carers.

The events were made possible by funding from the Holiday Activities and Food programme, and generous donations from Morrisons, Greggs, Asda, White Scar Caves and Fred Towler Charity Trust.

Carers’ Resource is extremely grateful for the funding and donations that have helped create wonderful memories for our Bradford young carers. Without donations, the charity wouldn’t be able to run so many activities and trips.

Carers’ Resource organised a mountain bike adventure for young Bradford carers

Jo Gregory, Bradford and Craven Young Carer Service Manager, said: “It’s been an incredible summer for Bradford young carers who have been able to have a summer of respite and fun with their peers. There have been some lifelong friendships formed and young carers have enjoyed new experiences and pushed their boundaries along the way.”

“A huge thank-you to our amazing volunteers, the wonderful organisations who’ve supported us and of course the young carers and families who have joined us throughout the summer.”

Supporting young carers' wellbeing

Young carers help to look after someone, often a parent or a sibling, who has an illness or disability. Some young carers do lots of physical tasks to help, such as cooking and cleaning or helping someone take medicines or get washed. Some young carers don’t do any of these things but they do spend a lot of time worrying about someone, or staying at home to be with them.

Carers’ Resource provides a range of support to help young carers, including fun trips and activities in school holidays, youth clubs and one-to-one support.

The service is designed to support young carers’ wellbeing and resilience, to help them achieve their potential as successful, happy adults. If you are able to help with fundraising for young carers’ trips and activities, please email fundraising@carersresource.org or call us on 0808 50 15 939.

Looking for information about health and care?

Find advice and information to help you stay well and make decisions about your health and social care support.

Find advice and information

Sarah - Chair of the Board of Trustees

image of Sarah, the Chair of the Board of Trustees

As the Chair of the board of trustees, I work with the other trustees and staff to help set the strategic direction of Healthwatch Bradford and District. We meet regularly to look at finance reports, agree the budget, get updates on the work of the staff team and make any decisions that are important to ensure the charity is as strong and effective as possible. We also work closely with the senior staff team to make sure they have the support they need. I previously managed Healthwatch Bradford and District, and I’m passionate about ensuring our local community has a strong voice in the local NHS. I know from personal experience, as both a patient and a carer, that the NHS can be confusing and it can be hard to have your voice heard. We are a diverse and brilliant community, and it’s vital that every part of it has the chance to speak up and help shape our care.

Outside of my role, I’ve got two young children so I’m often busy with them, but I also love yoga and walking in the woods and moors around the District.

I think Healthwatch Bradford and District does a vital job hearing from people across the District, sharing their experiences and views with the NHS, and helping the health and care system better understand the community. I love that I can support this, and I really enjoy getting to work with the fantastic team.

 

Emma - member of the Board of Trustees

Emma - member of the board of Director

"Healthwatch Bradford and District plays a vital role in making sure every person’s voice is valued, respected, and used to drive meaningful change across our local health and care systems."

I’ve always been driven by a deep belief that people deserve to be heard when it comes to their health, wellbeing, and social care. That belief has shaped my entire career and I’ve spent my life working across health and social care. I have spent time in emergency departments, on hospital wards, within social care services, and alongside community groups where I’ve witnessed extraordinary dedication across our system, but I’ve also seen where things fall short. Those experiences have strengthened my conviction that listening to people’s real stories is the key to creating better, fairer, and more responsive services.

As a Trustee of Healthwatch Bradford and District, I’m proud to help ensure that this principle sits at the heart of everything we do. My role involves supporting the leadership team with strategic decisions, guiding our communications, and helping to shape the organisation’s public presence so that the Bradford and district community knows we are here to champion what matters to them.

Outside of work, life is full and joyful. I have a large, lively family, I foster dogs (which brings chaos and love into the house), and I find calm and creativity through crochet.

 

Jo - member of the Board of Trustees

image of Jo

“I’m committed to making sure every voice, especially those often overlooked, shapes the future of our local health and care services.”

Alongside my work as an Aviation Ops Co‑ordinator, I serve as a trustee where my role is to read, question, and challenge. I bring real‑life experience into board decisions, always trying to make sure services and strategies work for the people they’re meant to help. Because I commute between cities for my job, I get to see how health services operate in different parts of the country. That wider perspective really influences my understanding of services, especially when I see how differently things can be done in other areas of the UK.

I have a particular interest in children’s services, the elderly, and vulnerable communities as I feel these people have seldom heard voices and need to be supported within healthcare services. As a Healthwatch board member, I champion the voice of local people in health and social care. I use lived experience, community insight, and independent challenge to influence decisions, improve services, and ensure people are heard. I’m driven by a belief that everyone deserves safe, fair, and accessible care, and that real change happens when the public voice is at the table and taken seriously.

I’m also currently studying a diploma in Aesthetics. When I’m qualified, I hope to be able to help people with cleft palates or other facial issues or scarring. It’s important to me to support people who might otherwise struggle to access the help they need. I really agree with the sentiment that the health and care system works best when it truly listens to the people it serves.