Young Carers Festival set for success

4.49.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 27th Aug 2009

Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale MSP, Jeremy Purvis will be attending the Young Carers Festival, which will take place on August 29 and 30 in West Linton and will feature Still Game star Sanjeev Kohli, the Red Hot Chilli Pipers and a question time debate, among other events.

It has been organised by The Princess Royal Trust to facilitate communications between young carers, MSPs and other decision makers. The aim is to highlight services for young carers and involve them in the policy-making process by providing a platform to express their views about what it’s like to be a young carer and the support available to them.

Commenting on the event, Jeremy Purvis said:

“The Young Carers Festival is an excellent opportunity to support the young carers in Scotland, of whom there are nearly 100,000. The support services they provide to their family, sometimes between 30-39 hours per week, is absolutely invaluable and I think it is only right that we honour their hard work and family commitment by giving them a day to have fun and relax.

“Another important aspect of the festival is the opportunity to interact with and influence the adults that make decisions about support services the young carers receive. It is reported that only 3% of young carers receive support from existing projects so I see this as a very valuable opportunity to hear what young carers have to say in regards to how we can better serve them.

“Last year’s event was an outstanding success and I look forward to welcoming all the young carers back to my constituency on Sunday to learn from them as well as have a bit of fun.”