Young carers to enjoy all the fun of the fair thanks to The Mayor

Earlier this year, Cllr Parry took the unusual decision to cancel this year’s annual Civic Dinner for all councillors, which usually takes place in May, in favour of organising an event for young carers.

Cllr Parry explained: “Our young carers do such an amazing job, I just wanted to organise a special treat to recognise and celebrate all they do day-to-day and to give them a chance to put their caring responsibilities to one side for a short time, enjoy being children, have fun and make some magical memories. 

“Many of these young people have very difficult and disrupted lives but are incredibly resilient and develop skills that many others don't have until adulthood, such as organisation, time and priority management and communication to name but a few.”

Cllr Parry and her husband and consort, Cllr Kevin Parry, came up with the idea of providing a fairground for the young carers, who unanimously agreed it would be a fantastic opportunity when consulted by The Mayor.

After contacting Steven Hill, of The Showman's Guild, to find out if such an event could be possible, he kindly agreed to provide his funfair at the County Ground.

Nationwide Building Society very generously responded to the Mayor's request for corporate sponsorship, allowing all young carers under the age of 18 to apply for their place to have an amazing time.

The ‘Young Carers Fairground’ will take place on Friday (27 Oct) afternoon with all the young carers having three hours of unlimited rides, a drink and a portion of chips.

Swindon Carers Centre’s Young Carers Team is one of the Mayor's chosen charities and money raised will go directly to providing young carers with fun activities and trips.

To find out more about Young Carers and how they are supported in Swindon, please visit: www.swindoncarers.org.uk/young-carers-support-in-swindon

Rachel Smith, Senior Manager Social Investment at Nationwide, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be sponsoring this event for Young Carers in Swindon, who give so much in supporting their loved ones. We hope they have a huge amount of fun at the fairground and a day to remember!”