Sheffield Young Carers Hit London!

6th October 2016

On Saturday 24th September, an excited group of young carers from Sheffield headed down south for a fun-filled two-night stay in London.

The action-packed trip, which was funded by BBC Children in Need and supported by Paul Blomfield MP, saw 10 young carers take a flight on the London Eye, take in the city's iconic sights on an open top bus and Thames river cruise, and experience the terror and excitement of The London Dungeon. Described by several of the young carers as -amazing, the trip also included several meals out, a trip to the cinema and the rare chance to relax and socialise away from home. Rounding up their non-stop itinerary on Monday morning, the group enjoyed an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of the Houses of Parliament, which followed on perfectly from their recent meeting with Paul Blomfield MP in Sheffield. Paul had organised an exclusive meeting with members of Sheffield Young Carers' Action Group on Monday 19 September, as part of his annual programme of 'Big Conversation' events which allow him to listen to the views of his constituents in Sheffield. The young people who attended were able to talk to him about a wide range of issues affecting young carers, including their experiences at school and with local health services, the financial impacts of being a young carer, and issues around their own health, isolation and bullying. Paul Blomfield MP said: -I met with Sheffield Young Carers as part of my annual Big Conversation and the meeting with these inspiring young people was incredibly informative regarding the issues that they face on a daily basis.  I was pleased to be able to organise a tour around the Palace of Westminster as part of their trip to London and look forward to hearing more about their experiences when I feed back to them on the issues they raised with me.  After their action-packed weekend away, the group refuelled and returned to Sheffield deservedly proud of their first successful foray into politics! Laura Selby (Deputy Manager at Sheffield Young Carers) said: -It was such a fantastic trip being in London was so exciting from travelling by tube to seeing all of the sights. The young people all came back understanding more about politics and feeling inspired to help improve things for other young carers. They all got on brilliantly together and it was so good to see them make new friends and take a complete break from their caring roles back in Sheffield. The young carers commented: -It was really fun and educational. -I liked seeing the difference between a small city [and] a big city I also liked seeing the buildings and it was interesting to learn about politics and my rights.