October is National Bullying Prevention Month, founded by the organisation PACER. National Bullying Prevention Month aims to encourage everyone to create a safe and supportive nature within their community, helps individuals to learn more about preventing bullying and aims create a world without bullying. What is bullying? Bullying doesn't have to be when someone physically hurts you, but of course that can be one aspect of bullying. They might say hurtful things to you, mak

Volunteering is a great thing to do for so many reasons. From gaining new skills, making new friends, growing in confidence, there are lots of reasons why choosing to volunteer can bring so many benefits. Sixteen year old Erin who has Asperger's syndrome, and who helps to look after her sister who has type one diabetes, has written a blog post on her experience volunteering. Hello. My name is Erin. I am sixteen years old, and I have Asperger’s syndrome, which puts me on the a

Many exams were cancelled in 2021 but SQA and A-level students will still get their results on 10th August (or 16th December if you chose to sit exams in autumn). Results day is always a nerve wracking day, but with the changes that have happened in the last year, it's understandable this day might be bringing more anxiety than expected. Read our tips on results day and next steps: 1. You are not your grades! Results day can be full of surprises. You might have higher grades

Rebekah shares her impactful story with us of her experiences looking after a parent and her siblings. Thank you for sharing your story Rebekah. I cared primarily for my parent who has lifelong severe mental health issues which have led to alcoholism and suicide threats. When I was 21, they were diagnosed with a large cyst in their head which caused seizures, memory loss and processing issues. During this time, they were frequently taken into A&E in ambulances. On more than o

Self care is important - why not take some time for it this week.

Written by Young Adult Carer Sasha Ever since my dad was made redundant from his job in 2013, everything changed for my family. My mum had to start working full time and my brother and I had to step in with helping around the house. It wasn’t until 2018 when he was fully diagnosed with ‘dementia with neurodegenerative disease’, but it was long before that when we knew there was something seriously wrong. Early onset dementia refers to a person who is diagnosed with dementia u

Nature has been incredibly important for all of us this past year, with lockdowns meaning we all looked to nature to give us some company, enjoyment and relaxation. This year's theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is nature, how it benefits not just our physical health, but how it has an incredible impact on our mental health and wellbeing. Why not get out in nature this week and take some time to look after your own mental health with our tips - Do a colour walk Go for a w

It's Mental Health Awareness week 10th - 16th of May, and this year's theme is nature. It's no surprise that when looking after someone else, often our own mental health gets put on the back burner, and slowly we begin to prioritise other things over our own wellbeing. You might also find that the things that you would want to do, or things that would help your wellbeing are difficult to fit in around your caring responsibilities. You might wish you had free time just for you

Erin and Ruby are sisters and dual carers - meaning they care for each other, and also their Mum who has type one diabetes. They have kindly shared their stories with us on what it's like caring for each other, the challenges, and how it brings them closer together. Read Ruby's story below. Click here to read Erin's story. My name is Ruby and I’m the younger sister of Erin who is on the autistic spectrum. Specifically, she is diagnosed with Asperger's. I help her with this co

Erin and Ruby are sisters and dual carers - meaning they care for each other, and also their Mum who has type one diabetes. They have kindly shared their stories with us on what it's like caring for each other, the challenges, and how it brings them closer together. Read Erin's story below. Click here to read Ruby's story. Hi, my name is Erin, I’m sixteen, and I am a young carer for my sister Ruby - a chatty, rambunctious twelve-year-old, whom I love dearly, and who was also

Going off to university to study something you love is a goal for most young people, but for those looking after someone else, they often lack the support needed to pursue this. There are an estimated 2,700 unpaid young adult carers (YACs) across Wiltshire alone, and Carers Trust found that of those that do go to university, 16% were concerned that they might have to drop out. But there is support out there for you to pursue your education goals. Apply for a bursary from the

With restrictions beginning to lift in the UK - you might be feeling a range of emotions right now, from excited, anxious and all of the in-between. If you're looking after someone, this might mean you can start to have more breaks, or look forward to going to support groups you may have attended in the past. It may also mean getting used to leaving your loved one again if you have to go back to work or college. Here are some tips for easing yourself out of lockdown: 1. Take

It's Young Carer Action day on the 16th of March 2021, a day dedicated to young carers futures, highlighting the incredible skills they have developed through being a carer – like resilience, time-management and empathy. We are asking young carers and young adult carers to – Shout Your Skills! As a carer, you develop so many incredibly skills and it’s important that you shout about them! Especially when you’re thinking about your future, highlighting what skills you used and

Written by Young Adult Carer Rosario The second and most recent lockdown have been a lot harder for me than the first. In the beginning, though scary, the pandemic was new whereas now it has gone on for a long time. I was also focusing on finishing my master's dissertation. I have struggled with a lack of routine. I have also been apart from my family for too long. I have to give emotional support as best as I can from a distance. It's hard not being on the spot. I am opening

We’re back in lockdown again – which might mean it’s back to learning from home for some of us if you're at school, college or university. But how do you go from learning in a classroom to learning from your home? Read our tips to make studying work for you at home – 1. BBC Bitesize BBC Bitesize has lessons for both primary, secondary and for those older than 16! Try their lessons full of videos, quizzes and practice activities to help you with home learning. And even if you

Although Christmas is a time for celebrating for most, for others it can be a hard time of year, especially this year whilst we are still dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. It might be that you have recently lost someone, are unable to see family or friends, or just simply not be in the mood for celebrating Christmas this year. No matter how you’re feeling, it’s okay to not feel ‘up’ for Christmas or celebrating this year. But it is important that you look after your ment

Welcome to our first Young Adult Carer newsletter! It's been a strange year, hasn't it? We've gone from seeing each other in person at the YAC (Young adult carer) Cafes to seeing each other behind a screen at our virtual ones. But just because we can't meet face to face, doesn't mean we stop meeting or supporting you. In this newsletter you will find: Upcoming virtual cafes, workshops and activities Blogs on mental health, university and more Our new Young Adult Carer Salisbu

Looking after someone as a young carer or young adult carer can bring many rewards, but also many challenges. Not only does caring for someone affect your own life, but it may also affect and change the relationship you have with others and who you look after. Looking after a partner Looking after a partner can bring its own unique challenges. If you're a young adult carer, maybe the relationship is new and so looking after them is something you haven't done before, or maybe

We’ve been featured on BBC Radio Wiltshire a few times this week. They are doing a ‘carer series’ with us at Carer Support Wiltshire, On Thursday last week they featured young adult carer Rosario, who you might have read on our blog here before, who cares for her mum who suffers with mental illness. Listen to Rosario from 49:30 – https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p08s5x55 Read more from Rosario here, and here.

If you're looking after someone, it might be hard for you to take time for yourself at all, let alone switch off mentally from your worries or stresses that come with caring for someone. Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to thoughts, sounds, the sensations of breathing or parts of your body, or absorbing yourself in an activity that allows you just focus on what's happening. Of course, sometimes controlling our anxiety, worry or stress is something we need more