The rain held off on Saturday morning for the 'Walk a Mile in My Shoes' charity fundraiser organised by the Swindon Carers Centre.
Local supporters of Swindon Carers gathered at Wharf Green to take part in the walk as well as purchase items from the stalls - all in order to raise money for the fantastic work that Swindon Carers do. The charity is a part of the Carers Trust Network and was established to provide help and support to the 15,000 carers in Swindon. They provide a team of professionals and trained volunteers who offer a wide range of support and services to people caring for a friend or relative.
The walk came at the end of the national Carers Week campaign, which aimed to raise awareness of the challenges facing carers, as well as the selfless hard work that they do on a daily basis. Importantly, the campaign was backed by a number of MPs, who were keen to ensure that the voice of carers was being heard in Parliament.
Both Swindon MPs, Justin Tomlinson and Robert Buckland, took part in the fundraising walk.
Justin Tomlinson MP, who was recently appointed as the Minister for Disabled People, said: "It is so important that everybody in society recognises the remarkable job that carers do, as well as the contribution they make to local communities across the UK. As a town, it is so important that we rally around to support them so that they can continue to care, in the knowledge that their local community is looking out for them. I have supported both the Swindon Carers Centre and Swindon Young Carers, and I am looking forward to continue working with them in my new role as Minister. On behalf of everybody, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of the carers who work exceptionally hard, to provide vital support to loved ones."
Susanna Jones of Swindon Carers Centre said: "It can make a huge difference to the lives of carers when they are supported by their services and community; whether it's a GP surgery being more flexible with appointment times, employers creating and implementing carer-friendly policies or a supermarket training staff to help identify hidden carers and signpost them to information about support services here. We all need to think about what we can do to improve the lives of the 19,500 carers in Swindon."
