A young carer from Selby found a creative way to raise money for local youth groups run by Carers’ Resource, a charity which has supported her.
Maggie Seaman made loom band bracelets and sold them at her school – Staynor Hall Primary Academy in Selby.
The 10-year-old had a stall before school every day for a week and sold bracelets to fellow pupils for 50p each. She also sold them to friends and family and has raised an impressive £326 in total.
In addition, she has been raising awareness of young carers at her school.
Maggie, who helps care for her sister Hattie who has autism and ADHD, attends one of Carers’ Resource’s two young carer groups in Selby.
She said: “I am part of Selby young carers and really like that I can go there and see people just like me. I wanted to raise some money for the group as I think it is a really useful charity that lots of people need. It is hard when you have a family member with autism or ADHD so it is great for everyone who is part of the group to get to know each other. So I did it so we can become closer and continue to help each other. Thank you for everyone who bought at least one loom band, you helped a lot of people.”
Alex Winter, Headteacher at Staynor Hall Primary Academy, added: “We are incredibly proud of Maggie and the work she has done on raising awareness of young carers within our school and local community.
“Maggie has spent time in school talking to children about young carers and what their experiences may be. Maggie has then gone on to make bracelets to sell, raising all important funds to enable this vital work to continue, she is an inspiration to us all.”
Kate Vincent, Selby Young Carer Worker, who runs the two young carer groups in Selby, commented: “Maggie has been a part of our service since January of this year and during that time she has really embraced the young carers service and the support available to her. We are so very proud of Maggie for coming up with the fundraising idea. She was really keen to raise awareness of what it means to be a young carer and to help raise funds for our regular youth groups.”
Carers’ Resource supports thousands of unpaid young and adult carers living in Selby, Bradford, Harrogate, and Craven districts.
The charity provides a range of support to help young carers, including fun trips and activities in school holidays, youth clubs and one-to-one support. The service is designed to support young carers’ well-being and resilience, and to help them achieve their potential as successful, happy adults.
If you are a carer, or you know of a young carer, please visit our website at www.carersresource.org where you can find lots of information, and request further support – or call us on 0808 50 15 939 to speak to one of our advisers.
