Caring Matters. Sharon Spurling. September The newsletter of Carers Northumberland. Foreword from the Chief Executive. Meet the Team..

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1 Caring Matters September The newsletter of Carers Northumberland Meet the Team.. Chief Executive Sharon Spurling Business Manager Debra Blakey Training Coordinator Kate Whitehead Volunteer Coordinator Gail Purvis Information & Development Officer Anne-Marie Johnstone Information & Development Officer Sarah Long Key Worker Pauline Appleby Key Worker Lorraine Burley Information Line Foreword from the Chief Executive. This is a bittersweet forward to our newsletter. I have been offered and accepted a role with Carers Trust, the umbrella body of carer centres across the UK, the network partnership. My role will be to lead the support given to Network Partners across England. I ve enjoyed immensely my time with Carers Northumberland, meeting and supporting carers, campaigning on issues around Health and Social Care and securing funding to sustain the organisation into the future. The role is homebased, so I will be living in Northumberland and between trips to visit other carer centres, may bump into you, so do say hello. Carers Northumberland have recruited an excellent replacement as Chief Executive Officer, and I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Debra Blakey on her appointment many of you will know Debra who is in her tenth year with Carers Northumberland, needless to say she has excellent experience of the issues facing carers and I am sure will be keen to hear from you. Debra will formally start in her new role on October 1st I ll finish with some thanks to the Board, staff and volunteers who have been endlessly supportive in achieving and delivering our successes over the last 4 years and to you in celebration of all you do as carers. Sharon Spurling Chief Executive Improving the lives of Carers in Northumberland...

2 What s on : September 2018 Listed below are all of our groups and activities for September Carers are welcome to attend any activity in any area. If you haven t been to a group before why not come along to one and see for yourself how welcoming and supportive they are? For more information or to book an event please call our Information Line on or info@carersnorthumberland.org.uk Sept Groups / Activity Time th Carers Drop In, Ashington Offices 11.00am 12noon 6th Ponteland Support Group, Merton Hall 10.30am 12noon 6th Felton Support Group, Felton Village Hall 1.30pm 3.00pm 11th Caring Crafters - Hexham, Adapt Building *Booking Essential* 10.00am 12noon 12th Activity - Chalk painting, cost 3.00 Caring Crafters - Berwick, William Elder Building *Booking Essential* Activity- Chalk painting, cost am 12noon 12th Morpeth Support Group, Northumberland County Blind Association 10.30am 12noon 17th Cornhill Support Group, Collingwood Arms 1.30pm 3.00pm 17th Caring Crafters - Ashington *Booking Essential* Activity Trinket Box, 10.00am 12noon cost th Bedlington Support Group, Salvation Army 1.00pm 2.30pm 20th Blyth Support Group, Buffalo Community Centre 10.00am 11.30am 24th Alnwick Support Group, St Pauls Court 1.30pm-3pm 26th Hexham Support Group, Adapt Building 1.30pm 3.00pm 26th Berwick Support Group, William Elder Building 11.00am 12.30pm 27th Cramlington Support Group, Community Room, Concordia Leisure Centre 1.00pm 2.30pm Carers Support Groups run by our partners: Groups / Activity Details Berwick Mental Health Carers Support Group, Northern Spirit Hexham Mental Health Carers Support Group, Scout Hut 18th September 1.30pm 3.30pm (behind Marks & Spencer's), Hexham South Mental Health Carers Support Group, Buffalo Centre, 11th October 1.30pm 3pm Blyth New Beginnings Group, ring for details Wooler Carers Group, Terrace Café, Wooler 19th September 10am 12 noon Please note activities and talks may be subject to change without notice.

3 Caring Matters - September 2018 WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP? HAVE YOU GOT TIME TO MEET A CARER ON A REGULAR BASIS? Many carers become isolated due to their caring role. Befriending is a pivotal volunteer role offering ongoing support to lonely or isolated adult carers. Befriending volunteers are in a position of trust, as they establish a one to one supportive relationship with the carer. The volunteers also get a lot out of meeting new people and developing these relationships. Our befrienders, (volunteers), meet in convenient local venues on a regular basis may be for a coffee and a chat. Sometimes they may help the carer to start a hobby or resume an activity they ve previously enjoyed. If you feel you may enjoy volunteering as a befriender, please gailpurivs@carersnorthumberland.org.uk or contact Gail on or Caring Crafters Beamish Project Our crafting group has been working with the Remaking Beamish Team on their new developments in their Georgian area. A cottage has been rebuilt following the footprint of a Georgian mans home known as Joe the Quilter who was tragically murdered in his own home. Because of the publicity surrounding his case and that his furniture and goods were auctioned off there is more known about how Joe lived. Joe was a talented quilter whose quilts travelled as far as Ireland and America. As part of the work happening at Beamish and in celebration of Joe s talent our Caring Crafters group took part in a Northumberland wide project to create a quilt depicting what people love about Northumberland. We were invited along to the opening event on Thursday 19th July when we got to view the final product. Well done to all those involved!

4 Carers Training Sessions Caring Matters - September 2018 Please can you make sure that if you wish to attend one of our carer workshops, you telephone our central office number to book a place. We would much rather you tell us that you hope to come than just turn up on the day! The latter can cause problems with not enough resources or refreshments being provided. There will be a new programme of carer workshop sessions on offer from September 2018 so if you would like to make an enquiry or book a place please don t forget to ring the information service on Following on the completion of the Caring with Confidence course held in Cramlington in June 18, other carer workshops will be held in that area by request. Amble is another suggestion. What else would you like to see on offer, and where, in our new programme? Please look out in the newsletters and on our website for future dates, times and titles. These sessions may be : Good Life, Good Death: A 2 hour session which is designed to help carers plan ahead to manage the practical and emotional aspects of issues surrounding death and dying, either for the person they care for or for themselves. It is all about future planning and not a bit morbid! Guilty or not guilty: A 2 hour session which explores how to acknowledge and manage the feelings of guilt that carers so often say they experience guilt when they do or say something or guilt if they don t! It also considers how to make guilt manageable to reduce the impact on carer stress levels. How to Say No: Carers have a right to say no but we all understand how difficult it can be to do so. A 2 hour session which looks at communication issues that often arise in caring, either between family members including the cared for, or with involved professionals. Sometimes, just being more confident about how to communicate with someone can make a big difference to the outcomes of a conversation. *Stop Press* Cramlington : Beacon Hill Community Centre : Carer Workshops Guilty or not guilty - Tuesday October 23rd am 12.30pm Good Life, Good Death - Wednesday November 28th am 12.15pm

5 Caring Matters - September 2018 Would you like to share your experience of being a carer... My name is Libby Morrison and I am first year PHD student researcher from Newcastle University. I came to Newcastle University as a mature student six years ago to study politics, and gained a BA in politics in 2016, and an MA in Human Geography in Prior to this, for nearly twenty years, I was a Support Worker and paid carer for people with learning difficulties. As part of my degree, I have been involved in projects examining the difficulties and barriers carers and the person they care for face when trying to access facilities in their local community in Northumberland. Having cared for my parents, who both have dementia, for the last ten years, I am particularly interested in the experiences of informal carers of people with dementia. Over the coming year, I am hoping to interview informal (also called family) carers in Northumberland looking after someone with dementia. For example, you may be a wife or husband, a daughter or son, or a friend or neighbour of the person you care for. I am interested in your experiences of caring at home, in the community or when the person you care for uses day or residential services. If you think you might like to take part in this research, or you would like some more information about the project you can contact me directly, at e.a.k.morrison@newcastle.ac.uk or mob no or leave your details with Carers Northumberland and I will get in contact with you. Thankyou For more updates follow us on Facebook and Twitter. We post regular updates and share information useful to carers. Just search Carers Northumberland on or DROP IN Do you need information or advice? Come along to our monthly carers drop-in to meet our Information Team. The Drop-in meets monthly in Ashington on the 1st Tuesday of each month from 10am-12noon at our Ashington Office on Station Road. We look forward to seeing you there! Next Drop-in is Tuesday 4th September 2018

6 Caring Matters - September 2018 South Mental Health Carers Group Are you a carer for someone with a Mental Health Condition? Then come along to the South Mental Health Carers Group. The group will be held on Thursday 11th October, from pm at the Buffalo Centre in Blyth. Paul Nicol the Patient & Carer involvement Facilitator (North) from NTW will be attending to answer any questions around caring for someone with Mental Health conditions. Come along and meet other carers for a coffee and a chat, we hope to see you there! How to join our online forum: Visit our website Select the Carers Forum Button at the top of the page Then you will find the register button at the top of the page. Complete the registration process as prompted. Don t forget to read the forum guidelines and conditions. Once registered you can post and view other discussions. Enjoy! If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter please contact Disclaimer - Carers Northumberland has tried to ensure that the information in this newsletter is accurate. However, Carers Northumberland will not accept liability for any loss, damage or inconvenience arising as a consequence of any use of or the inability to use any information in this circulation. Charity number Company number Improving the lives of Carers in Northumberland... 2