A new initiative to support and provide friendship for people in Cardiff with caring responsibilities has been launched.
The Caring Friends scheme, that will bring befriending volunteers and unpaid carers together, was announced by Leonora Thomson, Cardiff Council's cabinet member for adult services.
Speaking at the Carers Wales All Wales Carers Assembly at County Hall, she said the scheme had been created to provide unpaid carers in Cardiff with the opportunity to take a break and receive some emotional support.
The scheme has been set up in response to feedback from those with caring responsibilities that their own health and wellbeing was adversely affected by their duties.
"We ran a successful pilot last year with 12 volunteers and 12 unpaid carers and it was incredibly useful to hear the views of both groups, their experiences and the difference it made to their lives," she said. "Their views have helped us to shape this new scheme.
"Unpaid carers play such an important role in our society. They provide vital care for their loved ones and it's crucial that they can access support themselves."
With funding from the National Lottery's All Wales Community Fund, the initiative is a collaboration between Cardiff Council's Care'diff team, Independent Living Services, and the Cardiff Wellbeing Support Services Community Volunteering Team based in hubs and libraries across the city.
Befriending volunteers will provide support in various ways to unpaid carers, including friendship phone calls, meeting at home or in the community for in-person support, assisting with light household or gardening tasks, shopping or signposting to other services.
Volunteers are DBS-checked and have received training around the experiences of carers, including awareness training about long-term health conditions such as dementia.
If you are an unpaid carer in Cardiff and would like support from a befriending volunteer, you can contact Independent Living Services on 029 2023 4234 Option 2.
If you'd like to use your skills to make a difference to an unpaid carer, you can contact the Wellbeing Support Service on 029 2087 1071 or email carersbefriending@cardiff.gov.uk
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