The Yorkshire charity that created a 'farmers' breakfast' event for dementia sufferers to replace livestock market trip

“I’m retiring from Ryedale Carers Support in August and wanted to give something back,” says Claire.

“It currently has 142 volunteers helping carers take a little break. I’m hoping it will raise awareness of the work, encourage more volunteers and I’m hoping to raise much needed funds. I’ve set a target of £5000 on my Just Giving page.

“I do a lot of walking with my dog, Mango. I can do 4-5 miles easily. I know I can do 10. I’ve walked the south-west coast path in Cornwall, but 13 miles every day for seven days will certainly be tiring. I just hope it’s nice weather.

Claire says she started with Ryedale Carers Support when it was a project of Ryedale Voluntary Action, when it was based at Community House in Malton.

“I job shared as a coordinator with various other people for quite a few years. In 2000 RCS became an independent charity. At that point we were able to expand because we could fund raise on our own behalf. In those days it was a grant with North Yorkshire County Council which paid for my salary and volunteers’ travel expenses. After my job share partner left I became manager and we took on a deputy manager.

“Ryedale Carers Support coordinates where the need is and tries to match volunteers to sit with each person being cared for, to give the carer a break.

“One of my roles in RCS is to identify the needs and then find the funding. We also support older people who have become lonely and isolated because of illness or bereavement.

“We run a project called Our Neighbourhood and the same volunteers who look after the carers will visit someone who is lonely and isolated who doesn’t have a carer.

Claire says recognition that carers need respite from caring and the person being cared for accepting someone who is initially a stranger are two hurdles that Ryedale Carers Support tries its best to alleviate.

“Often a husband or wife caring for a partner doesn’t see themself as a carer they simply see it as marital support. When that care becomes so difficult to maintain is when carers often start to realise they too need support.

“We get referrals from mental health teams, GPs, social prescribers, help services and adult services and we have leaflets available in local libraries or wherever we can.

“When I go out to visit families the carer is often desperate for something. They often just need the break, but the cared for person, it’s hard for them, having a stranger coming in, so we try to find connections between the carer support volunteer and the person being cared for. It is surprising how often the volunteer and the person being cared for have something in common.

“The volunteer can also be a really good sounding board for the carer. The greatest accolade our volunteers can be paid is when they become a friend of both or either the carer and the person being cared for.

“We’re not there to replace the private care agencies that come in and do all the getting up, washing, feeding. They all do a magnificent job. We’re the icing on the cake, we’re the people who give the carer a bit of their normal life back for a short time. They can go and have a coffee with a friend, something that’s not always possible if you can’t leave the person you’re caring for.

“Sometimes, as a volunteer with Ryedale Carers Support you don’t even need to be able to talk because the person being cared for may have a condition like a quite advanced dementia and their carer just can’t leave them at all under normal circumstances. The volunteer can then go in and just read a book while the person they are caring for may even be asleep, but at least it means the carer can go out.

Claire and her team, that has grown to five employed, have brought about several new initiatives that also help carers. They have come up with social events titled Tea & Tunes and Farmers Breakfast as well as online activities.

“Tea & Tunes is held at Malton Rugby Club and we have a singer. We provide the transport and it’s another time when the carer can have time off, although some come because it is a social event. We’ll have about 40 people there and it’s held four times a year.

“Farmers Breakfast is held at Lythe Village Hall and started because we had a number of gentlemen who had probably moderate dementia and wanted to meet each other so the idea was to create an atmosphere like going to a farmers café at a livestock market. It includes breakfast of bacon butties and a guest speaker gives a talk.

“I never thought we would have an online group for the age group we are aimed at but Covid changed that. A lot of people were given tablets by their children and got online. We help carers get online.

“We also work with a chap called Davy from North York Moors Rangers who does a walk and puts it on as a virtual walk once a month. He goes to places where people watching can no longer go; we also have Tuesday Tunes with live musicians on Zoom where people join in.

Claire’s walk takes place during May – you can find out more about her walk, becoming a volunteer or engaging with Ryedale Carers Support http://www.ryedalecarers.org.uk/