Edinburgh Young Carers

“In January AABIE kindly gave a donation of £1,893 so that young carers could go on a residential break. Young carers can struggle to focus on themselves due to their caring responsibilities, to the detriment of their mental and physical wellbeing, academic achievement and future prospects. Thanks to your donation, in March young carers in our 16+ group were able to attend the Abernethy Barcaple Centre in Castle Douglas. Within an outdoor adventure setting, the young carers had the chance to hone their team-working, conquer fears and discover skills they didn’t know they had. This helps them feel confident in their ability to deal with difficulties and, with support from staff, enable them return home with a plan of action and feeling optimistic.

Your support also enabled young carers in our 12-15 ages group visit the Isle of Skye earlier this month. Young carers were bowled over by the incredible natural landscapes there, the likes of which many had not seen before. They took part in a range of activities organised through the White Wave centre which included mountain boarding, archery, kayaking, sailing and climbing.

Our residentials are very special opportunities for our young carers and we have received the following feedback: “It’s so nice to have some peace and quiet”, “Can we stay here forever?” and “EYC allows me to meet amazing people and do fun activities with them.”

We do not receive any statutory funding for our residentials so raise funds through the generous support we get from Trusts and Foundations like AABIE. Thank you very much for your support.” Margaret Murphy, Chief Executive