Harry’s Pledge 1st Birthday
Today is the first day of Carers Week and it’s a very special day as it marks one year since the launch of Harry’s Pledge – a nationwide commitment launched by fellow housing association, Longhurst Group.
Harry’s Pledge is named in honour of Harry Charlesworth, a lively six-year-old whose birth disability of quadriplegic cerebral palsy means he has significant caring needs. His grandmother is Julie Doyle, CEO of Longhurst Group, and Julie, along with her family, have been determined that the focus on the difference made by carers during the Coronavirus pandemic provides long-term impact.
Harry’s Pledge commits to four goals:
- Being a supportive employer to people that have caring responsibilities.
- Making our offices and community spaces as accessible as possible.
- Building more fully-accessible homes.
- Further promotion of care as a professional career and lobbying for changes in status, pay and rewards for carers.
You can find out more about Harry’s Pledge at www.harrys-pledge.org.uk
Carers week (7-13 June), much like Harry’s Pledge is all about raising awareness of caring. This year’s campaign will shine a spotlight on the lack of breaks carers have been able to take in the past year, and the worrying impact this has on their health and wellbeing, as well as their ability to work and live a meaningful life beyond caring. To address this situation, the campaign is calling on the Government to urgently increase funding for carers’ breaks by an additional £1.2 billion, so all carers providing significant hours of care can take a break.
You can find out more about Carers Week at www.carersweek.org
