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The Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) has chosen Carers UK as its nominated charity for 2024. As a result, the organisation will be asking members to plan corporate activities throughout the year as part of an ongoing fundraising initiative.
Two out of three people in the UK will become carers at some time in their lives. In fact, according to current statistics, around five million UK residents are carers, and every day another 6,000 people take on a caring responsibility. That equals over two million people each year.
The charity, chosen by recently elected President Stacey Lucas, provides help and support for the 5.7 million carers across the whole of the UK.
Lucas said the support given by charities such as Carers UK is absolutely invaluable. She said: “So many people are touched by the need to care for a loved one, or will likely be in the future, so I feel this is a charity that speaks to all.
“My mum had MS and required a lot of care throughout her life and mine. She had relapsing MS when I was a child, which would mean periods where she was physically unwell and needed a lot of support. When I was a teenager, her MS moved to secondary progressive, resulting in her giving up work completely. So, I dropped out of my A-Levels to financially support our household with my grandmother. We then navigated our way through her illness and care needs through the next 20-odd years until she passed away at home with us in 2018.
“Trying to care, manage care, have a career, relationships and a family together is so exhausting that any support that can be given is a complete blessing. Carers UK work hard to raise awareness and lobby the government to improve the lives of unpaid carers, as well as offer advice and support to those who desperately need it.”
Laura Doughty, Director of Income Generation and Communications at Carers UK, said: “We are so grateful to be named charity of the year by the Buildings Controls Industry Association (BCIA).
“There are 5.7 million unpaid carers in the UK looking after an ill, elderly or disabled relative or friend. Many are under intense emotional and financial pressure as they juggle work and caring responsibilities, often struggling to make ends meet, choosing sometimes between eating and heating their homes.
“We often hear that unpaid carers feel forgotten and invisible, yet the care they deliver is crucial to those they are helping and the value equivalent of £162 billion – that’s a second NHS.”
