How your carol singing helps young carers

Over the past three years, thanks to the effort and enthusiasm of our carol singers such as you, we have raised over £328,000. 

This money makes a huge difference. It helps us provide support, care and protection to children with difficult childhoods. This includes our work with more than 700,000 young carers across the UK.

Supporting young carers

Young carers are children under 18 who have to combine their schoolwork with caring duties. These young people may cook, clean and physically help their parents or siblings who have chronic or terminal illnesses, drug or drink addictions, mental illness or disabilities.

We support young carers by campaigning and lobbying for change to support them, and we offer information, training and support to organisations across the country that contact young carers.

In addition, we co-organise the annual Young Carers Festival. This weekend-long festival provides 1500 young carers with a special opportunity to have fun, relax, socialise and speak about the difficult experiences and responsibilities they face.

Young people can also find support for common issues, such as access to education, their health and finding time to study.

Young peoples' wishes

From cupcake-decorating and abseiling to candle-lit boat rides and late-night discos, the festival is a really valuable time for these young people to enjoy their childhood in the company of others who understand their worries and wishes.

One part of this year’s festival was a ‘wish tree’, where young people could leave their wishes, which included: 

• 'I wish my brother would get better.'
• 'I wish someone would find a cure for cancer.'
• 'I wish for Dad to recover soon to become active again.'
• 'I wish for people to be more open-minded and appreciate the small things in life that make us smile.'
• 'I wish my brother Jamie gets more friends as he only has one. He has autism.'

This Christmas season, please join us for carol singing. Together, we can make more young carers' wishes come true.

The effect your singing can have for young carers

Each carol-singing event helps raise funds that can support young carers and the other young people we help across the country.

For young carers:

• £100 pays for one instructor to run the abseiling wall 
• £80 can pay for one young carer to attend the annual Young Carers Festival

Find out more about our Include programme, which supports young carers across the UK.

Get involved in carol singing

• Learn more about carol singing
• Get ideas for fundraising and planning your event 
• Download and order free resources
• Register your event