Carers Day, St George's Hall, 12th June 2008

Yesterday, I was working as a volunteer on an exhibitor's stall at the Carer's event in Liverpool's St George's Hall, where many service providers and disability organisations were able to meet and talk with people from all over the city who live with disability of one kind or another.

The organisers kindly allowed me to display one of the Capital of Caring banners and also exhibit Twiggy & Beaky birds, as the message was consistent with the event.

It was great to see how well people took to the project and to the birds, and several wanted to buy Twiggy & Beaky to take home to their families. One visitor was a local City Councillor who impressed me enormously with his enthusiasm not only for the carers event but also for Twiggy & Beaky! He was so enthusiastic that he took a pair of birds across the road to meet some schoolchildren at the Art Gallery, where he used the toys as the basis of an inspiring little 'tale' about how these birds had 'just hatched'!

But back to the event itself, I was struck by how many carers have a really tough life and how many are unhappy about the level of help they get from Social Services. I was also really pleased to know that I had been able to help many of them. The really positive reaction from the people I talked with made the day for me. There is so much demand out there for practical help and advice that, if I could find some funding source, I would take it up professionally.

Bottom line is that Capital of Caring needs to consider adding an advocacy or counselling service to its portfolio.

As for the birds, it was suggested that I talk with Children's services and get the birds on the schools and also to CityTalk to get some airtime publicity.

I'd welcome comments from anyone who was at the event or knows someone at the Radio Station or Children's Services.