March
Blake attended Parliament on Monday 4th March 2019 to encourage MPs to sign pledges regarding keeping Young Carers as an identified group within the Ofsted Inspection Report. We were also joined by other young carers across the UK who shared their stories about being a young carer.
April – July
Following an article in local press BBC Radio Suffolk contacted us to do a piece with young carers over the Easter Holidays 2019. Because of Blake’s Chocs for Champs we invited him to feature on the radio.
BBC Radio Suffolk completed a phone in with Blake on Wednesday 12th June 2019 discussing his trip Points of Light award, awarded on behalf of the prime minister by local MP James Cartlidge. Blake was also interviewed live on air by BBC Radio Suffolk on Tuesday 9th April 2019 where he had the opportunity to talk about his Chocs for Champs Campaign. Blake raised an incredible 639 Easter Eggs for the Young Carers across Suffolk.
August-September
All heroes need a break from their busy roles! Blake attended our Kingswood residential in the summer and enjoyed some free time with activities before promoting his Chocs for Champs campaign for the festive period.
October – November
Since summer Blake had been busy promoting his campaign and contacted local business to donate selection boxes for young carers across Suffolk. The local MP in Blake’s constituency James Cartlidge, made a special visit to his school to donate towards the campaign. In total, Chocs for Champs has managed to raise an incredible 853 selection boxes which has been distributed across the county to young carers.
December
Blake featured on the Russell Howard Hour on Thursday 19th December where he took us on a journey of what it is like to be a young carer. During the filming for the show other registered young carers at Ormiston Sudbury Academy bravely shared their stories.
One young carer mentioned: ‘’It is difficult being a young carer sometimes because my brother can be hard to manage but there are positives to being a young carer as well because he makes me laugh’’
Another young carer stated: ‘’The Chocs for Champs campaign has made me realised I am not alone and that there are other young carers out there’’
Our perspective:
Blake’s Chocs for Champs campaign has enabled us to extend our offer to the young carers across the county. From our partnership working with schools, colleges and other VCS organisations the selection boxes have been widely distributed to young people with a caring role. Chocs for Champs has had an immediate impact on rewarding young carers who are known to services and will have a longer term impact by promoting young carer identification and awareness throughout Suffolk. Chocs for Champs demonstrates how young carers are proactively reducing the stigma associated with their caring role.
Blake’s long term goal is to spread his campaign wider than Suffolk which Suffolk Family Carers are fully committed in supporting Blake’s aspirations to become a reality.
