Help for Carers > Leisure opportunities for carers

Leisure opportunities for carers

Everyone needs a break occasionally, especially carers. Having a break is essential to help you cope with caring and give you time to recharge your batteries. It is just as important for the person being cared for. You may want to follow up your interests, learn new skills and make friends, or catch up with family and friends. There are many services and organisations that cater specifically for people with disabilities and their carers, such as sports centres, education centres, social clubs, support groups, to name just a few.

Remember that you can organise residential or nursing respite care for the person you care for. You can either do this through Social Services (ask for an Assessment and Carers Assessment), or privately. Details of Homes and home care agencies in West Sussex can be found at www.westsussex.gov.uk. Funding for short breaks may be available for carers who have not had a holiday for over 12 months (plus travel costs sometimes). The Carers Support services can help with this - contact details can be found at the end of this page.

More information about respite care can be found on the following pages of this website: .

Below is a very small selection of ideas that might help:

Hobbies and skills, such as art and craft, music, sport/keep fit, languages;

Churches – often have special clubs/groups, coffee mornings, etc;

Community centres; social clubs/groups;

Support groups for specific disabilities; drop-in centres;

Short-term residential care.

Local libraries are a good source of information about local hobby or special interest groups and you can search their Local Societies and Organisations database online: www.doompalm.westsussex.gov.uk



Many leisure centres offer concessionary rates for carers, disabled people or people in receipt of certain benefits, i.e. income support, income-based job seekers allowance, council tax benefit, housing benefit or disability benefit. Contact your local centre for more details.

Chichester Festival Theatre - 50% discount to anyone in receipt of a disability benefit and their carer/escort.

the Cinema Exhibitors' Association Card - This card entitles the holder to one free ticket for a person accompanying them to the cinema. To apply, a person needs to meet one of the following criteria: be in receipt of Disability Living Allowance, be registered blind, or hold a disabled person's railcard. Cards are valid for 3 years and cost £5. The card is supported by 90% of UK cinemas, including Odeon, UGC and Cineworld. Applications forms are available from cinemas or printed from the www.ceacard.co.uk

Mid Sussex District Council's Olympos Sports Centres at Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath are offering carers who spend 35 hours or more caring for ill or elderly family members membership at nearly half the normal price. Carers Concessions can be received by people with a Carer's or Disabled Living Allowance. To apply phone Olympos Membership Sales on 01444 447823 or email sales@midsussex.gov.uk

To find an activity in your area please look under the Search Options section (see below);
or read the Tell me about Taking a Break for more ideas.



Carers Coffee Mornings - the Carers Support Services can provide details of coffee mornings in their areas. Contact details for your local service can be found at the foot of this page.

Walking West Sussex 2008 added 4.2.08
A festival of walks and activities for both committed walkers and those who want to broaden their experience and enjoyment of outdoor activities using themes of heritage, landscape, literature and food. It could be a full-day walk across dramatic downland, discovering some of the shoreline's coastal path, or family walks to different venues. Two venues of the Festival Walks 2007 were the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum in Singleton and Goodwood Home Farm. For more information or to register for this year's walk phone 01903 812727, email: festivalwalks@btinternet.com or visit the county council website www.westsussex.gov.uk/walking

www.walkswithwheelchairs.com (added 2.11.07) - website providing free information on routes throughout the UK that are suitable for wheelchair users

You can get more information from:

Carers Support Service, Regis, Chichester and Rural (formerly Carers Liaison Project: Regis, Chichester & Rural) - this service covers the Chichester district area from Selsey north to Wisborough Green, including Bognor Regis and Arundel. Tel: 01243 537011

Carers Support Service, North and Mid Sussex - supports carers in an area which stretches from Haywards Heath in Mid Sussex to Horsham and takes in the Crawley Area as well. Tel: 01293 657040

Carers Support Service, Worthing and District - this service covers Southwick to Littlehampton along the coast and north to Steyning, Storrington, Pulborough and Henfield. Tel: 01903 536378

National information on respite/day care/holidays and other aspects of taking a break from Carers UK

www.guildcare.org - charity operating in and around the Worthing area, offering a range of care and support services, including care homes, respite care, day care, carers support, home care and a Healthy Living Centre

www.crossroads.org.uk - provision of Carers Support Workers to enable a carer to have a regular break while their cared for person is looked after

Search

If you are having trouble finding the information you need on this website you could try using one of the following search options:

Local Search
You can use this facility to search the Carers Online database for organisations in West Sussex that may be able to help you.

Search this Site
You can use this facility to search the website for a particular keyword or phrase.