After their group originally lost their meeting space at the ‘Making Space centre’ in Walkden, these passionate ex-carers are bringing it back better than ever.
The community group, Phoenix Carers, has recently relocated to Brierley Community Hub and Café and has pledged to provide extra support to carers in the community.
The peer-led community group ‘Phoenix Careers’ is a community group (in partnership with support organisation Gaddum) founded by Stephen Hegarty, who is not only a carer himself but also has a background of 23 years in the mental health sector.
The group meet every Friday at Brierley Community Hub at 1pm without fail, ready for a “good chinwag” and a freshly brewed cup of tea. They often share their own experiences as carers and also have a bit of rest from their own day-to-day lives.
Hegarty describes the group as “the best day of the week” for him and it is clear just from witnessing ‘Phoenix Carers’ just how this notion is reflected throughout.
Sharon Leah, the groups secretary, added: “It just means so much to have somewhere safe that people can come to talk about things and have a break from their own role.”
The group are aiming to have many more exciting plans in the upcoming year, aiming to provide carers with their own activities that they would like to do for example a trip to the cinema or even just a day out.
There are over 200,000 carers in Greater Manchester who each have their own struggles, so groups like this one are a great resource throughout the area by building support and a safe network for those who need it.
All these attributes are what the ‘Phoenix Carer’ group exist for, to enable a safe place where both ex-careers and careers can relate and seek support themselves.
So if you need support from this group be sure to join their group on Facebook as well as popping into one of their sessions this Friday.
Click here for more their Facebook page.
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