Valerie meets with carer to mark Carers Week 2011

To mark Carers Week (13th-19th June), Valerie visited Ms Patricia Rolston at her home in Bentley on Saturday 11th June.  Ms Rolston is the sole full-time carer for her daughter, Lyndsey Ball. Ms Ball suffers from severe learning difficulties and has frequent epileptic fits.

 
During the visit, Ms Rolston told Valerie about the challenges she faces on a daily basis in caring for Lyndsey.  Valerie took flowers and gifts for Ms Rolston as an acknowledgement of the challenging work that she does.

  
Valerie said:
“I am enormously impressed with Ms Rolston’s dedication. The challenges she faces in looking after Lyndsey are huge and, like those of many other carers, often go unnoticed.”

“It is important that wider society is aware of the enormous contribution that carers make in the UK. Government and local authorities must make sure that hard-pressed carers do not have to bear the brunt of the spending cuts.”

“As this is Carers Week , this  is a great opportunity to raise awareness of the services they provide.  Their hard work and commitment can regrettably go unnoticed. I am delighted to support Carers Week 2011 and we should all acknowledge all the carers in Walsall South, and the organisations that support them, for their selflessness and dedication.”

You can view Valerie’s statement of support at the following website:

http://carersweek.org/carers/does-your-mp-support-carers/item/632-walsall-south

Patricia wrote a poem for Carers Week: