On Saturday 27 January Worcestershire Young Carers, a service run by independent charity YSS, took a group of young carers to the Civic Theatre Hall in Stourport-on-Severn to see Aladdin.

The trip was organised by YSS Trustee Sandra Kelly and was kindly paid for by The Open Gardens of Wichenford. Twenty young carers enjoyed the show, which was performed by Worcestershire Young Carers supporters, Stourport Monday Night Group, along with two YSS keyworkers, David King and Lucy Buckland.

A young carer who attended the performance said: “I loved the panto! I liked all of the singing and having an ice cream too. It was a great, funny and very silly show, and everyone had a great time! I really like the activities that Worcestershire Young Carers organises, it’s a great chance for all of us to get together and have some fun.”

David added: “It was a lovely sight to see all of our young carers crying with laughter and singing their hearts out!”

The 2011 census showed that there are estimated to be 3,490 people in Worcestershire alone who recognise themselves as having a caring role at home. YSS has been delivering Worcestershire Young Carers since 2003 and currently supports more than 400 young carers every year.

Lorraine Preece, Chief Executive at YSS, said: “We are extremely grateful to Sandra for organising such a fantastic trip and would like to thank everyone at The Open Gardens of Wichendon for their brilliant support. Activities like these are vitally important in giving young carers the chance to take a break from their caring responsibilities, to socialise with their peers and have some fun.”

If you’d like to support young carers in Worcestershire please donate today by clicking here. Your support will help us to pay for the cost of hiring a minibus to take young carers to the seaside this summer.

To find out more about Worcestershire Young Carers please click here.