A GROUP that supports unpaid carers has secured funding for a second year.
The East Lothian Carers' Adventure Wellbeing Group, run by Venturing Out CIC, will continue thanks to renewed funding from East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership (ELHSCP).
This funding allows the group to provide unpaid adult carers across East Lothian with a regular break from caring responsibilities through free adventurous outdoor activities.
It aims to support carers in focusing on their own physical and mental health, while also providing an opportunity for social connections.
The peer-to-peer support element of the project has been particularly beneficial.
One carer said: "It was a relief to meet other people and not to have to sugarcoat what was going on in my life and to know that other participants 'got it'."
In its first year, the group offered a range of activities including coastal and hill walks, water activities, coasteering, bushcraft, rock climbing and trail cycling.
Participants reported improved feelings of mental and physical wellbeing, reduced stress levels, less social isolation, and a renewed sense of personal identity beyond their caring responsibilities.
Many carers said that they tried activities they never thought they would be able to do again, both due to having the time and the financial means to participate.
One carer said: "I feel I have re-found parts of myself which I thought I had lost.
"I have enjoyed the sessions, which have felt like a break but also an almost sacred, protected time and place for myself."
Maria Burton, from ELHSCP, said: "ELHSCP are delighted to be able to support Venturing Out to deliver and expand the outdoor adventure group for unpaid carers.
"We are working to increase the availability and range of breaks available to carers, and this is a great example of a fun and different kind of break that can make a huge difference to the lives of unpaid carers.
"Caring can really take over and carers often put their own needs last; the comments from those already involved really show how this has supported their own health and wellbeing, and made them feel themselves again.
"I hope more carers will feel the benefit of this unique opportunity over the coming year."
As the programme enters its second year, the group is looking to welcome both new and returning carers, expand the variety of activities and deepen the impact it has already begun to make.
Any unpaid adult carers living in East Lothian and wanting to get involved should email claire@venturingout.org.uk
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