According to the charity Carers UK, £840 million worth of Carer's Allowance go unclaimed annually.

This means that some 300,000 carers have to face financial challenges alongside other challenges of caring.

Thankfully, caring is gaining more and more recognition as one of the key issues facing society in the 21^stcentury.

Carers Support service Manager Catherine Blaxhall says: “At Carers Oxfordshire, we hope that by spreading the word through the active promotion of the rights of carers, we can help to ensure that carers get the financial, practical and emotional support they need and deserve”. 

As part of its efforts to highlight these important issues, Carers Oxfordshire organised special events in Banbury and Oxford on Carers Rights Day (2 December, 2011), and carers were invited to attend ‘carers surgeries’ where specialist outreach workers were on hand to help with advice and information.

The Oxford event attracted the support of Oxford’s MPs, Nicola Blackwood MP and Andrew Smith MP, who were very keen to hear the views of carers.

Oxford City Council also generously offered their newly refurbished Customer Service Centre in St Aldates for the event and the day was so successful that Carers Oxfordshire will continue to run similar surgeries at this venue on the 2^nd and 4^thTuesday of each month from January 2012.

Catherine Blaxhall adds: “We are so grateful to Oxford City Council for providing such a prestigious venue for this event and to both of Oxfords M.P’s Nicola and Andrew for attending.

"Carers do an amazing and challenging job and by raising awareness of these issues and raising the profile of carers and the valuable contribution they make, we hope to help support them in their caring role and ensure they receive the help they are entitled to”.