Five charities that provide support to carers in the community will benefit from the money raised at next year’s Lions Club of Jersey Swimarathon.

The Lions Club of Jersey and long term event sponsor RBC Wealth Management, have announced the 2018 beneficiaries for the Island’s longest running fundraising event  are:  Grace  Crocker  Family  Support  Foundation, Headway Jersey,  Jersey Association of Carers, Jersey Child Care Trust and MIND Jersey. Each charity will receive up to £10,000 from the fundraising total to deliver support services to carers.

Lion   Ian   Barette,   President   of   the   Lions   Club   of   Jersey   said,   ‘Since  the Swimarathon’s  inception,  the  Lions  Club  of  Jersey Swimarathon  has  raised over £3.3million to help those in need. Earlier this year, we learnt from one of this year’s beneficiaries, the Jersey Association of Carers, that 1 in 10 of all island households have someone acting as a carer. This figure really resonated with us and  we  therefore decided to support these charities to highlight the important role that carers play in our community.’

Ray Cooper, Chief Executive Officer, from Headway Jersey, said: ‘We’re extremely pleased to be one of the main beneficiaries for the 2018 Swimarathon. The charity supports around 150 survivors of brain injury in Jersey but a lot of time goes to helping the carers who have also had their lives changed immensely. Headway will be expanding its Family and Carers Support Service to include a dedicated person to support the family and other carers. We will invest the funds received from the Jersey Swimarathon to support this invaluable service.’

Tim   Houghton,   Managing   Director   of   Market   Partnerships   at   RBC  Wealth Management said: ‘Frequently, the role of the carer in a household gets overlooked and  they are often the  unsung  heroes of  our  community. Many of  these carers  are indeed young people, a key focus area for our organisation. We are therefore delighted to place the spotlight on the amazing contribution carers of so  many diverse circumstances make and I  hope as many islanders as possible  get  behind  the cause of ‘caring for the carers’ at next year’s big swim.’

Notes to Editors: The five beneficiaries for the 2018 Swimarathon are:

  • Grace Crocker Family Support Foundation
  • Headway
  • Jersey Association of Carers Inc
  • Jersey Child Care Trust
  • MIND

For further information on the beneficiaries please  reference  the attached media pack. 

Other moneys raised by the Swimarathon will go to providing respite holidays for up to 60 local people, through Maison des Landes, as well as a diverse range of local good causes throughout the remainder of the year.