Helping Carers Manage Their Money

A group of carers in Leeds recently became some of the first to benefit from the Money for Life programme as they attended a course designed to help them take control of their finances.

Ellie Bliss, a customer service handler for Lloyds Banking Group, volunteered to deliver a workshop at the headquarters of Carers Leeds to mark Carers’ Rights Day at the beginning of December. The session, entitled ‘Managing Money’, offered attendees a range of different tools and tips designed to improve their budgeting skills.

There are an estimated 70,000 people in Leeds who are caring unpaid for a family member or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or substance misuse problems. Looking after someone else is a huge part of life for these carers and, Neil Courtman from Carers Leeds says, many are feeling the pinch.

Philip Firth, a carer who attended the session, said: “This is the first money management course I’ve been to and I would definitely recommend it. As a carer I have a lot of responsibilities so sometimes it’s difficult to think clearly about money. The Money for Life session motivated me to look at my family’s finances in a fresh light and think more about our priorities.”

Ellie Bliss is one of the many Lloyds Banking Group employees who has completed ‘Teach Others’, the financial capability course which enables people to run workshops in their communities via local councils, housing associations and councils. Ellie will be running the same ‘Managing Money’ training session at Carers Leeds on Monday 16 January from 5.30pm. She says: “My day at Carers Leeds was very rewarding and I really enjoyed the opportunity to put the ‘Teach Others’ skills I had learned into practice. I’m really looking forward to delivering the session again in the New Year.”

To find out more about the work Carers Leeds does, visit: http://www.carers.org/local-centre/leeds

Pictured: Val Hewison and Neil Courtman, Carers Leeds; Ellie Bliss; Philip Firth