News

On the 5th April 2023 YCDT delivered its second in-person Young Adult Carers’ Aspiration Conference at the University of Bath. As a small charity, YCDT relies entirely on donations and grants so are extremely grateful to the University of Bath and Bath Spa University for funding this year’s event.

The venue worked brilliantly, giving younger carers real insight into university life, its buildings and facilities and a tour at the end of the day.  Young carers could choose 3 of nine workshops to attend in addition to a  final Q&A session attended by all.

We have received fantastic feedback from over 40 of the young carer attendees, demonstrating not only that everyone enjoyed the day and it helped reduce isolation and to make new friends, but also in terms of outcomes for future educational aspirations.

Many of those attending had already decided to go onto university but for the 23% who hadn’t, as a result  of attending the workshops, they felt university was now an option for them - incredible!

The event was open to a wider area this year with services present from areas in which YCDT had not previously operated, including Dorset and South Wales. We hope to open referrals to Gwent from  2023 and more counties in 2024 and beyond.

We are delighted to share our latest Impact Report, demonstrating the life-changing impact we have had, the journey our amazing young carers undertake and their thoughts on the difference YCDT has made to their lives:

YCDT Impact Report

Created by one2one Design Group

Even a room as spectacular as the Bristol Royal Marriott’s Palm Suite, can’t have seen too many occasions as fine as our YCDT gala dinner on Thursday 10 November.

A massive thank you to all the individuals, businesses and organisations who helped us celebrate the evening in style, with particular thanks to BOM IT Solutions, Bath Life, Almeda, and Edge tax for their generous sponsorship and fantastic company.

The evening was held in memory of our development mentor Bryan Daly, whose enthusiasm for life greatly impacted both the young carer he supported and the whole charity, and it was a real honour to have so many of his family and friends there with us.

The event was an overwhelming success, with fine wine, fine dining, and fine theatre, all clearly enjoyed by close to 100 guests!

Tailored suits and exquisite dresses made the most of our red carpet reception (no, really, we had an actual red carpet), whilst a throng of paparazzi, bulbs flashing, helped add to the gravitas of the black tie event.  

The paparazzi in question were the creations of the fantastically talented, Natural Theatre Company, who’s three interactive performances brought a unique flavour and welcome comic touch to an evening of celebration. 

Much more significant than the razmataz however, was the opportunity to hear first hand the stories of some of the incredible young carers we support and to celebrate their innumerable successes. 

The stories of Alise Ashby, Phoebe Craig, Oli Baker, Amy Riley (YCDT’s first ever young carer), and Louis Pang, helped put the enormity of the challenges faced by young carers centre stage, reminding us all why we were gathered - to help YCDT continue to positively affect the lives of young carers. As Bryan Daly’s mentee, Louis’ experiences in particular reminded us of the transformative work our development mentors do and of the enormous gap left by Bryan’s passing.

An enormous thank you must also go to the businesses and individuals who kindly donated to our raffle, with prizes including: Bristol Ensemble Chamber Orchestra tickets, signed Gloucstershire cricket & Bristol Bears shirts, raceday experiences, and even two Samsung Galaxy tablets, courtesy of event sponsors, BOM, to name but a few!

Holding an event of this scale was highly rewarding and we are already looking forward to our next event, the YCDT 10th anniversary party in September 2023!!

This month, Young Carers Development Trust are taking part in the charity poll over at My Favourite Voucher Codes - the money saving website that donates 20% of their profits to charity.

We are one of four charities competing for the donation this November, and the charity with the most votes by the public at the end of the month will win 20% of their profits! That’s why we need your help, to win this donation and continue providing support for young carers all over the UK. 

Who are My Favourite Voucher Codes? 

My Favourite Voucher Codes help online shoppers save money with virtual voucher codes. These free vouchers and offers are available on their website, where visitors can get discounts on their shopping such as Buy 1 Get 1 Free, 50% off or free delivery deals. They work with some of the most popular retailers such as Argos, Sainsburys, Boots and Currys, so shoppers can save on everything from top toys to the latest technology. 

How Can I Vote in the Poll? 

Everyone gets one vote, and voting is 100% free, with no signup needed. All you need to do is: 

1. Visit the My Favourite Voucher Codes homepage 
2. Scroll down until you see the charity poll on the right hand side of the page (or at the bottom of the page on mobile)
3. Click the small circle next to ‘Young Carers Development Trust’ to cast your vote!

You don’t need to use any vouchers to sign up, however every voucher used does add to the final donation amount made to the winning charity. The poll opens on 1st November 2022 and will close on 30th November 2022, so make sure to get your votes in before then. 

It really is that easy! Every vote helps, and we greatly appreciate our supporters taking the time to vote for us. 

Thank you!

BOM IT Solutions generously donated 10 HP laptops to YCDT's new 2022 young carers to support them in their studies. We have now had the pleasure of handing them over to the young carers and in their own words, they were ‘delighted’ and ‘chuffed’ to receive them!

A massive thank you to BOM IT Solutions – your support of YCDT as a whole has been amazing and these donated laptops will make a big difference to these extraordinary young people and help them to succeed in their qualifications.

BOM are delighted to be the technology and support partner of YCDT, charity that has huge impact in and around the Bristol area.  

- Andy Carter (BOM IT Solutions)