IMPORTANT work supporting young carers in Okehampton and the surrounding area will continue thanks to a £35,000 grant from Okehampton United Charity.

The charity Young Devon has annouced that Okehampton United Charity has awarded funding for the next three years to support the work that it does with young carers in the area.

In Devon, more than 75 children and young people aged between 5 to 17 years old are caring for a relative with a mental health condition, substance addiction, disability or some kind of long term illness.

The grant from Okehampton United Charity will be central to facilitating activities and groups for the young carers.

A spokesperson from Young Devon said: ‘Over the years Young Carers have told us what they want more than anything is the opportunity to engage with other young carers through leisure activities.

‘But without additional finance the prospect of being able to offer these important activities is becoming more difficult. Respite activities are a vital component of the support that we offer to young carers. Sometimes it is difficult for some young carers to see friends or engage in activities and can feel isolated.’

Young Devon is a progressive charity formed in 1949 to ‘change the odds in favour of young people’. Its primary objective is to enhance lives and promote opportunity for young people least likely to have their voices heard.

The charity aims to invest in young people by helping them build life skills and confidence, secure their right to participate and be meaningfully involved in society and promotes a quality of life for young people in the county.

Okehampton’s Young Devon services are run by outreach workers, with a centre for West Devon based in Tavistock.

For more information contact Katherine Weedall on 01752 698402 or email [email protected]