St Austell Rotary Club has donated £500 to Penrice Academy’s Young Carer Provision to help fund improvements to its wellbeing garden.  

A young carer is a child who cares for a friend or family member who cannot cope without their support due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction.  

Penrice Academy has more than 65 young carers, and that is only the students who have come forward to make the school aware of their home situation  there may be more. 

Weekly drop-in sessions take place on Wednesdays at breaktimes and lunchtimes to offer support.   

Located next to the school’s Student Family Centre, the wellbeing garden is a quiet space where young carers can meet friends, spend breaks and take the opportunity to reset. 

A chalet used by external companies who visit to offer bespoke or interventional help to any Penrice students who require it.  The money will be spent on new garden benches, creating more seating areas for young carers to use the garden, even when the grass is slightly damp.  

The school has also received a large number of bulbs and seeds from the Rotary Club and is planning a ‘planting party’ with students and staff in early spring. 

Lorraine Farr, pastoral support mentor and young carers lead at Penrice, said: “We have been blown away by the generosity of St Austell Rotary Club. It has been quite emotional talking to them about our wonderful young carers. 

“Within our community, these young people are the glue that holds together their families and I admire them so much. We really see our young carers as unsung superheroes.” 

St Austell Rotary Club Elke Deeley said: “We were quite overwhelmed meeting with Mrs Farr and some of the young carers. We are delighted and honoured to be involved in this important, really worthwhile project. We look forward to lending a hand where we can.” 

The club has been supporting the young carers since 2017. Rotarian Stuart Bradbury said: “These young people are responsible for caring for parents and/or siblings at home, which puts a lot of extra stress on these young citizens at a crucial stage of their development, while saving the country a lot of money in care expenses. 

“Over the past six years, St Austell Rotary Club has provided funds to give them fun days out and small presents during the pandemic as a thank you for what they do. 

A pair of young carers who are sisters said thanked the Rotary Club, adding: “If you are an unidentified young carer at Penrice, it is good to let the school know. You could be going through a hard time at home, but making yourself known will give you a support network including likeminded students and caring teachers.”