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Anyone who’s been married has said the line, “In sickness and in health”, but that was to their spouse not their children, or future children. It is estimated that in Middlesbrough 2,800 children are caring for someone in their family and in Redcar and Cleveland, the estimate is 2,570.

'So what?' you may think. We all have children who help around the home, but young carers do so much more than that and some as young as 5 years old.

"The money will be paying for new webpage ... incorporating a message board specifically for young carers and free phone helpline"

Julia Bracknell, The Junction

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We’ve all had a mother who gets a bit upset about things and who has�� poured her heart out once or twice, but how would we cope if it was everyday?

As a child, we never expect to have to look after our parents’ personal hygiene or assume a level of responsibility which is inappropriate for a young person.

However, there are young people out there who do this every day.�� Is it any wonder they have trouble making it to school or forming friendships with their peers when they’re seen as someone who never wants to go out on an evening? Often there’s no-one who realises that it’s because they can’t!

The Junction project is one organisation in our area that aims to provide practical, social and emotional support to children and young people aged between 5 and 18 years who take or share responsibility for the care of another family member.

The young people they help could be providing personal care, assistance or support to another family member. They spend a significant proportion of their life providing unpaid support to another person, whether physical or emotional.

And it’s not just help to maybe a family member in a wheelchair. Some of these children are providing care for someone with mental health problems or coping with misuse of drugs.

These children are caring for people who should be caring for them.

This is why the money you donate to Children in Need is so important to them.

Chief Executive of The Junction, Julia Bracknell says, “The money will be paying for new webpage on The Junction website incorporating a message board specifically for young carers and free phone helpline. It will also pay for project coordinator for the whole of the Young Carers project in the South Tees area”.