Time to celebrate the carers
BY THE Rev Mary Kells, curate, St Faith’s Church, Lee-on-the-Solent
YOU won’t be surprised to hear that those often in the front line of caring for neighbours and family members during the pandemic have tended to be women.
So many carers have gone the extra mile in the past 10 months and we would like to honour those from the Lee-on-the-Solent area with a big Community Thank-you event in March.
We wondered if you could help by nominating those who have kept you going during the pandemic, or those you think deserve public recognition. Much of this work happens in a quiet, unheralded way, so we want to present our local carers with a certificate and thank-you gift.
The people behind this idea is the women’s group based at our church, St Faith’s in Victoria Square. It is called Women4Women in Lee, and came together to mark International Women’s Day in 2019. Among other things, we’ve raised money for our local women’s refuge.
So to mark International Women’s Day this year, on March 7, we want to hold our Community Thank-you event from 3-5pm – either in St Faith’s parish centre or online.
If you want to nominate someone who has cared for you or others, do email us on women4women@stfaithslee.org.uk with your name, their name and the reason you are nominating them. Or you can fill in the nomination form on our website at stfaithslee.org/lee-carers-communitythankyou/ by February 14.
We’d also be interested in hearing from you if you’d like to contribute a gift to present to those who have been nominated. It might be a luxury food item, a pampering treat or something else entirely. Do bring items to St Faith’s Church, Victoria Square PO13 9NF and drop them in the basket at the door marked Women4Women in Lee.
Our grateful thanks to you for your support, and also to Wates Group Construction Company for giving us funding to kick start this initiative.
You might, of course, know of men who have also acted as carers and done heroic things throughout the pandemic. Although our primary target group is women, you can nominate anyone who has cared for others.