EDP We Care appeal reaches 25th anniversary

The EDP’s We Care Appeal - now the Millennium Trust For Carers - was launched in October 1998, with the ambition to raise £1m to create an endowment fund that could support those who support others across Norfolk for years to come.

The £1m fund was achieved in December 2009 and since 2017 the fund has been run by the Norfolk Community Foundation, to increase its giving capacity and grow its investment. 

In March 2021, Norfolk Millennium Trust for Carers officially surpassed the £1m mark in terms of funding distributed.

More than 4,000 unpaid carers have been supported over the last 25 years.

The appeal was a collaboration between Norfolk Health Authority, the EDP, and the then-Lord Lieutenant Sir Timothy Colman.

Today, there are more than 100,000 unpaid carers in Norfolk and the NMTC aims to give these unpaid carers a better quality of life by giving grants of up to £250 towards short breaks, recreational items, hobbies, or leisure activities.

Claire Cullens, CEO of Norfolk Community Foundation, said: "Carers lead busy and often very stressful lives and so we need to make access to our funding simple and visible.

"To do this we work closely with many trusted partners across our communities to ensure this offer of help is well signposted and available.

"To make the funding as efficient as possible we are in a constant dialogue with other funders to ensure we avoid any duplication so this vital lifeline for carers continues to reach the gaps that are not being filled elsewhere,” she said.

The Foundation has also fostered connections with local charitable caring organisations and developed a strategic partnership, working together to ensure that carers have access to a network of support for their caring role.

Applications to NMTC are submitted by caring organisations on behalf of the carer, ensuring that they are connected to organisations that can support them more widely.

Paddy Seligman, who helped the appeal to raise an ambitious £1,000,000, chaired the Trust until 2020. 

She said: “NCF, with its excellent record of both attracting and managing charitable organisations, was the perfect resting place for NMTC for the future. Our charity is well cared for by NCF and I am confident that they in turn are diligent in the way Norfolk’s unpaid carers are helped with sympathy and understanding.”

EDP editor Richard Porritt said: “When the EDP We Care appeal was launched 25 years ago, there was a really bold ambition to raise £1m to support the unsung army which provides such crucial care in our communities.

“Through the unswerving efforts and relentless passion of so many people, the dream has been realised. The fund has made an incredible difference to thousands in our county.”

Why we supported the fund

The "Jones" household chose to leave a legacy for NMTC, to make a mark on the caring landscape in Norfolk.

Ms and Ms Jones had both been carers for family members, so understood first hand the complexities of unpaid caring, and the toll that caring responsibilities can take on one’s own mental and physical wellbeing.

By leaving a legacy gift to NMTC, the Jones household have ensured that thousands more unpaid carers in Norfolk can have an opportunity for respite from their caring responsibilities.

This means that people like Amanda are able to be supported.

Amanda cares for her husband who has dementia.

A £250 grant was awarded to contribute to a short break for a family wedding. Amanda had not seen her family in four years. 

The wedding was an opportunity to see her family and take a break from her caring role.

For more information visit norfolkfoundation.com/norfolk-millennium-trust-for-carers or ring 01603 623958.