Clare Short, Parliamentary Champion for Carers Week 2004, gives an interview for the Carers Week newsletter, February 2004

Carers Week, registered charity no. 246329, is a partnership formed by four registered charities:  Carers UK, Crossroads-Caring for Carers, MS Society, The Princess Royal Trust for Carers. 

Carers Week 2004 runs from 14-20 June, and aims to promote and support the role of carers in society.

The MP for Birmingham Ladywood became a carer herself when her husband Alex Lyon, also an MP, suffered a complicated form of Alzheimer’s disease.

“Being a carer is very important but I know it can also be very hard, and sometimes very sad” she says. “For me, the most difficult thing was the sadness of it – to watch this enormously kind and loving person fall apart before my eyes. “My family helped out but as time went on Alex didn’t really want other people around him except for me”.

As her husband’s condition deteriorated over several years Clare became increasingly worried about his well-being and was forced to find a residential home that could care for him round-the-clock. Sadly he died in 1993.

“I think the fact that I was working at the time kept me going”, says Clare. ”I can appreciate how very difficult it must be for people who care full-time. It would be easy for them to become depressed and then, when they’re feeling low, to fall ill.

“Carers are enormously important to society. Almost everyone at some time in their life is likely to be a carer. Initiatives such as Carers Week have done a lot to help.

“There was a good deal less support for carers ten years ago than there is now. I’m not saying it’s perfect; there can never be enough support and we need to keep pushing Parliament for improvements, but we are making progress.”

As Secretary of State for International Development for six years and a key figure in the Labour Party for more than 20 years, Clare Short is one of the UK’s most experienced and high-profile politicians.

Now in her role as our ‘parliamentary champion’ Clare will be urging other MPs to support carers and Carers Week through a variety of initiatives, culminating in a parliamentary reception at the House of Commons.