Abi, who is 15, has been a carer her whole life: she looks after her older brother, eight-year-old sister and supports her mum, a single parent. Abi has taken part in our workshops via her local young carer service since she was seven. They give her a rare opportunity to take some time out for herself and have unlocked a life-long love of creativity.

Being a young carer

I look after my brother Johnny who has autism and learning disabilities. I also look after my mum, who gets very stressed, and my little sister, who can get very scared when my brother is getting angry or being loud.

Because Johnny has autism, if there’s a small change in our life he can get very angry and very irritated. Johnny is older than me, so I’ve been caring my whole life. I couldn’t really help out when I was a toddler, but it has been something I’ve always had to live with and deal with.

Most of my caring is offering emotional support, just being there and calming everyone down. With Johnny it’s also taking him to see buses, because he loves buses and it helps him to be happy. Because Johnny gets so excited when he sees buses, going out with him also means explaining to some members of the public why he can get a bit loud and jumpy. 

“Being a young carer is a blessing and a curse. I’m proud of the caring role that I have and that I’m able to help.”

Young carer Abi

Johnny gets called a lot of names in public. People get angry at him if he’s being too loud or he’s not being considerate to other people, which he can’t help. I do a lot of sticking up for Johnny but some people are not very nice and laugh at him.

My mum gets very stressed, especially with housing and money issues. I try to speak to her and calm her down if she gets angry. I go shopping for her for bread, milk and those things that we need quite often.

Being a young carer is a blessing and a curse. I’m proud of the caring role that I have and that I’m able to help. At the same time, caring responsibilities prevent me from doing stuff most people my age would do, and I miss out on a lot of opportunities. To be able to care for someone, to be able to look after someone, it’s a big responsibility and it’s something to be very proud of.

You have to grow up very fast as a young carer and almost be an adult as a kid. You mature fast when you’re looking after someone else.

I get quite a lot of schoolwork, especially because I’m near GCSE time now. I often get up at 4am or 5am, so I can fit it some homework and have enough time in the day to look after Johnny. I don’t get much sleep because I go to bed late and get up early to fit in as much work as I can. It’s very tiring.

When I do get free time, I like to make short films with my sister. We go through loads of different music to try and get inspired and create a short film from what we come up with. Looking after someone can be a really difficult and stressful task so in my free time I like doing things that calm me down.

Being creative with create

I did a film project with Create, and that’s what started my love for making short films. We made a range of short films, using different filming methods and different gadgets. The artist also introduced us to editing software, which is the one I use now.

“Without creativity I wouldn’t be the same person I am today.”

Young carer Abi

I’ve been taking part in Create workshops for around eight years now. I’ve done lots of artforms: animation, film making, scriptwriting, jewellery making, painting, music and so many more.

I’ve learnt a lot through Create workshops and working with professional artists. I’ve also learnt skills by experimenting on my own, having a lot of failed attempts and then finally creating something good.

Getting to meet other kids who are in the same situation as I am is very different from being at school with people my age who don’t understand the caring role as much. All of us understand how much these workshops mean to us. I think that is something we share, so it’s like a big family because we’re all in the same situation in life.

Create has also helped me with my caring role. You need a break from something in order to do your best and be in a positive mindset. Create gives me a break and allows me to see the positives in my caring role and the positives in life. The workshops give you a couple of hours not to have the stress of caring and just be a kid again.

Without creativity I wouldn’t be the same person I am today. I definitely wouldn’t be as happy as I am. It’s something to fall back on when I’m sad or not in the best mood. It’s something that will always be there and that no one can take away.

Being able to unlock the creative side of your brain is very therapeutic. For me, all artforms are therapeutic; it’s a way to release your emotions and energy that you have built up.

Being creative makes me feel really accomplished, proud and happy. It also lets me dream.

Abi was the subject of our BBC Radio 4 appeal, presented by Isy Suttie, which was broadcast on Sunday 20 and Thursday 24 September 2020. You can listen to the appeal here. 

Meet Ajay

Between June and July 2020, Create ran a photography project via Create Live! with adult carers from Harrow and Lewisham as part of creative:voices, a project designed to help adult carers relieve stress and explore their creativity.

Create Live! is Create’s online, interactive project initiative developed to reach participants during the lockdown.

Ajay (60+) cares for a family member with a physical disability and attends Carers Lewisham. He told us about his experiences taking part in the photography workshops.

“Lockdown has been really, really difficult.”

Ajay

“I’ve been caring for different members of my family for forever, it seems to me. For my mum and dad. My brother Matt who had cancer, and he died a few years ago.

“And now Leroy, who has lost his right leg and is in a wheelchair. I’ve been looking after his wellbeing and making sure he’s okay, making sure his personal needs are met. It’s really about paying attention to him all the time, so he’s not being neglected.

“Lockdown has been really, really difficult. Because I’ve not been able to go out really. It’s been a lonely experience being alone in the house, stuck with my thoughts a lot of the time and also concerned about my brother.

“It has affected my mind as well, I think. Because I’m not sleeping as well as I want to.

“I took on the photography project because I wanted a distraction. Something to help me reconnect with me.

“It’s important to have those activities which help you to think in a different way and open up new possibilities of thought for you. When your mentality is in a particular cycle and you’re stuck on a treadmill, it is a downwards spiral in the end. I think the photography is helping me with that because it’s giving me something else to focus on. So, it’s helping my mental wellbeing.

“For me, the photography workshop was about exploring light and form and shapes and just thinking about composition.

“I’m more creative than I had given myself credit for in the past.”

Ajay

“I’ve enjoyed the whole process and I’m excited every time I come on [to the call]. I’m looking forward to it every Friday. I’ve always loved photography, but I’ve never really done it fully. [Since taking part in the workshops] I’ve bought myself a Lumix camera.

“I’ve learnt that I can be more imaginative and more creative with myself. The project is helping me to deal with all the stuff I’m dealing with. I’m not just focused on my issues, in terms of my caring role. It’s also given me a bit of space for myself and I’ve learnt that I value that space to just be who I am. Recapture something of who I am, and not just be thinking always about my brother who I care for. It’s hard for me to do that. It has also made me realise that I’m more creative than I had given myself credit for in the past, so that has been a good experience as well.

“I feel really positive about my processes. In terms of thinking things through and trying to be original, because I like humour in my photographs. Seeing other people’s work is also encouraging because you’re seeing how different people view the same idea and create something unique to them. It’s fascinating to watch and really inspiring as well.”

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Meet Abebi, ITV Creates participant

In March 2020, we worked with our professional visual artist, Amy Leung, and young carers from Hillingdon, Kingston and Lambeth to create a new ITV ident. The ident ran on the channel from 10 – 16 August.

Abebi (10) is one of the young carers who took part in our ITV Creates project. Here, she tells us about her experience.

“It was like no other experience; you couldn’t do anything like that in a normal art class.”

Young Carer Abebi

“Me and my younger sister care for our mum who has trouble walking and taking her medication. I started helping out giving mum her medication and doing jobs around the house when I was six years old.

“Being creative with other people was really fun. I don’t really get the chance to do extra activities at school, so it is fun doing art. You make new friends and we all helped each other with the artwork and talked about it. Doing creative projects with Create shows you that you’re not the only carer and that there are other people caring for their parents. It’s very good when you come together and combine your ideas with everyone else.

“We were making an ident. It’s what they put in the corner of the TV screen when they’re showing adverts. We were using colourful boxes to create the sculpture in the ITV shape, making art and sticking that to the boxes.

“I really like Harry Potter, so I put Gryffindor colours all around the things I drew. And then I drew over the picture myself and stuck it onto a small canvas. It was messy because I got paint all over my hands, but my drawing was really neat. I liked sticking up my artwork. I really liked the work I did. It was really fun. It was like no other experience; you couldn’t do anything like that in a normal art class. The day really inspired me because you got to draw, to paint, to be with other people and not just by yourself. Everyone helped each other and made new friends.

“At first it was a bit weird being in the ITV studio, but you get used to everything around you like the lights and the cameras. Then it felt normal. Amy is really nice and a very kind person. I think anyone would want to be friends with her. I’ve learnt that I can be really creative if I set my mind to it. If you’re not creative, it can be really boring because you don’t have anything to do.

“The project made me be more creative. If there’s not much to do I’m really, really creative and I make good pieces of art.”

See the final ident, and read more about the project, here.

Meet Frank

Create Live! is Create’s online, interactive programme developed to reach participants during the lockdown, offering a creative lifeline to the most vulnerable children and adults in isolation. Over three days in June 2020, Create’s professional musician Mike Poyser delivered music workshops with young carers from The Honeypot Children’s Charity.

Frank (12) has been caring for his mum who has osteoporosis and sleep apnoea since he was eight. These are his reflections on the project:

“We’ve been having fun and learning how to play instruments. It has probably been the highlight of my quarantine. I liked learning the ukulele because I hadn’t touched it before and it’s nice to learn it so I can play it in the future.

“Create helps young carers because these opportunities would normally cost a lot of money. It makes young carers happy.”

Young Carer Frank

“I enjoyed meeting new people. In quarantine, I don’t normally get to see my friends. Just seeing other people and knowing they’re all other young carers made me feel like it’s not just me. It was fun working with the group. All these people I haven’t met and now I know something about them, all the little things that make that person them.

“Through the workshops, I’ve realised that music is really fun. It’s tricky at the start but when you get the hang of it, it’s nice. The final song was unexpected, how it turned out, but it was a good unexpected. I was happy with how the songs turned out.

“It was really fun working with Mike. It’s fun working with someone really high up and being taught by them. It’s always nice to learn something new. I’m not very interactive with other people usually. At school we have different friendship groups.

“I care for my mum. She has osteoporosis and she can break her bones really easily, and my dad had to leave work to become her carer. When my dad’s out it’s my responsibility to look after my mum. Because I’ve got my phone, she’ll always text me or call me and I will drop everything and go down to help her. She gets really shaky in her knees and she’s also got sleep apnoea, which means she can’t get much sleep.

“I think I’m more grown-up than the other children because I’ve learnt more life skills. I know how to cook. If my dad’s out and I’m hungry I can make jacket potato cheese and beans or something. Other people have the comfort of their mum and dad at home teaching them along the way, but I’ve learnt it all in the space of a year.

“Create helps young carers because these opportunities would normally cost a lot of money. If there’s not much money and you only have money to pay the rent or the bills and get food for the week then you can’t do it. Create gives young carers the opportunity to do this and it’s really special and nice to do other stuff. It makes young carers happy.”