This month, as part of our Support in the Community Initiative, we’re shining a spotlight on our Charity of the Month – Carers of West Lothian.
Carers of West Lothian (CoWL) offers a range of services developed to meet the needs of unpaid carers and disabled people in the local community. It was started in 1990 by a small group of people, themselves carers, who recognised the need carers had for information and support.
CoWL aims to help unpaid carers and disabled people in West Lothian to live their lives the way they choose and strive to ensure a better quality of life.
They do this by offering a wide range of services, advice, and support, including one-to-one emotional support, hospital-based carer support, peer support groups, counselling, short break funding, signposting and referral to support services, and individual and group support for young carers.
Every week the charity offers a variety of group sessions including a Senior Young Carer Group, a Carers Coffee Morning Group and a Junior Young Carer Group. Additional sessions such as a Mental Health Carers Support Group, an Evening Social Group for people with disabilities and a Young Adult Carers Group, also takes place once a month.
CoWL also provides free information and advice to anyone living in West Lothian who is an unpaid carer or has a physical and/or learning disability. This includes benefits advice and support with form filling, a Power of Attorney clinic, training opportunities and the chance to have a say on local services.
The charity is always looking to add volunteers to their team and they have a variety of roles suitable for a wide range of skills - from helping to get their newsletter out to being a volunteer driver with their Young Carers Service or even becoming a volunteer counsellor.
As part of our charity partnership, Carers of West Lothian will be in the mall on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th November to raise awareness of their services – why not pop along for more information?
You can also find out more about Carers of West Lothian, the services they provide and how to become a volunteer, via their website at https://carers-westlothian.com/
