Salford Young Carers make a difference at The Lowry

“My name is Paige, I’m a young adult carer from Salford. I’m fortunate to be involved in the Who Cares project with Salford young carers and the Lowry. Who Cares is a piece of theatre based on 12 months of interviews and workshops. The project started as a one night only performance but the show had such a great response that it has been able to go on tour.

“Who Cares has been a huge milestone for us as young carers to talk about our lives, the differences and similarities between us; it certainly makes you feel like you have a group of people you can rely on and gives you the confidence to talk to different people. Being involved in this project has also taught me a lot about theatre and the process of putting a performance together.”

Looking from the outside, The Lowry is sometimes perceived as a shiny, spaceship of a building at the heart of Media City, where people go to see a world class opera or dance premiere on any one of its three theatre stages. But step inside and you’ll find there is a whole lot more going on for people of all ages and from all walks of life.

The Lowry’s partnership with Salford Young Carers is pioneering, giving a platform to a group so hidden in wider society that many don’t know they exist. No-one knows the true number of children and young people under the age of 18, who have responsibilities for looking after a parent or sibling with a disability, a physical or mental illness, or a drug or alcohol dependency. Official UK figures put the number somewhere around 166,000 but if it’s true, as some think, that the reality is nearer 700,000 then this a hidden problem that desperately needs attention.

The play gives an insight into the lives of three young carers, whose stories were created from an amalgam of four testimonies from young carers in Salford. Reflecting the diversity of caring roles that young carers undertake the characters are: Connor whose mum struggles to cope with depression and bipolar; Nicole who has been a carer since the age of four when her mother had a stroke outside her playgroup; and Jade whose father was paralysed in a motorbike accident.

“Who Cares has been an amazing opportunity to help raise awareness and understanding of young carers and some of the issues they face,” says Paige. “The show may be able to help identify other young people with caring responsibilities and get them the support that they need. One thing I hope does come from Who Cares? is that I hope other services are developed to give the best support they can to people in other cities. We are lucky in Salford that young carers have a great service; I know in other places young people aren’t as lucky.”

Because of projects like this, thousands of school children in Salford every year are talking about what it means to be a young carer. Here’s hoping that this life-changing work continues and that as well as seeing a shiny building, people looking at The Lowry recognise arts and culture is for everyone and has the power to be transformative.”

Carmel Thomason

For more information on The Lowry: www.thelowry.com

The Lowry has been awarded National Lottery funding through Arts Council England.

Who Cares, was written by Matt Woodhead and co-produced by The Lowry and LUNG Theatre, who are Associate Artists at the Salford-based venue. It was made in partnership with The Gaddum Centre’s Salford Carers Service.