Local people can help more than 600 young carers in Dorset to enjoy a Christmas party.

Local charity, MYTIME Young Carers, is not only organising the virtual event, the team are going one step further, delivering goody bags, including Christmas jumpers and presents, to every child invited. To pull off the social event of the season and spread the Christmas cheer these young people truly deserve, MYTIME is looking for donations and volunteers.

A young carer is a child or young person responsible for looking after a family member, often at great personal cost. There are an estimated 700,000 young carers across the UK. MYTIME support carers as young as five years old, who may be carrying out anything from cooking dinner to laundry to physically helping their family member get up and dressed every morning. The responsibility of caring for another person often means these young people miss out on hobbies, seeing friends and other social activities their peers may take for granted.

Penelope Day, Fundraising director at MYTIME Young Carers, said: ‘These remarkable young people work incredibly hard to take care of their families, day in and day out. And that includes Christmas. Many of them never get a day off and that can be exhausting and lonely. So we want to make sure all the young carers in Dorset get to enjoy themselves over the holidays and receive the recognition they deserve for what they do. Throwing them a party and giving them a chance to celebrate together is our little way of saying thank you to them.’

In order to host the biggest Christmas party for young carers the county, and potentially even the country, has ever seen, the MYTIME team need support. One party bag, including a Christmas jumper to wear to the event, presents, and treats, costs £20. With over 600 young carers on the guest list, MYTIME is looking to raise £5,000 to go towards funding this ‘Operation Christmas’ mission. As well as fundraising, MYTIME is looking for volunteers to help write cards, pack the goody bags and deliver them between the 6 and 10 December.

Penelope said: “We know we’ve set ourselves a challenge: hosting a party for every young carer in Dorset is a big job. That’s why we need help. We’re looking for our very own Christmas elves to help us with everything from writing a Christmas card to delivering Christmas jumpers. If you want to help us spread some Christmas cheer, please get in touch.”

To find out more about MYTIME Young Carers and volunteer your help, visit https://www.mytimeyoungcarers.org/. Or visit the JustGiving page to donate: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/operation-christmas.