Signpost Stockport for Carers, based in Heaton Moor supports anyone with an unpaid caring role across the borough of Stockport, by offering emotional and practical support alongside events, activities and training. The organization has had the impact of its current services and future ambitions recognised with its selection as a 2022 Weston Charity Awards winner.
The award gives the charity the chance to invest in its future with ten months of strategic planning support from a dedicated team of four business experts, thanks to pro bono charity Pilotlight and a core grant of £6,500 from the Garfield Weston Foundation.
Signpost was chosen from over 100 applicants, all of whom are frontline charities delivering youth, welfare or community services in the North of England, the Midlands and Wales. Disability Stockport was also selected for this prestigious award.
The last year has had real emotional, financial and social impacts on the thousands of unpaid carers living and caring in Stockport. We know life is only going to become harder with the increase in cost of living disproportionately affecting carers. It is therefore crucial that Signpost supports our carers in ways that are the most impactful for them. To do this, we need to develop our services so that they are effective, and sustainable. We are delighted that, as a Weston Charity Awards Winner, we will be benefitting from a team of business experts who can enable us to achieve our ambitions.
In congratulating Signpost Stockport for Carers, Philippa Charles, Director of the Garfield Weston Foundation said:
The Weston Charity Awards were created in 2014, and have since helped 126 charities across Wales, the North and the Midlands to be effective and to grow their services for people in need. As the cost of living crisis hits families and communities, we see a critical role for small charities in key regions who are supporting vulnerable people in a range of ways. These Awards for nineteen charities are a tribute to their determination to improve lives in the toughest of circumstances.
Ed Mayo, Chief Executive of Pilotlight, the charity which is connecting Signpost Stockport for Carers with a team of coaches drawn from a range of businesses and other organisations said:
An old saying is that the poor pay more. So, while the rising cost of living is a crisis for many people, it is a potential catastrophe for those who are most vulnerable. Signpost Stockport for Carers has been selected as a Weston Charity Award recipient on the strength of its ambitions and the openness of the leadership team to external perspectives. Working with business experts, the Weston Charity Awards will strengthen Signpost to support people who are most at need in our society.