Winchester & Andover Carer Centre Site updated 2 November 2007

The Winchester and Andover Carer Centre is part of a network of 141 Carer Centres in the UK.  The network is co-ordinated by The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, founded by Princess Anne in Glasgow in 1991. The Princess is actively involved with the Centres and attends functions to help with fundraising as well as conferences and educational events.  She has visited  us in Winchester on several occasions. Each centre is an independent registered charity established with help from the Trust and funded by local authorities, social services,  primary care trusts, and other organisations.   Although the Trust do not directly fund us, they provide support and training for each centre and ensure quality standards.  Winchester City Councillor Susan Glasspool set up the Winchester and Andover Carer Centre in 1994 when she was Mayor of Winchester, using the proceeds of her Mayor's Charity Appeal.  Cllr Glasspool was Chair of the organisation for six years and remains a Director today. The Centre is governed by a voluntary Board of Directors, some of whom are or were carers.  The Board meets once a month and has responsibility for finance and strategy, although the day-to-day running of the Centre is the responsibility of the Manager.     The work we do is varied and is tailored to the needs of each individual carer. Our focus is on giving carers accurate and up-to-date information on anything from disability aids to benefits claims. We  also run special support groups; act as carers' advocates, liaising with Social Services, GPs and the Benefits Agency amongst others; and offer free counselling to carers by way of qualified voluntary counsellors.  Increasingly we work within primary care via the Prescription for Carers project, making contact with carers identified by health professionals. This project is one of our biggest ventures and is  already proving a success with a large increase in the number of carers being identified and supported.  It is being researched for three years by the Department of Medicine at Southampton University with a grant  from the Medical Research Council. Winchester and Andover Carer Centre, 68 St George's Street, WINCHESTER  SO23 8AH Limited company registered in England and Wales Registered Company Number 2955846   Registered Charity Number 1040518