Disabled children and their carers will be attending the annual Sharing Care picnic at Rowntree Park next week to raise awareness of the need for more short-break carers in York.

The picnic, which will be held on Wednesday, 27 August, will take inspiration from the latest Hollywood blockbuster, Pirates of the Caribbean, with a pirate theme. The event is open to all Sharing Carers as well as the disabled children who use the scheme, and their families.

Sharing Care is a scheme run by City of York Council's Community Services directorate. Sharing Carers are ordinary people who look after a disabled child on a regular basis - anything from a few hours a week to a weekend a month. The scheme gives disabled children the chance to become more independent and meet new people while their parents get a break from caring full time.

Carers can be married, single, retired, unemployed or working. Training is given so no special qualifications or experience is required - just time, energy and a commitment to supporting disabled young people. An allowance is also provided.

Sharing Care scheme co-ordinator, Jenny Bullock, said: "We have 54 Sharing Carers who offer regular breaks to 64 disabled children, but we have 25 more disabled children who are waiting for a suitable carer. We would like to hear from anyone who has a genuine interest in making a difference to the life of a disabled child.

"Our carers always tell us what a huge amount of enjoyment they get out of their contact with the disabled child who is linked to them. One of the other aspects that Sharing Carers really like about the scheme is that they choose how much time they can give - nobody is put under pressure to offer more than they have time to do."

People interested in becoming Sharing Carers are required to attend training sessions and a series of checks are then carried out to ensure that they are suitable people to care for a child. Once they are approved they are linked with a disabled child or young person who will visit them on a regular and planned basis, for short breaks.

For more information about Sharing Care please contact Jenny Bullock on 01904 555633 or email sharingcare@york.gov.uk.