Here When Carers Need Us

Aim

Help ensure no unpaid carer has to face their caring journey alone by keeping Beacon's support groups free and available.

Help us raise £10,000 to keep support groups free for Carers

For 26 years, Beacon South Yorkshire has supported unpaid carers across Barnsley and South Yorkshire. With your help, we can continue to be there when carers need us most.

When someone becomes an unpaid carer, their life can change overnight.

They may be caring for a parent living with dementia, a partner experiencing mental ill health, a child with additional needs, or a loved one affected by addiction or long-term illness.

Many people take on these responsibilities without ever thinking of themselves as carers.

They simply do what needs to be done because they care. It's Mum, Dad, Nan, Grandad, a partner, a child, or a friend.

But while they're looking after everyone else, who is looking after them?

For the last 26 years, Beacon South Yorkshire has helped answer that question.

Since 2000, we've supported thousands of unpaid carers across South Yorkshire, providing a place where they can find connection, understanding, support, friendship, and hope.

Today, we're asking our community to help us continue that vital work.

We're raising £10,000 to keep our support groups and wellbeing activities affordable and accessible for the carers who need them most.

Why Our Support Matters

Caring can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be exhausting.

Many of the carers we support spend most of their time focusing on somebody else's needs. They often tell us they feel isolated, overwhelmed, and alone. Some have had to give up work, reduce their social activities, or put their own health on hold because their caring responsibilities come first.

Over time, that pressure can take its toll.

The need for support has never been greater.

Across Barnsley and South Yorkshire, thousands of unpaid carers are balancing caring responsibilities alongside work, family life, and their own health. Behind every caring role is a person trying to cope with the emotional, physical, and financial challenges that caring can bring.

National research highlights the significant impact caring can have on mental wellbeing:

• 35% of unpaid carers report having bad or very bad mental health. [carersuk.org], [carersuk.org]
• 57% say they feel overwhelmed often or always. [carersuk.org]
• 79% experience stress or anxiety because of their caring role. [carersuk.org]
• Half of all carers report feeling lonely. [carersuk.org]
• 49% say they feel depressed. [carersuk.org]
• Two-thirds of carers say they need more support for their own health and wellbeing. [carersuk.org]

These statistics reflect what we see every day at Beacon South Yorkshire.

We've met carers who haven't had a meaningful conversation with another adult for weeks. Carers struggling with anxiety, stress, loneliness, and burnout. Carers who feel as though nobody truly understands what they are going through.

That's why Beacon South Yorkshire exists.

We provide a welcoming, safe, and non-judgemental space where carers can come together, share experiences, receive support, and take much-needed time for themselves.

Our support groups help carers reduce isolation, improve wellbeing, build friendships, and regain confidence. Sometimes, the biggest difference we make is simply helping someone realise that they are not alone.

For many of the people who come through our green doors, Beacon isn't just a support service.

It's a lifeline.

Why We're Asking for Help Now

Like many local charities, we are facing an increasingly challenging funding environment.

Traditional funding sources are becoming harder to secure while demand for our services continues to grow.

More unpaid carers are reaching out for support at a time when many are experiencing:

• Rising living costs
• Increased caring responsibilities
• Emotional strain and stress
• Challenges to their own physical and mental wellbeing

Our dedicated team of staff and volunteers works tirelessly to create sustainable funding for the future. We've introduced new initiatives, including voluntary contributions for some wellbeing activities and a regular donor programme, helping to build a stronger foundation for the charity.

However, these initiatives alone cannot cover the costs of the free support groups that carers rely upon.

That's why this campaign is so important.

The money raised will help bridge the gap and ensure that unpaid carers can continue accessing vital support without worrying about cost.

 What We Do

Everything we offer is designed to support carers and help them maintain their own wellbeing while caring for others.

Our services include:

• One-to-one emotional support
• Counselling services
• Peer support groups and drop-in sessions
• Weekly food parcels for carers experiencing hardship
• Monthly coffee mornings
• Wellbeing and self-care sessions
• Mindfulness sessions
• Craft and Chat groups
• Holistic therapies including massage, reflexology, and Hopi ear candling
• Annual respite trips and Christmas celebrations when funding allows

Every service is designed to help carers feel connected, supported, listened to, and valued.

Our support groups and coffee mornings give carers an opportunity to meet others who understand their challenges. Friendships are formed, experiences are shared, and people leave knowing they have somewhere to turn when life feels difficult.

For many carers, those connections become a vital source of strength.

Over the last 26 years, we've supported thousands of individuals and families across South Yorkshire and witnessed the life-changing impact that the right support can have.

We've seen people arrive feeling isolated and overwhelmed, then grow in confidence, build friendships, and regain a sense of hope.

While we're incredibly proud of what we've achieved so far, we know there is still much more to do.

As demand for support continues to increase, we want to ensure that every carer who reaches out to us can access help at the time they need it most.

 What Your Donation Will Help Fund

Our goal is simple.

We want to keep our support groups free and accessible for every unpaid carer who needs them.

The £10,000 we raise will help cover the costs of:

• Refreshments at our groups and coffee mornings
• Peer support groups and drop-in sessions
• Volunteer expenses
• Resources and activity materials
• Group activities that reduce isolation and improve mental health
• Essential running costs required to keep services available

 Most importantly, your donation helps provide something that's difficult to put a price on:

• A listening ear
• A supportive community
• A break from isolation
• Improved confidence and wellbeing
• Hope during some of life's most challenging moments

We know many carers are already under significant financial pressure, and we never want cost to become a barrier to accessing support.

By helping us reach our target, you'll be helping ensure that these vital services remain available to those who need them most.

What Your Donation Could Do

£10 could provide resources and materials for carers attending a group.

£25 could help provide refreshments at group sessions and coffee mornings

£50 could contribute towards volunteer expenses and help keep sessions running.

£100 could support a wellbeing activity that reduces isolation and improves mental health.

£250 could help fund a series of group sessions where carers can access friendship, support, and advice.

Every donation, no matter the size, helps us continue supporting carers across Barnsley and South Yorkshire.

What Carers Tell Us

"Beacon has been a lifeline for me. I felt completely alone, I now feel supported and I am reminded of how far I have come. For the first time in a long time I have someone to talk to. “

"The support I've received has helped me cope during some very difficult times. I now look forward to things I would have feared previously. My mind feels more at peace now.”

“Being able to mix with others and have time for myself as helped massively. Beacon gives me a reason to get out and meet new people experiencing the same issues as myself and that I am not alone”

Our Promise

Beacon South Yorkshire is running this campaign to raise funds specifically to support unpaid carers across Barnsley and South Yorkshire.

When We Reach Our Target

The funds raised will help keep our support groups and services accessible for carers who rely on them.

If We Exceed Our Target

Any additional funds will allow us to extend our support, reach more carers, and strengthen the services we provide.

If We Don't Reach Our Target

Every donation will still make a difference. All funds raised will be used to support the delivery of services for unpaid carers.

If Circumstances Change

Should our original plans need to be adapted, funds will continue to be used by Beacon South Yorkshire to support unpaid carers in line with our charitable objectives.

Help Us Be There for Carers

For 26 years, we've been supporting the people who spend their lives caring for others.

Today, we're asking for your support.

By donating to our campaign, you'll be helping carers find friendship, support, advice, and a sense of belonging when they need it most.

Together, we can make sure no carer in South Yorkshire has to face their journey alone.

Please donate today and help us raise £10,000 to keep our support groups free and accessible for carers.

Thank you for being part of our story. ❤️   

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 27th October 2026 at 9:38am