On the 8th October, the ME Association was invited to a parliamentary drop-in event as part of Carers Week 2024. Held at Portcullis House, Westminster, this was an opportunity to meet MPs and Peers to highlight ME/CFS and the huge contribution our carers make. The specific aim of the event was to enable carers and supporter charities to meet with MPs so they could outline what the reality of caring unpaid for a friend or family member is like in 2024.
The ME Association was one of just 8 charities that were invited to join Carers UK in the Attlee Suite. The event was purely optional for the MPs who would be between voting sessions, so it was unknown just how many would be able to attend. However, we were blown away by the number of MPs who came, a staggering 111 joined us for the afternoon. They were meant to spend just 5 minutes at each table, but many were so keen to find out more that the room was packed from start to finish.
From the moment it started at 2pm to the sound of bells ringing at 4.30 calling the MPs to vote, there was a constant flow of people interested in ME/CFS and asking how they could help. The day had been organised by Carers UK as a ‘speed networking event' and it certainly lived up to its name. Our brave team of 3 ME carers Pam, Suzie, Mary and I, desperately took down contact details and notes before the next group of representatives arrived. We started the day with a full array of literature across 2 large tables, by the end we were down to a handful of sweets and some rather wilted flowers. We left elated, but exhausted.
This was an excellent day to raise awareness of ME/CFS and the work of our carers to some of the most influential people in the Country. Many were new MPs looking to make their mark and support a cause. We will now begin the much longer process of following up the offers of support and building cross party support for the ME community.
Carers UK summary
Carers UK: 111 MPs and Peers show their support for unpaid carers at event in Parliament
Extracts
Today (Tuesday 8 October), key charities brought 23 unpaid carers to an event in Parliament to share their experiences of caring with MPs and Peers. The event was kindly hosted by Wendy Chamberlain MP.
Parliamentarians from both Houses met with unpaid carers to hear about their experiences of caring and the vital contribution they make to communities, and to better understand the challenges and support carers urgently need.
The event was supported by the eight charities who came together back in June for Carers Week – which is led by Carers UK and includes Age UK, Carers Trust, Motor Neurone Disease Association, The ME Association, Oxfam GB, Rethink Mental Illness, and The Lewy Body Society – and TSB Bank plc, who supported the event.
The organisations involved are collectively calling on the Government to develop a new National Carers Strategy – the first in sixteen years – to ensure all carers get the support they need and that the Government better coordinates its support for carers across different Departments.