And there’s more – Jimmy Cricket throws his weight behind Carers' Campaign

Famous Irish comedian Jimmy Cricket has pledged his support for Rochdale’s thousands of carers at a special event to mark National Carers' Week.

The well-known funnyman brought his unique brand of humour to Number One Riverside where he met carers and posed for photos.

He said, ‘I have a good friend called Pauline Fardon who is a local carer and also sings in the carers choir. She invited me along to support one of the events organised by Rochdale Council for carers week and to meet some of her fellow carers.

“I really could not refuse her invite as I’m aware of the valuable and fantastic work that carers do. I was delighted to pop along to Number One Riverside and have a bit of banter and fun with local Rochdale-based carers. They are an inspirational bunch of people.”

The celebrity visit was one of the many events taking place across Rochdale to mark the week, which celebrates the efforts of the 7m carers in the UK.

In an activity-filled five days, carers enjoyed health checks and pamper sessions at the Middleton Arena, a cream tea and relaxing therapies at the Heywood Magic Centre and an emergency first aid course.

A world cup inspired South American party also shook off the cobwebs, while a cook and eat session saw carers rustle up chicken and vegetable curries.

The events were organised by the council-run Carers' Resource, which supports 2,000 carers in Rochdale borough.

As well as celebrating local carers, the events were designed to reach out to the 21,000 people across the borough who identified themselves as carers on the last census, but are not accessing support through The Carers' Resource.

Assistant Cabinet Member for Adult Care, Councillor Billy Sheerin, said: “We’re really grateful to Jimmy for giving up his time for free to come and support a great cause. I know Jimmy and he was as entertaining as ever. The carers really enjoyed meeting him.”

People can find out more The Carers’ Resource and the support it offers by phoning 01706 925808 or emailing thecarersresource@rochdale.gov.uk

Key facts about Carers from Carers UK:

• There are an estimated 7m carers in the UK
• 1.3m carers care for more than 50 hours a week
• There are 180,000 young carers in the UK
• It is estimated that carers save the economy £119bn a year
• One in five carers gives up work to care for a loved one.