A series of thought-provoking posters reflecting the challenges which are faced by young carers have gone on display at Gateshead Interchange.
Each poster, drawn by the children themselves, details the range of emotions they face in their daily lives while caring for members of their family who are unwell or disabled.
Nexus, which manages Gateshead interchange, has given a group of young carers aged between eight and 14 the chance to showcase their designs in the bus passenger concourse.
The aim is to raise awareness of the extraordinary work that is done by young carers across the region.
The children worked with an artist on their design ideas, which were initially turned into a set of postcards and distributed to GP surgeries and schools across Gateshead.
The designs were then enlarged and transformed into a giant poster for the display at Gateshead Interchange.
Nexus agreed to install the artwork after being approached by a locally based charity called Crossroads Care Gateshead, which offers respite care and support to children across the borough who care for a family member.
The children involved in the project give up many hours each day to look after family members who are ill, frail, disabled or have mental health or substance misuse problems.
Young Carers Service Manager for Crossroads Care Gateshead, Lynn Readman, said: “The children’s designs bring out the range of emotions they go through as young carers, looking after a parent or a sibling with a serious illness or a disability.
“The themes that they came up with all demonstrate how being a young carer affects their lives.
“The initial project was to design a set of postcards, but we’re really pleased to work with Nexus to get these designs put on display in the bus station.”
Nexus Community Relations Officer, Claire Tulley, said: “This is such a thought provoking display, highlighting the amazing work that is put in by young carers each and every day. What they do is simply inspirational.
“When we were shown the children’s designs we really liked them and thought it was an excellent idea to put them on display.
“I’m sure that people travelling from the Gateshead Interchange will take the time to stop and have a look at the posters. They bring home to you the emotions that young carers go through. It raises awareness of what they do and why they need to be given as much support as possible.”
The young carers’ designs have been temporarily installed on hoardings around the escalator modernisation scheme at Gateshead Interchange, which is used by six million passengers a year.
Nexus is looking into ways it might be able to make the display a permanent fixture at Gateshead Interchange.
One the young carers who designed one of the posters is Sophie Lorraine, aged 10, from Bensham in Gateshead. Sophie is a carer for her mum, Jeannette. The theme of Sophie’s design is ‘worried’, because she often worries about her mum when she is out at school. Sophie said: “It is great that my design has gone on to the display in the bus station.”
Grace Turnbull, aged 12, of Blaydon in Gateshead, is a carer for her dad who suffers from physical and mental ill health. Grace’s poster is called ‘tolerant’. Grace said: “I look after my little sister as well as my dad. I did a poster about tolerance as I know I have to be tolerant as a carer, especially with my younger sister.”