A monthly sports social afternoon to prevent carers from feeling overwhelmed by their duties has got underway.

Sheffield Carers’ Centre has partnered with Ponds Forge Sports Centre to host a free monthly event where attendees can socialise through sports and games like badminton, skittles and table tennis.

The Carers’ Centre estimates that one in five UK adults are unpaid carers, and wants to raise awareness so people are able to seek support and prevent ‘carer breakdown’.

Stephen Broomhead, from Sheffield, has attended both previous sessions of the group along with his wife and father, both of whom he cares for.

He discovered Sheffield Carers’ Centre when his daughter was diagnosed with cervical cancer at 16, and needed their support to continue on when she sadly died a year later.

He said: “They gave me that foundation to build a life, otherwise I don’t think I would have been here.”

Mr Broomhead isn’t the only person whose life has improved because of the group.

Debjani Chatterjee is a Sheffield writer who cares for her mother and husband.

She said she struggled to exercise after the pandemic when their conditions worsened, but sports like doubles badminton have helped her by allowing her to meet people in similar situations.

Mrs Chatterjee said: “Just knowing we’re both carers, it’s good.

“There does need to be more of this, but I know I haven’t got the time. This is all I can manage, an hour once a month.”

Mrs Chatterjee tries to visit her husband in hospital every day, and needs to hire a professional carer to look after her mother when she leaves the house.

As well as this new sports afternoon, the Carer’s Centre organises other events like regular support groups, walks and helpful courses like first aid, general health and how to deal with dementia.

Jan Outram, the activities coordinator for Sheffield Carers’ Centre, said: “Carers are often quite isolated, they might be looking after someone with dementia who they can’t leave at all, or sometimes can’t leave for more than an hour. This is just a short amount of time where they can do something completely different.”

She discussed the importance of carers looking after themselves too, as their needs often go overlooked.

She said: “The emphasis is so often on the person being cared for and the carer can feel invisible a lot of the time.”

For more information about their events, click here.