NEW groups and a training programme to help support unpaid carers will be launched in April.

Carer Support Wiltshire, which supports over 8,000 carers, has updated and extended its support group programme to provide groups, café drop-ins, specialist meetings and training to try to reach as many of Wiltshire’s 47,500 carers as possible.

Catharine Hurford, head of operations for Carer Support Wiltshire, said: “We have worked very closely with carers from across the county over the past six months.

“In our consultations, carers told us that they would like better quality advice and information at the groups they attend; they would like groups to run monthly, and that they would like the opportunity to socialise with other carers and share experiences and advice.

“We are excited about the new groups, cafés and training structure which helps us meet carers’ aims to reaching more carers and responding effectively to their diverse needs within a fixed budget.”

There will be structured groups that will run once a month in six areas in the county, including Wiltshire, to provide training, support and advice.

Carers Cafés will run in 12 towns across the county and will be a place where carers can come together to share information, advice, and socialise.

These will run in Ludgershall, Tisbury and Salisbury.

Carer Support Wiltshire will also be running bi-monthly specialist groups for carers of people with mental health problems and parent carers.

Alongside the groups, carers can access a wide range of free training opportunities to help them in their caring role, including first aid, dementia care, manual handling and money management.

For more information go to carersinwiltshire.co.uk or call 0800 1814118.