Can you support Respitality in 2024?

By partnering with Respitality, your business can make a meaningful difference in the lives of unpaid carers across Scotland. We're asking for your support in donating short breaks through the tourism sector, which will provide these individuals with an opportunity to relax, recharge, and create long-lasting memories.

To enquire today about how you can support, please click on the below button to express your interest and our team will be in touch. 

Respitality lands in Poland!

A young carers adventure in the Scottish Highlands 

The break began with a 170 miles car sharing journey spanning over 3 and a half hours, which included 5 members of support staff.

Most of the young carers (aged between 15 to 18) were excited about the trip and engaged in playing games and chatting. One young carer was so worried about the person they care for, that when the group stopped for food, they took the opportunity to call home to make sure everything was OK, and it was only after they called that they were able to relax. Being able to fully switch off and relax is one of the many barriers to young carers being able to access regular, short breaks.

The young carers shared rooms in the lodge, which they described as “really big & very comfy” and after settling in, they proceeded to explore the area. The group went to the Highland Wildlife Park, where they had the chance to see a range of native animals (like the Scottish wildcat) as well as, a first for many of the young carers, Scotland’s only polar bears.



After the Wildlife Park they went into Aviemore and had lunch at an Italian restaurant called “La Taverna”, where they got the chance to share a lovely meal together. The following day they went up the Cairngorm Mountain Railway – Scotland’s only funicular which rises over 1,097m above sea level, where they spent a few hours at the top, enjoying not only the views but also the exhibition at the top station.

In the evenings the staff from EACC kept the young carers well entertained with quizzes, watching TV together and playing games.They also had a collection of racquets & balls which was a lot of fun.

Zoe told us,“Many of the young carers were able to relax for the time that they were away and that going to Badaguish provided a much needed break from their caring responsibilities. They were so appreciative, they all were – the young carers were able to experience something completely different and they had loads of experiences they wouldn’t have had otherwise. They all have different caring roles - one young carer cares for their father who has heart problems and mental health issues after their mum passed away. Seeing them relax, looking refreshed and ready to go back to their caring role shows what an impact this break had.”

The launch of our Respitality research paper

In October, we officially launched our research paper into the Scottish Respitality model. This was carried out in collaboration with Edinburgh Napier University, and has been named “Connected By Care”.
 
Thank you to all the carers, delivery partners and donors who were able to take part in this research. It has provided us with a greater understanding of how our social franchise model works in practice, and what useful recommendations we can implement to enhance what we current offer.

Snapshot of Respitality July-September 2023