This week, we’d like to help a 10 year old girl called May who is a young carer. Her sister has complex and profound needs, and May helps with her daily care and is always looking for ways to make life a bit easier for her.

May lives with her mum and sister and no longer has contact with her dad. Even though everyone encourages her to just ‘be a kid’, May knows her mum and sister need her help and wants to be there for them.

Life at home hasn’t always been easy. Earlier this year, she was brave enough to tell a trusted adult about some of the challenges at home. Because of that, the family now has extra support from social services.

At school, May is a little superstar. She works so hard and even volunteers as a mentor for children who need extra help.

Her social worker said May is an incredibly kind, caring and inspiring young person – but she could do with some help herself.

We would love to create a special bedroom for May to make life at home a little brighter. She needs a new mattress to replace her old broken one, and some decorations, toys and art supplies. She also loves football but needs boots and kit. And we’d also love to give her a bike, so she can get outdoors, have fun, and enjoy some time for herself.

Because May spends so much time caring for her sister, we’d like to give her some things to make that easier too – some sensory toys to help keep her sister calm and engaged, and a projector for her room to create a calm space and help her sister sleep better at night too.

These things will mean the world to May.

*Name has been changed and stock image used