A QUARTER of Wirral's estimated 40,000 carers self-reported at least 50 hours of weekly care work, according to figures out today.

The 2018 figures, released ahead of National Carers Week (June 10-16), amount to more than 537,000 hours of unpaid work.

Next week Wirral's care services, partners and local charities will raise awareness of the vital work that carers do for the community.

The theme for this year's Carer's Week is 'Getting carers connected in their community', a theme that is welcomed by the local authority who want to reach out to the many hard-working carers in the borough.

Cllr Chris Jones, Wirral's cabinet member for adult care and health, said: "There are thousands of people in Wirral who are providing care to someone close to them; a family member, relative or friend.

"But research shows that the majority of these people providing care probably wouldn't think of themselves as a carer.

"The figures are quite staggering, but even they do not give us the whole picture of the work that carers do in Wirral.

"There are many people working five, 10 or 20 hours a week caring for those around them in addition to the half a million figure we're seeing today."

Speaking of the awareness week, Cllr Jones continued: "Carers Week gives us a platform from which to offer support to carers who may not class themselves as such.

"These unsung heroes play a vital role within the community as carers clearly relieve strain from local support services and charities."

Next week Wired, Wirral Information Resource for Equality and Diversity, will hold a series of awareness raising events, alongside Wirral Council, the first being their launch event on Monday at Pyramids Shopping Centre from 10am-3pm.

The events will offer members of the public the opportunity to discuss support options with local providers, recognising the issues and challenges that carers face while also seeking out more carers who are not yet known to local support services.

One way that carers can connect to support in Wirral is by downloading the carers app 'Jointly', made available for free by the council.

The app -

https://www.jointlyapp.com/#welcome

- offers a range of practical tools and resources for carers such as shared calendars, task lists and local agency contacts.

Carers looking for support can also contact the Carers Helpline on 0151 670 0777.

Cllr Jones continued: "Caring for someone else can be very rewarding but it can also be stressful, isolating and can impact on the carer's own health and wellbeing.

"Many carers also navigate the added pressure of juggling their caring and work responsibilities.

"We hope that through raising awareness during Carers Week, we can encourage even more carers in Wirral to download Jointly, gaining access to a variety of support options for the cared for and indeed themselves."