Wincanton Cares wins Connecting People Award

That this House congratulates Wincanton Cares on winning the Connecting People Award at the South West Integrated Care Awards 2026; notes that the charity was founded in 2022 by Jacky King as a response to the closure of the Cale View care home, to provide much needed support to the over 55’s in the Wincanton area; understands that since it was established, Wincanton Cares has formed multiple support groups for paid and unpaid carers, with their 10 volunteers offering support to over 25 unpaid carers and has built a strong network of community hubs so carers are able to access the support they require, when they most urgently need it; praises the charity in supporting the work of the Alzheimer’s Society and Dementia-friendly communities initiative in Wincanton to provide assistance for anyone living within dementia or caring for someone who does; and calls on the Government to increase Carer’s Allowance and expand its eligibility, introduce a statutory guarantee of regular respite breaks for unpaid carers and ensure caring is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 to require employers to make reasonable adjustments for employees with caring responsibilities.