Charlie and Leonard’s story: city break memories

Charlie and Leonard’s story: city break memories

Charlie helps care for his my mum, who has fibromyalgia, and his younger sister, who has a physical disability and autism. Alongside his caring responsibilities, he attend high school, where he have a strong interest in history and hope to continue studying it at university in the future.

Balancing schoolwork and caring can be challenging. Supporting his sister, particularly with her autism, has a big impact on family life, and there are times when managing homework alongside everything else feels difficult.

Charlie's dad, Leonard supports him as much as he can, and he shares a real passion for history. They often have great conversations, and it’s something that really brings them together.

After speaking with their local carers' centre, they learned about Time to Live microgrants and applied for support. With guidance from the centre, they were both able to combine their grants to fund a city break to Kraków, covering travel and accommodation costs.

While Charlie's mum and sister stayed at home with help from a relative, Charlie and Leonard were able to spend some quality time together exploring the city.

Charlie said:

"We visited incredible historical sites, including Auschwitz, the salt mines, the Jewish Quarter, and took a tour of Kraków. We even visited the biggest shopping centre we had ever seen - it was amazing."

Leonard said:

“I cannot thank you enough for enabling me to do this with my son. It’s scary how fast they grow, and spending this quality time together reminded me what an amazing young man he is. Thank you so much, Time to Live.”

Being able to take this break and spend quality time together meant everything to Charlie and Leonard. The planned break and so many memories, stories, and photos to look back on helped support the family relationship.

Find out more about Time to Live here.