Emily's story: turning a new page

Emily's story: turning a new page

Emily is a young carer for her mum, who lives with a heart condition and agoraphobia. Because of her caring responsibilities, Emily can often feel isolated and emotionally drained. Despite this, she remains dedicated to her studies and hopes to attend university soon.

During conversations with a young carer support worker, it became clear that Emily has a passion for books and reading. She shared that she had once visited a local book club with a friend and loved the experience. However, the cost of membership, along with buying the books each month, meant she couldn’t sign up.

With support, Emily applied for a Time to Live microgrant. The grant covered a full year’s membership to the book club, as well as enough funding to purchase the books required throughout the year.

The Time to Live grant has supported Emily not only to reconnect with something she loves, but also to build her confidence, reduce isolation, and create positive routines that support her to take a short break, maintaining her wellbeing and supporting her journey toward higher education.

“Knowing I have book club helps me get through the difficult days. It’s also good practice for when I’ll need to leave Mum a bit longer when I go to university. The benefits of reading go further than just the club. I can read at home at times that suit me, and Mum loves reading too, so sometimes we make hot chocolate and read together. It helps us relax, and telling Mum about book club makes her happy because she sees how happy it makes me.”

Find out more about Time to Live here.