Lily-Rose's story: pony club adventure

Lily-Rose's story: pony club adventure

Lily-Rose is an 11-year-old young carer from the Traveller community, who lives with her family in a rural area. Alongside attending school, she helps care for family members and takes on a range of household responsibilities, playing an important role in supporting her family each day.

As the oldest child, much of the support for her mum and many of the household tasks fall to Lily-Rose. Living outside town means there are limited opportunities for her to access activities, and due to her mum's health condition, she does not often get the chance to travel beyond her community. Despite these challenges, Lily-Rose attends a local young carers' group, whenever possible. Her family work hard to ensure she can participate, recognising how important it is for her to spend time with her peers, build friendships and enjoy opportunities that allow her to simply be a child.

With support from her social worker, Lily-Rose successfully applied for a Time to Live microgrant. The funding enabled her to take part in the 'Young Carers' Pony Club', where she attended pony care and grooming sessions, as well as riding lessons organised by the young carers' support team.

For Lily-Rose, attending club was a dream come true. She had always wanted to learn to ride and spend time around horses, but her family's circumstances meant that the cost and travel arrangements had previously made this impossible. Thanks to the grant, she was finally able to access an activity she had long wished to experience.

"I love 'Pony Club' and I always look forward to going. I've made new friends, which has been great for me."

Mum has also seen the positive difference the club has made.

"Lily-Rose loves going to 'Pony Club'. It gives her some space, which makes a real difference. I'm glad she can get out and take part in activities like other children her age. Things are not always easy at home, but this gives her something to look forward to."

The Time to Live grant provided far more than riding lessons. It gave Lily-Rose the opportunity to enjoy new experiences, build confidence, form friendships and take a break from her caring responsibilities. Most importantly, it gave her time to focus on herself and enjoy being an 11-year-old child.

Find out more about Time to Live here.