Struan's story: snowboarding experience

Struan's story: snowboarding experience

Struan is a 20-year-old young adult carer who provides significant support to his family. He helps care for his father, who lives with severe and enduring mental health difficulties, and more recently also supported his older brother, who has experienced alcohol misuse. Following the loss of his mother after a short illness, Struan has taken on even more responsibility within the family home.

Alongside his caring role, Struan manages a range of household tasks and is working towards a degree with the Open University. Balancing his studies, caring responsibilities and grief has been challenging.

"Some days can be stressful at home, and things have been even harder recently after losing Mum. Fortunately, I've been able to access grief counselling sessions through the carers' centre and ask for a bit more support, which has really helped."

During support planning discussions, Struan shared that three of his friends were planning a weekend trip to Aviemore for a snowboarding break. The opportunity to spend time away from his caring responsibilities, socialise with friends, and experience something new felt particularly important at a difficult time in his life. The local carers' centre supported Struan to apply for a Time to Live microgrant, which enabled him to book the trip. The funding covered a hostel stay, a snowboarding package, beginner lessons and equipment hire. 

"The grant covered my stay in the local hostel and the snowboarding package with my friends. I really enjoyed the time away from home and having a complete break from everything. I was able to spend time with my friends without worrying about things at home."

The weekend provided Struan with a valuable opportunity to focus on his own wellbeing, build confidence through learning a new skill and reconnect with friends. The experience gave him time to process his grief, reduce stress and return to his caring role feeling more refreshed and resilient.

For young adult carers like Struan, opportunities to take a break are often limited. Caring responsibilities, financial pressures and feelings of guilt can make it difficult to prioritise their own wellbeing. Enabling him to spend quality time with friends and strengthen important social connections.

Find out more about Time to Live here.