MINI��ý President, Stacey Lucas, has reflected on the association’s fundraising for her chosen charity, Carers UK, during her term as MINI��ý President.

Two out of three people in the UK will become carers at some time in their lives. With that in mind, it’s absolutely imperative there is a charity that looks to help, advise and support carers in the UK. That’s exactly where Carers UK comes in. The charity provides help and support for the 5.7 million carers across the whole of the UK.

MINI��ý president Stacey Lucas said the support given by charities such as Carers UK is absolutely invaluable. She said: “ Carers UK work hard to raise awareness and lobby the government to improve the lives of unpaid carers, as well as offer advice and support to those who desperately need it. So many people are touched by the need to care for a loved one, or will likely be in the future, so I feel this is a charity that speaks to all. Nobody realises how hard it is until you are in it.”

During the two years, Carers UK has been MINI��ý’s chosen charity over £10,000 has been raised by MINI��ý and its members, something Stacey is very proud of, “I’m incredibly grateful for the support of everyone who has donated, challenged themselves and got involved with the MINI��ý’s chosen charity for my presidency.  We have achieved a fantastic amount in these 2 years in raising funds and the profile of such a worthy cause.”

Stacey also explained that in this two years, there have been more people who are facing the challenges of being unpaid carers, “in the past 2 years, I know of many people who have taken on the role of a carer in some way – whether it’s giving the care, getting the care support initiated, fighting to get the care and support, juggling all of this and more.  This all represents a massive challenge to all involved and having a charity like Carers UK available to offer advice and guidance is so important. We may be coming to the end of our association, but this is certainly not the end of the story for many.”

Carers UK have shared the following message about the partnership:

As our partnership comes to an end, we would like to take this opportunity to thank MINI��ý and its members for their support and collaboration, as well as all the effort that went into raising over £10,000 for Carers UK.

Working with MINI��ý has been a privilege, and we are grateful for the commitment shown to Carers UK and to raising awareness of unpaid carers. We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to Stacey Lucas as she steps down as President, recognising her leadership and the positive contribution she has made throughout our partnership.

Laura Doughty, Director of Income Generation and Communications at Carers UK, said:
"I want to extend a huge thank you to Stacey Lucas, and all at MINI��ý and its members who have contributed so much to ensure the success of the partnership with Carers UK. With unpaid carers facing unprecedented challenges, the funds you have raised will make a big difference in making life better for carers, providing support through our national helpline and resources, as well as continuing to raise awareness of unpaid caring so that nobody has to care alone. Thank you, from us and the millions of unpaid carers throughout the country."

Whilst our partnership is coming to an end, the work we do at Carers UK continues. We would welcome MINI��ý members to stay in touch and follow the charity’s work as we continue to support unpaid carers across the UK. You can do this by becoming a (it’s free), , or helping create carer friendly workplaces through our membership programme. 

Thank you once again to everyone at MINI��ý for their support.