Employers across Bradford and Keighley are being urged to be more sympathetic to the growing number of carers in their workforce – and help them stay healthy.

Local charity, the Carers’ Resource, is spearheading a campaign to raise awareness of the pressures faced by the one-in-eight members of the community who currently look after a loved one.

As part of Carers’ Week, the Shipley-based charity is urging businesses to be supportive of staff members who combine their job with the added day-to-day pressures of being a carer.

The charity is also encouraging carers to ensure their GP is aware of their role and makes a record of it. It has shaped a questionnaire to help see whether they may benefit from a health check.

“As many as 70 per cent of carers say their health has been adversely affected as a result of the role they play,” said the charity’s head of development, Anna Jackson. “We developed the questionnaire in response to this year’s theme – ‘In Sickness and In Health’ – as a way of helping them look after themselves better,”

“It gives carers a window into their own health needs, enabling them to see for themselves whether they are exercising enough and eating the right diet.”

The charity is hosting a range of activities as part of the week. For details, visit carersresource.org or call (01274) 449660.