Southport guerrilla crochet group, the Southport Hookers, have placed postbox toppers around Southport to raise awareness of national respite charity, Revitalise’s Give me a Break campaign.
The toppers, which took over two months to craft, are placed on Norwood Road, Waterloo Road and the Promenade, which is down the road from Revitalise’s Sandpipers centre.
The Southport Hookers meet once a week in Marshside and were honoured as a Finalist in the Sefton Arts Award, sponsored by Fitton Estates, in the 2024 Grand Pride Of Sefton Awards.
Southport Hookers were a Finalist in the Sefton Arts category at the 2024 Grand Pride Of Sefton Awards. Collecting the award were: Susan Rhodes, Andrea Navin, Dawn McGrath and Suzanne Goatcher. Photo by Kevin Brown Photography
With the group forming in September 2023, their aim is to help raise awareness of different charities and their missions.
Respite care is a statutory right for those who need it, but drastic cuts to local authority funding mean that many carers and disabled people are not getting any breaks. Revitalise ongoing Give me a Break campaign has highlighted that of the 4.7 million unpaid carers in England only 1 in 129 are receiving respite support, a 37% fall since 2015.
Southport crochet group, the Southport Hookers, have placed postbox toppers around Southport to raise awareness of national respite charity, Revitalises Give me a Break campaign. Photo by Southport Hookers
Sid Murphy, who is based in Liverpool is the sole full-time carer of his 2 adult daughters since his wife passed away in 2020. Due to their medical histories, the family have been impacted by financial hardship.
Sid has been left at breaking point and desperate for a break which has been difficult to take due to the level of support his daughters need. In order to be able to afford respite, he was considering removing funding from their funeral fund before Revitalise stepped in.
Southport crochet group, the Southport Hookers, have placed postbox toppers around Southport to raise awareness of national respite charity, Revitalises Give me a Break campaign. Photo by Southport Hookers
Like many others who Revitalise have spoken with, Sid and his daughters are denied access to regular adult social care services due to delays in, or lack of, funding.
The Southport Hookers said of their efforts:
‘We love helping with charities and were more than happy to help raise awareness for the Give me a Break campaign to help others understand how vital respite breaks are for people with disabilities and their carers.
We are proudly supporting the campaign as we see first-hand the positive impact these breaks can have on the well-being and quality of life for those in our community and we can see how places like Sandpipers can provide this vital support.’
Southport crochet group, the Southport Hookers, have placed postbox toppers around Southport to raise awareness of national respite charity, Revitalises Give me a Break campaign. Photo by Southport Hookers
Kelly Walling, Centre Manager for Revitalise Sandpipers said:
‘We are incredibly grateful to the Southport Hookers for their time, effort, and compassion. Their contributions significantly boost our campaign’s visibility and remind us all of the powerful impact of community involvement.’
For more information on the campaign please visit: Give me a break | Our urgent respite appeal | Revitalise
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