How Children in Need is helping young people grow in confidence
Family handoutSeventeen-year-old Rachel has cared for her younger brother Reuben for seven years.
As her parents both work long hours for the NHS, Rachel regularly looks after her 13-year-old brother, who has autism and learning difficulties.
"These caring responsibilities usually happen at times like after school frequently, during the weekends and some school holidays," she said.
"The challenges that come with being a young carer as well are having to revise for A-levels and things like that," she said.
"It does involve striking a balance between caring and revising and studying.
"It can be really difficult to plan hangouts with my friends."
But four years ago, Rachel's mother Mili heard about the Cheshire Young Carers, which is supported by Children in Need.
The charity helps young carers aged six to 18 through activities and services.
This includes school holiday respite programmes, individual and group support and working closely with schools and colleges to provide specialised help.
"I heard about Cheshire Young Carers a few years ago when it was mentioned to me by one of Reuben's social workers," said Mili.
"So I was quite curious at that point.
"I thought Rachel was very withdrawn and she felt quite isolated."
Since becoming involved with the charity, Mili said she had noticed a big difference in her daughter.
"Her confidence improved and, after the first meeting, she came back home and she told me that she's very grateful for a community like this," she said.
Claire Worth, who is from the organisation, said the support from Children in Need was "really important".
"We have education officers that go into schools and help identify young carers at an early age," she said.
"That allows us to have the children referred to our activities where they're able to be children, take time out for themselves and feel like they can have a guilt-free experience."
Another charity to benefit from Children in Need funding is Youth Action in Blackburn, Lancashire, which has been operating for 27 years.
It aims to empower young people and tackle inequalities.
Mevaish Mujahid, a senior development officer at Youth Action, said: "We give them that ability to go out into the world and be independent.
"The Children Who Need Funding is extremely important to us because it allows young people's voices to be heard and it allows them to be able to work within their community to raise awareness on any topic they want."
Abdullah, who has been using the service for three months, said it had helped with his confidence.
"My mum wanted me to come here to gain my confidence because I was shy," he said.
"It's going good, I've got a boost in my confidence that I can like talk publicly."
Theatre company TramShed in Blackpool, Lancashire, is also supported by Children in Need.
"It's so important to have inclusive theatre because it's building life skills that you can take from a child all the way through life," said Eve Ellison, head of creative programming at TramShed
"A lot of the children that come to us might not have those experiences to build those characteristics and skills elsewhere and it's building confidence and self-esteem.
"It's helping improve their mental health and it's so much more than you can actually put into words."
Alice is among the young people who attends the workshops.
"When I come to Tramshed it's just a really great place," she said.
"It feels like a massive family and I just feel really confident being around everyone.
"No one should be excluded because of who they are and I don't know why people do get excluded but it's just really nice environment."
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