Hope's story

Ten-year-old Hope lives in South Wales, with her parents and four siblings. Among them is her twin brother, Jackson, who is autistic, non-verbal and uses a wheelchair.

At home, life revolves around Jackson’s needs. Because he needs constant supervision and can struggle with anxiety around other people, the family’s routines are often carefully managed.

For Hope, that means helping out around the house and spending much of her time between school and home. “I do the dishes, sometimes the laundry, and I help with dinner,” Hope explains.

Her mum Tammy says Hope naturally takes on responsibilities at home. “Someone always needs to be with Jackson,” she explains. “Hope helps out a lot with the housework because her dad works and her older sister works too.”

Life can feel quite restricted for Hope. Jackson finds it difficult to leave the house or be around other people, which means the family cannot always go out together. Friends cannot easily visit either.

Despite this, Hope is a creative and thoughtful child with big ambitions. She loves writing stories and poems and has even had some of her work published through a young writers’ programme. One day, she hopes to become a screenwriter. “I’d like to write horror or fantasy series,” she says, inspired by shows like Doctor Who and the stories of the Brothers Grimm.

Hope also carries emotional worries that many children her age do not have to think about. During the Covid pandemic she became anxious about Jackson’s health after hearing news reports about vulnerable people being at risk. Even now, when Jackson is in hospital, she worries about what might happen to him.

“She sometimes feels overwhelmed,” Tammy says. “She worries about Jackson and wants to know he’s okay, especially when he’s at the hospital.”

Yet Hope’s caring nature shines through in other ways too. At school, teachers have noticed how she instinctively looks after other children.

A chance to breathe at Honeypot

Hope had the opportunity to attend her first short break at Honeypot Pen y Bryn, in Wales. At first, she felt nervous. “I was a bit worried about going away from Mum for the first time,” she says. “And about meeting lots of new people.” But those nerves soon disappeared.

At Honeypot, Hope met other young carers who understood her life at home without needing long explanations.

For Hope, the break was a rare opportunity to simply enjoy being a child. “I liked just being there and not having to worry about anything else other than me,” she says. Hope spent the time swimming, bouncing on the trampoline, playing games, making pancakes and doing arts and crafts. She even tried new activities like making Hama bead creations.

Most importantly, she made friends. “I made two new friends, Lola and Sophie,” Hope says. When she returned home, the impact of the break was clear. “I felt more relaxed because I had some time to myself.”

Looking ahead

Hope is already looking forward to seeing her Honeypot friends again at an upcoming Memory Making Day out. For mum Tammy, the experience has meant a lot for the whole family. For Hope, Honeypot offered something incredibly valuable - the chance to step away from her caring responsibilities and simply enjoy being ten years old.

When asked what she would say to another child who might feel nervous about going to Honeypot, Hope doesn’t hesitate.

For young carers like Hope, that breathing space can make all the difference - helping to create happy memories and build brighter futures.