Six-year-old girl is Northants young carer of the year

A six-year-old girl who started looking after her ill mother when she was just three has picked up a Young Carer of the Year Award.

Alice does everything from helping her mum get into bed to doing the housework.

Her mother nominated her because "she is such a bright, beautiful star and has taken the last three years in her stride."

Alice was presented with the award at a ceremony in Moulton, near Northampton.

For the past three years, Alice's mother, Charlotte, has had a long-term illness.

She said: "It's been a difficult time for Alice because obviously you don't expect to be looking after your parents but she's taking it in her stride.

"It could be something as simple as helping to get my shoes, helping with my clothes, helping with the cooking.

"It could be helping me with her younger brother, getting him in the car, things like that."

As soon as it was clear that her mother was unwell, Alice rose to the challenge.

Charlotte added: "When I first was struggling, she would be in the bathroom with me when I was wasn't very well and she would be bringing me cups of water and staying with me and putting me back into bed and help me into my pyjamas."

"That started when she was three - she was so switched on."

Alice gets some help from Northamptonshire Young Carers, which offers advice as well as opportunities to meet up with other children who have caring duties.

A charity called Home Start provides extra support for the family.

Charlotte said the charity "has been an amazing support, especially myself when I've been struggling with feeling like I'm not doing a proper parenting role.

"When you have children, you don't ever expect to be in a position where you're being cared for by the child, especially so young.

"I can't do a lot of normal things with her like going to birthday parties and going to the park but she never makes a fuss and I think that's the bit that really, as a mother, blows my mind", she added.

The Carers Awards are organised by the charity, Northamptonshire Carers, to help raise the profile of unpaid carers and raise awareness of the work that they do, often in extremely challenging circumstances.

Among the other winners this year was a woman who fought tirelessly to get the right diagnosis and help for her sister and a teenager who looked after his brother with epilepsy.

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