Manchester Carers Centre

Carers Success Story: Anthony

Anthony has been with our Young Adult Carers service for many years now, and through his time with us he has attended many activities and events. Anthony has been very busy over the last few years involving himself in many successful creative projects, so we would like to highlight some of these with a hope to inspire others!

“Hello, my name is Anthony. I’m a pansexual, 24 going on 25 Young Adult Carer. I’m a creative, outgoing Salford Graduate in BA Media and Performance… and a proud cat dad!

“I first started receiving support from Manchester Carers Centre in 2017. That feels like it was only a year ago! I remember being referred to the Young Adult Carers service when I was at my lowest. The organisation is a wonderful charity that helped me find support, escapism and develop to a point where I no longer feel embarrassed or trapped in my caring role. Over the years I’ve grown as a person, and it is with great thanks to Manchester Carers Centre’s endearing team who provide space to recharge and feel whole again. I enjoy attending activities, where I can learn and develop skills that I can take with me in the future. During my time with the Young Adult Carers service, I have met some quirky and creative friends from all walks and backgrounds, who helped me to feel heard as part of an ever growing and expanding family!”

When asked about his proudest achievement, Anthony said:

“It would have to be graduating University. I was determined at school to prove those wrong who said ‘you’re not good enough’, and most importantly myself. It was a real and scary challenge leaving College and entering University, but also a step up for me. This could also be said for my caring role growing up and adapting to adult challenges now! I was enthralled by my wonderful course at Salford University, and thankful for the friends and tutors that pushed me to reach that. University meant everything to me, and I was able to fulfil my dreams of achieving my BA Hons in acting! Since being there I have had the ability to learn a new set of creative skills and utilise these, and I love trying to overcome obstacles and push on further, determined and using transferable skills.”

After University, Anthony explored various Young Adult Carer projects run through the Manchester City Council. One of his proudest collaborations was being involved with the Manchester Young Carers Music Project during the COVID-19 pandemic:

“Over lockdown, many of us were at home adjusting to a new and uncertain way of life. I was able to focus on this project and collaborate with other Carers across Manchester help produce a music video for Young Carers Action Day 2022. I helped to brainstorm and produce lyrics for the music track and visuals for the music video to tie in with “#SupportNotSympathy. A large theme was colours, with a strong focus on contrasting bright colours with grey visuals to highlight the struggles that Young Carers can face on a day-to-day basis, such as missing social activities or falling behind with schoolwork. There is a beautiful transformation from grey to colour in the video, which emphasises that despite hardship, there is always a light at the end of that dark tunnel.

The project required a lot of thought and consideration to echo and convey the emotions and stories some of us have faced before. What a great way to share our Caring journeys in the form of the music video, and to represent Manchester Carers Centre as a Young Carers ambassador with my friends. This project was even more rewarding to be part of when we won the ‘Made in Manchester’ Award at the Manchester Culture Awards 2022!”

You can watch the brilliant music video that Anthony was involved in here! Anthony has also spent a considerable amount of time working on his own creative editing and animation projects. Here is what he had to say about them:

“Having a thespian and theatrical personality, I love creating little projects here and there, especially creating and co-writing stories set in my hometown of Manchester. I currently have two projects on the go! One is a fun project based around a group of anthropomorphised animal characters. “Agent B” is a sassy lioness who was created by a good friend of mine, alongside myself and my boyfriend. It is set one hundred years into the future, and Agent B has been brought back and trying to adjust to the world of Manchester in the current day. It’s a tale of friendship and new beginnings which highlights the struggles of tackling poverty and technological advances in the Anthro-world.

This project was born from carrying over some ideas from the other passion project that I have been working on for seven years. Co-written with a good friend, we see the world through the eyes of a Sherlock-fronting wolf detective in 1870s Manchester. A fun part of this project was learning and using the skills from the voice acting classes module in second and third year. I also had fun exploring the Manchester Police Museum and researching about Manchester’s past! The project is underway and hopefully will be released in the autumn.

These projects themselves have been so much fun working with character design, vfx animation work for animation and graphic novel stylised drawings to accompany the dialogue. Producing and editing original music and artwork, and working with friends from University and College, has been fantastic! The overall goal is to release these projects and showcase our hard work and attention to detail that has continued into the years since leaving University. I want to help other artists that have helped us be recognised, and open doors for the creative team involved to showcase their talents of the arts and see how it all comes together!”

Anthony also recently secured a new job as an admin assistant at a local library, when asked how he felt about his new role he said:

“I honestly could not be happier! It’s been a wonderful achievement to feel like I am giving something back to the community. Being able to advise and support people and help motivate them to try courses at our centres has been so wholesome and empowering. It has been great to be constantly met with new and exciting challenges and I feel like I’m learning something new every day. The scenery is peaceful and it’s great to work on displays and be front of desk. It improves my confidence to be on hand and help anyone who steps through the doors. I’m excited for the chance to volunteer and develop in my job as I go along. There is a feeling of adventure!”

When asked what advice Anthony has for any Young Adult Carers who what to take a journey to achieve their own successes, he said:

“Be bold. Be you. Be unique. Work hard, keep at it, and take each day as it comes. However small you feel and whatever you’re battling, know in yourself you can and shall find what you are looking for. Do not let go of your dreams! Just say to yourself “I CAN DO THIS!” Let that passion and determination fuel you. Never look back despite what you may have faced, and don’t let anyone stop you. I have experienced that and still hear desire fighting through. Go for it and run towards learning new things, however scary however off putting, you can do it and will do it! Go get ‘em!

Get involved with MCR Carers try some of the sessions and art activities. You may meet friends who may be into the same interests as yourself. I’ve met friends that feel like family and friends I cannot wait to work on further creative projects with. There is so much to enjoy about throwing yourself in at the deep end. You never know what you are about to learn around the corner, or where it may lead to!”

We wish Anthony the best of luck with his job, and his creative projects in the future! We would also would love to hear from other Young Adults Carers who have success stories to share! If you would like to share any of your own successes or are interested in having your own article on the Manchester Carers Centre website, don’t hesitate to get in touch! Use the online ‘Contact Us‘ form on our website, email admin@manchestercarers.org.uk or call 0161 27 27 27 0 (Monday-Thursday, 10am-1pm).