Anonymous donor offers to cover care worker’s rising fuel costs

A care worker from Caremark (Redcar & Cleveland) was astonished and touched to hear that an offer to cover her fuel costs had come into the BBC Look North studio from an anonymous caller, so that she could carry on doing her valuable job as a care worker.

A recent report on BBC Look North highlighted the plight of a care worker who was finding the rising cost of fuel crippling, making her job almost impossible to do.

The story, also picked up by BBC Radio Tees, managed to trace the woman who wishes to remain anonymous, and invited her to comment.

Speaking on air with Radio Tees DJ Gary Philipson she said: “I have lived a comfortable life and I would like to be able to help in some way. Care workers fulfil such a wonderful role within our society.

“Covid showed us what was valuable to people, but we often don’t recognise the value care workers give and where they go over and above to take care of people.”

Rising fuel costs have hit care workers especially hard because they rely on their cars or public transport to get to their customers, some of whom may live spread out in rural areas rather than close together in towns.

Travelling back and forth to see their customers over the course of their shift clocks up the miles and with it petrol consumption. Road works, traffic diversions and sitting in queues of traffic only adds to the problem.

Moved by this story, DJ Gary Philipson contacted Michelle Jackson, Managing Director of (Redcar & Cleveland) and asked her to comment on the events that are now affecting not just her staff, but care workers across the country.

“Whilst I appreciate the kind gesture of this lady to fund my care worker’s petrol costs, it comes down to the fact that we should not have to fall back on other people helping to keep our care staff on the road,” she said.
The kind gesture to pay for the care worker’s fuel was a strong signal that members of the public view care workers as valued and needed.

Crippling fuel costs should not be the reason they cannot deliver their vital service to the people who need them most.