Isle of Man Newspapers is championing a campaign to raise £30,000 for a Manx charity’s 30th anniversary.

Crossroads Care has been chosen as this year’s charity for the Isle of Man Newspapers’ Awards for Excellence, which takes place on November 15.

Chief executive of Crossroads Jackie Betteridge is looking forward to the event and further fundraising activities that the newspaper publisher will be leading this year.

’For us to have been chosen as this year’s charity is really exciting,’ she said. ’We’re flattered and honoured.

’I’ve been part of the Awards For Excellence for a few years now. It always astonishes me how brilliantly it’s put together and how it actually comes off and all the hard work that goes into delivering that.’

Fundraising events and PR co-ordinator Megan Faragher added: ’It will be good to raise awareness. I’ve found that since I’ve been here it’s amazing how many people don’t really know about care and unless you’re in that position you’re probably not going to be aware of it.’

The charity, which supports carers, first ran its services in 1988 in a small room that Jackie described as a ’broom cupboard’.

’We have many services and it’s split into two parts,’ said Jackie.

’We have children services and adult services and so across the board we really have every single age that you could think of.

’At the moment our eldest client is 98 and our youngest client is 12 weeks. We are here primarily for the carer. Anybody who has a care need, disability, illness, addiction anything we will be there for the family and for the carer.’

Both believe that caring is a ’very misjudged and misunderstood thing’.

’It would be lovely if there was a better understanding in the Isle of Man of what it is like to walk in the shoes of a carer and what happens to you as a carer or what indeed could happen to you,’ Jackie added.

Crossroads will be holding a ’birthday ball’ and other activities to commend the work that has been done through the organisation’s staff, volunteers and carers over the years.

The charity’s ball will take place on September 9.

Megan said: ’We also have some family fun days coming up.

’There’s one on August 16 at the Wildlife Park and that’s a dinosaur-themed day, which will be over two days this year.

’We do a similar thing at Halloween called Spooktacular.

’We’re also currently looking to hold a volunteer event as a celebration of our current volunteers but also everyone who has volunteered for us. Volunteers do a lot for us here.’

Jackie added: ’The £30,000 will make a massive difference to continue to develop these services that we already run.

’Any tiny amount that anybody can raise doing anything in the community would be wonderful.’

If you would like to donate or hold your own fundraising day in aid of Crossroads, search www.crossroadsiom.org/support-us/fundraising-with-us

For more information about Crossroads and its events, visit: www.crossroadsiom.org