Carers Trust is the largest charity supporting carers in the UK and exists as the result of a merger between two charities; Crossroads Care and The Princess Royal Trust for Carers. The decision to merge enabled the two charities to become a bigger, stronger organisation, offering a national voice and widespread support for carers.

We were formerly known as Crossroads Care Cheshire East, Manchester and Merseyside.  Why Crossroads? Because the charity was originally formed as the result of a story line in the 1970’s television series ‘Crossroads’

Associated Television (ATV) produced a popular soap opera in the 1970’s called “Crossroads”. In 1972 one of its characters was left paralysed following a car accident. A viewer, Noel Crane, who was himself severely disabled, contacted the programme’s producer to query some of the details of their portrayal of the disability. As a result, a further character, with a permanent disability similar to Noel Crane’s, was introduced into the programme and the problems he and his family encountered were modelled on those of Noel Crane.

At one point in the story, a leading character, Meg Richardson, started a fund to pay for nursing care to relieve the families and carers of people with a physical or emotional disability, long term condition or issues with drugs or alcohol. Subsequently, in May 1974, ATV donated £10,000 to set up a real scheme in the town of Rugby to provide such care. Because the TV series had highlighted so accurately the needs of people with care needs and their families, the organisers of this pilot scheme could think of no more appropriate name than “Crossroads”. Since that time Crossroads has spread to other towns throughout England and Wales and has offered support to hundreds of thousands of carers.