The Gazette's Give Them A Break campaign aims to raise £20,000 to give carers a break. It could not have come at a better time for mum Sue Buckley who is taking care of her daughter full time. This week Celia Powell speaks with Sue about what it take

Roberta Buckley was 16 months old when she left care and was adopted by a new loving family who live in South Lakeland.

Having been able to live life independently from the age of 20, Roberta, who has Down's Syndrome, was happy to be away from home and live her own life with her friends.

But in January 2018, the Buckley family's life was unexpectedly turned upside down when Roberta was formally diagnosed with dementia at the age of 48.

From that moment on Sue Buckley, Roberta's mum, took on the challenge head on and turned her life around for her daughter to come and live back at home.

"I hire another carer to come and help me and the learning disability team in Kendal have been a great help to me. Their services have been brilliant but at the end of the day it's still me working 24/7."

And, recently her daughter's condition has worsened. "We're both trapped, Roberta's mobility has weakened. We used to be out and about in the weekends, getting our nails done and going to her brother's for Sunday lunch but recently everything seems to have deteriorated."

The Give Them A Break Campaign could not have come at a better time for Sue.

"This idea of giving us full time carers respite even just for a night is brilliant," said Sue, of Kendal. "One night away may not seem like a long time but some of us can't even afford to have more than a few hours away so this is just great."

She was full of praise for the work of South Lakeland Carers.

"They have been a huge relief for me. If anything were to happen to me I know that the South Lakeland Carers will be there as part of the emergency plan that we have put together," said Sue. "From Roberta's daily routine to her medications the carers will have everything there is to know and now I know she will be in safe hands. Because she started her life at care I want her to be able to stay at home for as long as possible."