A play aiming to help identify hidden young carers and direct them towards support is coming to West Cumbria this week.

Who Cares, written by Matt Woodhead and co-produced by The Lowry and LUNG, will come to the Rosehill Theatre at Moresby for public performances on Thursday, June 20 and Friday, June 21 at 7.30pm as part of a UK tour.

There will also be a number of private showings to schools and other groups from tomorrow, June 18.

The production was made in partnership with Greater Manchester charity Gaddum and its Salford Carers Service

and is funded by Arts Council England and the Oglesby Charitable Trust.

It has been created using 200 hours of interviews with four young carers from Salford about their lives, as well as

input from their families and schoolteachers.

Local councillors and MP Barbara Keeley were also interviewed, along with GPs and young carers’ workers in the area.

The play aims to help identify hidden young carers in the UK who provide care under the radar of their friends, teachers and local authorities - as well as signpost them to the support available.

The tour also aims to provide resources for professionals that work with young carers on a daily basis by offering CPD training and workshops.

The play has already visited Folkestone and Merseyside and is due to go on to Doncaster and London.

Venues have been chosen to present the work in areas of deprivation, where the need for support services is strongest, and where there are low levels of engagement in live theatre.

Across the tour, it is hoped the work will be seen by more than 4,000 people.

Julia Fawcett, chief executive of The Lowry, said: “Sharing the inspirational stories of young carers from Salford with audiences across the UK is a real privilege and a vital part of the campaign to raise awareness of this, often hidden, issue.”

Who Cares premiered to critical acclaim at The Lowry in November 2016, and embarked on a 27-non

theatre venue tour in 2017 that reached over 3000 young people.

A number of young carers were identified and 97 per cent of young people who saw it said it changed their

perception of young carers.

The production was also performed at the House of Lords in December 2017 to MPs and policy makers.

Tickets for the Rosehill performances are £12 for adults and £6 for under 25s, available at www.rosehilltheatre.co.uk