A challenge to visit 30 of the county's schools in one day is one that is being taken on by the staff of Gloucestershire Young Carers to mark Young Carers Awareness Day.

By challenging themselves to visit the schools, the charity are hoping to raise further awareness of the inequality face by young people who support ill or disabled family members.

Young Carers Awareness day takes place on Thursday, January 30 and the team at GYC are looking to meet as many young carers as they can across the day.

The aim of this is to provide the schools with the resources they need to identify and support young carers.

Young Carers are twice as likely to be not in education, employment or training at 16 and, on average, achieve five grades less at GCSE.

As well as identifying children in need of support, the charity also looks to train school staff to become Young Carer Leads, in order to offer constant support.

Each school visited on Young Carers Awareness Day will receive posters and leaflets detailing the support on offer and how to go about getting it.

Hana Gill, Gloucestershire Young Carers' Development Manager for Education and Participation, said: "We know that young carers are more at risk of failing to achieve at school and that they experience challenges entering the world of education and work.

"But we also know that with the right support they can thrive and achieve in spite of the extra responsibilities they have compared to their peers.

"We work very closely with the Young Carer Leads in Gloucestershire's schools to ensure there is support in every area of a young carer's life."