Hundreds of people throughout the Highlands who give vital support to relatives and friends who are ill or need care will be boosted by a £40,000 commitment from Inverness-based company Tulloch plc.

Tulloch's chairman, David Sutherland has agreed to donate £10,000 a year for four years to the Princess Royal Trust for Carers.

This money will be used to develop the Highland Carers Project, which works with a range of other bodies to support carers and to create opportunities for them to influence the way that services are planned and delivered.

The trust's development officer for the Highlands Ann MacDonald said: "It's exciting news that Tulloch is becoming involved on such a generous basis through to 2007.

"We have some 600 carers in our network in the North but the true figure is many times higher - it is estimated that one in eight people will at some time in their lives be a carer.

"Carers are those who look after elderly people or those with disabilities or long-term illness at home. Care might be needed for a new baby with severe disabilities or someone injured in a car accident, or for an ageing partner or relative with dementia.

"In our project we are developing an information helpline for carers plus advocacy support to help each individual carer to obtain the funding and services they need. We are also undertaking community development work to ensure localised services are put in place to improve support for carers.

"We are also strengthening support for young carers in Inverness and the Highlands, including offering them activities. We have carers as young as eight and a great many under 16."

The trust also recognises that carers also need to relax, so it provides social and recreational opportunities as well as being "just there to listen" to helpers.

Mr Sutherland said: "Tulloch likes to put something back to the communities we serve in our business, and we think this is a project well worth backing."

He added: "Carers are to be greatly admired and they contribute enormously to our Highland communities, whether in the city of Inverness or a small rural village. Often they carry on out of love and duty and some go to great lengths to keep their loved ones at home.

"Quite apart from actually delivering care, these people can find real hassle with complex forms and trying to find their way through the benefits maze to get the practical help they need. They need help before they reach crisis point - and they need assurance that they are not alone.

"The Princess Royal Trust does a first-class job in helping these devoted people and Tulloch is very pleased to sign up to assisting its work in our area for the next four years. I hope this means reaching out to more local carers out there who require help, advice and respite."

The Scottish head of fundraising for the Princess Royal Trust for Carers Alice Watson said: "We're tremendously grateful to David and Tulloch for their wonderful generosity which will help underpin the future progress of the Highland Carers Project.
"Their donation will touch many lives in the area in the coming years."