A Gorleston woman has taken her concerns over the stranded crew of the Malaviya Twenty to Westminster.
Glenys Bright, of Gorleston, was at the Houses of Parliament on Monday to highlight to MPs and members of the House of Lords the plight of carers.
The 62-year-old, of Lowestoft Road, cares for her husband Keith who has multiple sclerosis on a shoestring budget which sees them struggle to pay for extra care.
Some 50 people gathered from all over the country to help raise awareness of their daily struggle as finances were cut back to the bone, impacting on people who were already finding it tough.
Mrs Bright said the event organised by Carers UK had been a success with many MPs taking the time to hear the harrowing first-hand stories.
But while she was there she took the opportunity to flag up concerns about the crew of the Malaviya Twenty, taking as evidence a report taken from this newspaper.
Mrs Bright said: “There’s these three men thousands of miles from home. I would like to think if it were our sons or grandsons someone would do something.
“I know there are negotiations going on but I just felt if I had the chance to raise it in parliament then I would.
“Most of the MPs had not heard about it all. I said to them ‘I do not know who to take it to’ and they were bewildered too.
“I have never seen anyone in my life from the House of Lords and I never really understood what they did.
“But actually I found them easier to talk to than the MPs.”
Lord Balfe of Dulwich, she said, took a particular interest in the carers’ issue asking questions about her situation and how things had changed.
Although Brandon Lewis was unable to make it he sent his secretary who sat with Mrs Bright for close to an hour taking notes about her concerns.
Mrs Bright said there was little respite for carers who often put off going to the doctors and treating their own illnesses.
Some disabled people suffered with their condition and were in constant pain which made them difficult companions, she added.
In those situations the opportunity to meet a friend for a coffee was important if the carer was to maintain any sort of independent life.
The Malaviya has been moored in Great Yarmouth since June 2016 and now has a second crew on board.
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