Ian McBrias – Knowsley Resident
My name is Ian McBrias and I have lived in Kirkby all of my life. I live with my partner Nicky and we have 3 children and 3 grandchildren. I am an unpaid carer for my middle child Kenny who has autism and it’s because of him that I’ve taken the path that I’m now on.
When Kenny left children’s services there was no transition period for us at all, we were basically out on a limb, we had never had a social worker and I didn’t know who to go to for help or where to turn for advice.
The help, advice and support we received from the Knowsley Carers Centre left me feeling indebted to them because they helped us out so much, so I volunteered with the centre and joined a carers strategy group that looked at issues that carers wanted looking at.
I wanted to raise the awareness of how bad it was when your child leaves the children’s services (plus many other issues) and I realised that there must be many people out there who leave the service and for one reason or another they are unable to stand up for themselves so I thought I’d stand up for them. I was invited onto The Carers Partnership Board and that gave me the chance to give a voice to the carers of Knowsley at the highest level, a role that I enjoy very much.
I am now employed with The Knowsley Carers Centre where I undertake many tasks but my main role is to administer the Carers Personalised Break Fund in Knowsley that gives carers the opportunity to select a break that is personal to them, or maybe look at other ways in which funding would help them in their day to day caring role. The feedback we’ve had from this funding has been tremendous and It’s great to see the positive effect it’s had on many carers lives.
As mentioned above I sit on the Carers Partnership Board as well as sitting on the Autism Spectrum Disorder Group. I am a board member of the Knowsley User Led Organisation and I sit on my local Patient Participation Group at Wingate Medical Centre in Northwood and speaking of Northwood I am the treasurer of the newly formed Northwood Residents Association which looks to improve the community for the residents of Northwood. I enjoy being involved in each of the above boards and groups and each one carries with it a chance for me to be a voice for those who are unable to do it for themselves.
The reason for me joining the KULO is that in the future I would like to see a real improvement in the lives of disabled people, the carers and their families across Knowsley. I read a quote from Helen Keller years ago that has stayed with me through my life “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something” and it’s something that I believe in, as long as I can stand up and speak out for what I believe is right then at least I can look at myself in the mirror and think at least I tried. I feel that I am more than one, the board consists of like-minded people who all have the drive and passion to make real changes to what is happening to the disabled people and their families across Knowsley. If we can help one person to live a better life then that’s fine but for me, as long as there are still issues being raised then I’ll continue to fight the good fight for those who are unable to do so themselves.
Who do I look up to in life? I have several, my mum who raised us on her own and had 3 jobs to ensure that we never went without. Kenny for what he has achieved and the pure inspiration that he is to everyone who knows him, Nicky for always being there for me and in history I look up to anyone who stands up for themselves, Rosa Parkes being the obvious one who springs to mind.
A little bit about myself. I like to read, mainly true life. My music taste differs massively from Katherine Jenkins to Linkin Park depending upon my mood but when I work at home I will always have music playing in the background as it chills me out. My fave films change on a regular basis but at the moment I would say Gladiator, The Hunger Games and The Godfather are right up there. When watching TV series I’m the type of person who won’t watch an episode and then wait until next week for part 2, I’ll wait until the series finishes and then watch them on catch up or buy the box set and watch them one after each other, My fave TV shows were Spooks and The Sopranos. At weekends I love to watch my son Liam and my middle grandson Matthew play football for their local teams.
