Carer Support Wiltshire Logo

Carers Week took place at the start of June and we’d like to thank all carers who joined us and everyone who came to speak to us during the week.

We held a number of events during the week for carers to attend, including a special Creative Carers session in Salisbury, a parent carer afternoon tea in Devizes and a a cream tea in Melksham.

All were really well attended by both familiar faces and new ones. We were also able to speak to many members of the community about caring at various information stands we held across the county.

If you were unable to join us, please remember that we can offer support even if you’re not able to make it along to a face-to-face event. We understand that many carers are unable to come to these sorts of groups, because they can’t easily leave the person they care for, they are working, don’t have transport or have too many other commitments. If this is you, please talk to us on 0800 181 4118. You might want to consider joining an online cafe or signing up to our Here to Talk befriending service.

Carers Week was a great opportunity to combine forces with carer organisations across the UK and amplify the message that unpaid carers do important work that should be valued and supported. But we are here for you outside of Carers Week as much as during it – contact us on 0800 181 4118 or at admin@carersupportwiltshire.co.uk.

Lived experiences of unpaid carers

During Carers Week, five people generously shared their experiences of caring. You can read them below.

They are not always easy experiences to hear about and carers, of course, need more than to simply be appreciated. But carers are very special people who enrich the lives of those they care for and there are often things we can all learn from hearing their words, especially if you are on a similar journey.

When people talk openly about their experiences of caring, it can help others to understand and open up conversations about the support carers need too. Remember to reach out for support if you are also caring for someone.

Loretta cares for her 95 year old mum, who has dementia and lives with her.

Julie started helping out her ex husband at the start of the pandemic because there was no one else to do it, but the care he needed crept up over time.

Suzanne cares for her son John who is 38 and has cerebral palsy.

Andrea works as a Young Adult Carer Officer. Her experiences of caring from a young age help her to understand what young adult carers she works with are going through.

Sasha is a young adult carer who, along with her brother Lawrence, looks after her Dad who has dementia with neurodegenerative disease.