This year’s Carers Week (9–15 June 2025) was all about Caring About Equality. It’s a reminder that unpaid carers often face real and lasting inequalities due to their caring role, from struggling with their own health and finances to missing out on education, work, and social opportunities. Many carers feel invisible, and the support they need isn’t always there.
The national campaign brings together individuals, organisations, charities, and communities to:
- Raise awareness of the challenges unpaid carers face
- Recognise and celebrate the essential work they do
- Encourage carers to access support they might not know is available
- Push for change, so carers are better supported by society, services, and government
Throughout the week we spread awareness throughout the community, speaking to employers schools, healthcare providers and local support organisations. We educated them how they can recognise carers, and help create a fairer, more supportive society for all.
Charity Walk
We kicked out Carers Week with our annual charity Walk, at the stunning area of natural beauty of Packington Estate. It was a chance for all to join us, including our carers and their families, to enjoy a sun-filled walk through nature, as well as raising sponsorships with all funds raised going towards supporting the unpaid carers of Solihull. With massive support and additional donations from UB Healthcare and Knowle Gate Care Home – Avery Healthcare, we managed to raise an incredible £1,950!
Thank you to everyone who came along and helped to raise invaluable funds for our unpaid carers.
Health
It wasn’t just in the public eye, we were raising awareness. Our amazing Health Liaison, Linda Hewitt, was busy communicating and meeting with various health groups, hospitals and GPs throughout in Solihull and Birmingham.
Informing and making health and social care professionals aware of unpaid carers can save lives. Having GPs and healthcare professionals aware of the signs that a patient is a potential unpaid carer, brings more support—the correct support—for both the carer and the cared-for.
To learn how healthcare professionals can identify and support unpaid carers, you can learn more with our dedicated Professionals Hub by clicking here.
Below, you can watch Linda Hewitt meet with Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health staff, to listen to what it is they are doing this carers week and beyond! You may have also seen our presence at the Core Solihull and Solihull Hospital, where we were promoting and reaching out to the community!
Adult Carers Celebration
A day of cake, tea, coffee, treats and a fantasitc performance from the magnificent Milly Sophie Rose.
Taking place at the beautiful grounds of Blossomfield Rose, we had carers and even residents taking part in the fun! In a place made for relaxation and providing care, it was just the perfect place for our unpaid carers to take a breath, and have a chat and laugh together. All while singing along with Milly Sophie Rose. It truly was a great day where everyone saying the loved it and being able to take a break.
Look at the photos below and you can see how many smiles (and slices of cake) were had.
Young & Young Adult Carers Celebration Clubs
We hold regular clubs for our young and young adult carers, at Hatchford Brook Family Hub (Previously Hatchford Brook Youth Centre)but for carers week we like to make it a little more special. It was the usual games, toys, running around and having fun with other young people—something our young and young adult carers can sorely miss out on due to their caring roles. So it was a chance for them to have fun being young!
an evening of respite at club which features animal entertainment, face painting and glitter tattoos. For many of our young carers opportunities like this are rare. Having exciting events like this enables our young carers to escape from their daily life pressures and allowing them to simply be children, The presence of animals enabled our young carers to feel some comfort and excitement, while the face painting / glitter tattoos provided our young carers with a chance to express themselves creatively.
We also helped to spread awareness of young and yougn adult carers to the schools of Solihull. In total, we visited 66 schools and gave out 526 ‘Goodie Bags’, packed with information and advice for schools to help identify and support their young carers. We also help schools apply for the Young Carers in School (YCiS) Programme. You can learn more about the YCiS and how you can help young and young adult carers in education, by visiting our dedicated Professionals Hub for those working in the education sector—just click here!
The extra special part from our club celebration comes from the launch of our event for Young Carers Action Day 2026—starring our young and young adult carers!
It is an event for young carers and their families, and agencies that support young people, to come together to discuss and share what support they need and can offer to improve the lives of young and young adult carers. Watch the video below, then learn more and sign up by clicking here to make “Solihull Young Carer Friendly”.
Beach Trip to Weston-super-Mare
Last but certainly not least, was our annual beach trip to Weston-super-Mare. Open to all of our unpaid carers, we have a packed coach on their way to enjoy the sun, sea and sand of Weston! It was another chance for carers and their families to have a well-deserved break.
Playing, eating, relaxing, baking in the sun and enjoying the arcades—it was the perfect day and perfect way to bring another successful Carers Week to a stunning conclusion!
Thank you to Everyone for making Carers Week 2025 a massive success—See you again next year!
Thanks for all the memories
Assets Credits
Music:
Killing Time by Kevin MacLeod | https://incompetech.com/
Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/
Creative Commons CC BY 3.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Images:
https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/footprints-boot-shoe-foot_43313940.htm
https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/cute-colorful-decorative-balloons_2271246.htm
https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/beach-elements-collection-with-clothes-flat-style_2170221.htm
https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/vintage-floral-background_759499.htm
