Carers Awareness Week is a national event run each year in June and is all about recognising, supporting and celebrating carers. The theme this year is Making Caring Visible and we are keen to not only highlight the amazing work that carers do, but raise awareness of the difficulties they face and support that is needed.

Carer facts and figures:

• 3 in 5 of us will become carers at some point in our lives
• 1 in 7 workers are also a carer. Close to 70% of carers have quit work or reduced their hours due to the stress of juggling work with care.
• 63,000 people in Worcestershire (6.5 million in the UK) are currently caring unpaid for a family member or friend who is older, disabled or seriously ill
• Many people don’t identify themselves as carers – they simply see themselves as spouses, parents, children or friends, meaning that many carers across Worcestershire aren’t connected to vital information and support that can help them with caring
• Carers save the economy £132 billion per year – this is close to the cost of a second NHS
• Carers Allowance is £67.25 a week and the lowest benefit of its kind
• In a 2018 survey carried out by Carers UK, 72% of carers said they had suffered mental ill health as a result of caring. 61% said they had suffered physical ill health as a result of caring.

Daily themes for Carers Week:

Monday – Staying upbeat

Let's kick off the week with a positive, upbeat singing session with our Carers Choir!

Tuesday - Keeping in contact

Come and join us for a coffee break at 11am. A chance to meet other carers, share ideas and make friends.

Wednesday - Supporting your mental health and well-being

Join our Wellness Wednesday session: Supporting your mental health during Covid-19

Thursday – Carer information

Falls & Frailty Webinar: This will give you the knowledge to help improve safety in the home & prevent falls.

A live Q & A session at 2pm: ask us anything! 

Carer Engagement Working Group: Come and share your views and ideas.

Friday – Staying active

Join us for a beginners pilates session

Pledge your support for Carers Week:

Make a pledge this Carers Week to do something to make Caring more visible 

• Reach out to a family member, friend or neighbour that you know is caring for someone – let them know you are there for them
• Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and share our posts to spread the word about Carers Week
• Organise a fundraiser for WAC, or you can donate money here
• Share information about caring with your colleagues at work. Ask your workplace to look into becoming a Working for Carers member
• Download our Facebook and Twitter banners to show you are supporting carers (see below)

Social media assets:

I'm supporting Carers Week Facebook banner:

I'm supporting Carers Week Twitter banner:

We're supporting Carers Week Facebook banner:

We're supporting Carers Week Twitter banner: