It is Carers Week 2026 and the Support Collective from Project Art Works are taking over our socials to mark the moment.
‘From us to you’ – messages from our carers to carers everywhere.
The Support Collective is a group of people with lived experience of disability, family carers, support workers, and representatives from health and social care. We collectively share the aim of working towards person-centred and inclusive models of support and care, and protecting the rights of people with support needs.
Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. It also helps people who don’t think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support.
Find out more at carersweek.org.
Join the Support Collective for a Carer’s Creative Workshop
Carer’s Creative Workshops are relaxed, gentle, with no expectation; take a moment to just be you and enjoy some creative downtime in a supportive environment.
Join the next workshop on Wednesday 8 July – 12.00-15.30 at De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill. To book a place please email georgie@projectartworks.org.
The statistics:
- There are over 69,000 carers in East Sussex and around 6.5 million unpaid carers in the UK who are looking after an ill, older or disabled family member, friend or partner.
- The economic value of unpaid care is roughly £184bn, and about 60% of unpaid carers are women.
- 1.2 million unpaid carers live in poverty, and 400,000 live in deep poverty in the UK.
- The poverty rate for unpaid carers was 50% higher than for those who did not provide care (27% vs 18%).
- The poverty rate is more than double for those providing more than 35 hours of care per week (43%), compared to people who are not unpaid carers (18%).
- Carers aged 25-44 have the highest rate of poverty of any other age group, at 38-39%.
- Two-thirds (67%) of unpaid carers who receive Universal Credit live in poverty – around 900,000 carers.
Useful Sources:
Article from The Guardian – Millions of unpaid UK carers ‘living in agony’, says Louise Casey
Care for Carers – https://www.cftc.org.uk/help-and-advice/do-you-look-after-someone/
https://www.carersuk.org/media/dnxerxqv/poverty_financial_hardship_uk_web.pdf