Caring can be exhausting, but it can also strengthen relationships in unexpected ways. After years of navigating their son’s complex health needs and later Kel’s own serious health challenges, Shurron and Kel recently enjoyed a rare overnight break through Carefree.

Barnwood Trust is helping Carefree reach more unpaid carers across Gloucestershire so that more people can experience the restorative power of taking a break.

Introducing Carefree

Carefree is a national charity transforming vacant hotel rooms into much-needed breaks for full-time unpaid carers so that they can have access to regular breaks. The organisation began almost nine years ago after its founders recognised two problems: 

• There are around 5.7 million unpaid carers in the UK.  

• Around 1 million hotel rooms go unused every week.  

Their idea was simple, could vacant hotel rooms become much-needed breaks for unpaid carers? 

Today, the answer is yes. More than 21,000 breaks have been taken through Carefree, working with over 250 hotel across the UK. 

The challenge 

Research found that 80% of home care in the UK is provided by full-time unpaid carers who often sacrifice their own health and wellbeing to look after their loved ones. For Shurron and Kel experienced this first-hand,

Lots of these carers are unconnected from support services and therefore don’t know what help exists.

The impact 

Carefree found that breaks help improve wellbeing and reduce burnout which in turn ultimately reducing the cost and strain of other public services. 

Barnwood funding is helping Carefree: 

• provide 150 breaks in Gloucestershire 

• recruit more carers locally  

• run local engagement workshops  

• better understand barriers facing carers.

Looking ahead

Although finding more hotel suppliers to meet need will always be a challenge Carefree faces it is reaching carers which is currently the biggest challenge. Many people don’t realise they qualify as unpaid carers.  

Current progress in Gloucestershire: 

• 35/150 breaks delivered against the target.

• 63 carers signed up through the project. 

• Challenges remain around reaching carers without trusted referral partners. 

With greater awareness of the service across Gloucestershire, Carefree will be able to have more carers registered and providing them with breaks as well as having organisations referring more carers. 

Carefree is also developing a dedicated local authority platform to help identify previous unknown carers and to sponsor breaks for carers it has shown that breaks generate measurable savings for public services. Currently adoption by local authorities remains challenging despite strong evidence of value however with more with continuous feedback and wellbeing monitoring being used to measure impact before and after breaks they hope this will build a stronger case for support.  

What can you do? 

Are you a carer or know someone who is? 

• Register with Carefree 

• Understand eligibility for breaks

• Use the self-referral route  

Are you an organisation? 

• Become a community partner 

• Refer carers

• Sponsor break credits

• Explore Carefree as a low-cost way to improve carers’ wellbeing