Carers Week 2021 Round-Up

Carers Week came to a close for another year yesterday, and through the week Bedford Borough Council along with a number of local organisations marked the event in a range of ways, raising awareness of caring, highlighting the challenges unpaid carers face and recognising the contribution they make to families and communities. Their efforts had in common a focus on Making Caring Visible and Valued, the theme of this year's Carers Week.

Bedford Borough Council partnered with local charity Carers in Bedfordshire in highlighting the valuable work of carers during Carers Week.

Cllr Wendy Rider, Portfolio Holder for Adult Services said "There are thousands of carers in Bedford Borough, quietly providing unpaid care and support to their family members or friends. Many offer a lifeline for the people they are looking after, but they don't get the support and recognition they deserve. I want the carers out there in the community to know that there is a wealth of support out there for them within Bedford Borough, not least from local charity Carers in Bedfordshire (whose work as a council we support). I would encourage anyone to get in touch with them today to see what they can offer."

You can read more here, on Mayor Dave Hodgson's website.

Carers in Bedfordshire had lots of events and activities throughout the week, and you can find more about them on their Facebook page, where yesterday afternoon they signed off for Carers Week 2021 here with 'a huge thank you for all your support in sharing our posts and helping to make carers feel visible and valued for the tireless job they carry out day in day out, with often little or no respite.'

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats were active during Carers Week 2021, declaring that "This Carers Week we're championing the indispensable work of carers across the UK during COVID, as well as recognising the challenges unpaid carers face in their role." Party leader Ed Davey also talked about his own experiences for Carer's Week and called for more support for carers, here.