By the time this is published, Carers Week 2025 will be just over a week away. Carers Week is for everyone who looks after an adult who couldn’t manage without their support and also helps raise awareness of the challenges carers face. This year it runs from Monday 9th to Sunday 15th June.

I’m Head of Carers Services at Westbank Community Health and Care, part of Westbank's broad portfolio of services supporting the community across Devon. Devon Carers at Westbank currently supports around 33,000 adult unpaid carers across the county and Devon Young Carers supports around 2,500 carers under 18.

The charity Carers UK sets the theme for Carers Week and this year it’s ‘Caring about Equality’. One of the inequalities that unpaid carers face is having poorer health because they tend to be so focused on looking after the person they care for that they neglect their own health and wellbeing. We have decided to focus on this particular inequality and provide information and wellbeing activities to show carers what they can do to look after themselves, mentally and physically.

This year Devon Carers has once again lined up a full programme of events throughout Carers Week, including setting up information stands across the county to update carers on the support and benefits available to them. Devon is a huge and largely rural county, which presents its own problems for carers, particularly in small villages and hamlets with no or minimal facilities and public transport options. Carers in these communities often feel extremely lonely and isolated, so we try very hard to reach as many parts of the county as possible, during Carers Week and throughout the year. We also provide Peer Support Groups, in-person and online, to help them connect with other carers in a similar situation.

Last year, during Carers Week, we held our first Carer Friendly Conference for professionals who work with and alongside unpaid carers. It was such a success that we’ve decided to hold a second one this year, however, we’re splitting the day into two sessions so that we can invite carers along too. The conference will be held on Tuesday 10th June at  Westbank’s Healthy Living Centre in Exminster - the morning session is for professionals and the afternoon session is for carers. It’s a great opportunity to wander around information stands, talk to professionals who run our services and other services and join in with a range of free wellbeing activities. The conference cost nothing to attend but you must pre-book, whether you are a carer or a professional, as spaces are limited.

Bookable sessions for carers include a guided sensory meditation with a nature and forest therapy guide, learning how to relax with breathing exercises, and a workshop on how journaling can help improve your mental health with tips from Matt Young ‘The Journaling Guy.’ There will also be drop-in sessions where carers can join a Peer Support Group and check out Westbank’s Community Cookery School.

Devon Carers can offer a great deal of knowledge and information and provide support that’s tailored to individual needs. Our aim is to make life easier for carers wherever we can. We hope as many carers as possible will come along to our stands and our conference to find out from us what support is available to make their lives easier every week of the year, not just during Carers Week.

Devon Carers’ current funding has been extended until 2028, after several years of one-year extensions. This gives us greater security to plan ahead for at least three years, but in real terms the funding we receive hasn’t kept pace with rising costs, including increased staff costs because of recent National Insurance changes. At the same time, unpaid carers are in need of more support than ever, so our team of 80-90 staff members is ever more reliant on the help of our volunteers.

You can find out about all our services, volunteering with us, discover our full programme of events during Carers Week and book a place at our Carer Friendly Conference by visiting devoncarers.org.uk

This article was first published in The Moorlander.