Caring magazine 46 Caring July 2017 | Page 11

News & campaigns Campaign with us: carersuk.org/wecare Carers Week 2017 Penny Mordaunt MP Brought to life by thousands of carers, supporters and organisations coming together to organise activities and events throughout the UK, Carers Week is our annual campaign to draw attention to just how important caring is Carers in the media… Carers online… Our patron Johnnie Walker led a special segment on his Radio 2 show, when member Heather Smith read her poem A Carers Prayer. He then joined his wife Tiggy in a special Songs of Praise episode dedicated to carers. Others showed their support through social media, making a pledge to support carers and recommending carer friendly organisations to promote good practice. Amid the election frenzy, we also secured coverage featuring Carers UK members in a wide range of media, from Woman & Home to ITV London. Carers Week across the UK… Boat races, walks, coffee mornings, pamper days, fun days, information stands... There were over 1,300 registered events and activities in hospitals, GPs surgeries, local carers’ centres, businesses and throughout communities to raise awareness of caring. Thanks to all of you who organised events and distributed information. Carer [noun] 12–18 June 2017 /’keərə(r) [1] Cares (unpaid) for family or friends who have a disability, illness or who need support in later life: Washing bodies. And laundry. A nd dishes. Keeping appointments. And rec ords. And tempers. Giving medicine. And time. And hugs. Filling forms. And fridges. And s ilences. Dealing with doctors. And nurses. And pharma cists. And social workers. And benefit s agencies. And care workers. And a lack of sleep. [2] Needs support to manage a life of their own. Looking after someone? Find out about the help and support available at carersweek.org One of the online highlights was a new definition of a carer, which reached a huge audience with a strong message about the reality of caring. Carers Week in research… Our research report revealed that 74% of the UK public think carers are not sufficiently valued by society. This is evidence we can take to MPs and the Government to strengthen our call for more support for carers. carersuk.org/carers-week-research Carers Week in Parliament... Due to the timing of the General Election, we held our Parliamentary event just after Carers Week. Fifty MPs joined the event to talk directly with carers and charity representatives to understand the issues better and speak up for carers in Parliament. Carers Wales held a roundtable meeting with Rebecca Evans AM in attendance, while the Scottish Government’s support of carers was discussed in First Minister’s questions. @carersuk /carersuk 11