14/06/2026
✨ Carers Week Reflection: Listening to Carers’ Voices 💙
As Carers Week draws to a close, we’ve been reflecting on this year’s theme – Building Carer Friendly Communities.
At the heart of this are the real experiences of unpaid carers in Portsmouth – including Kelly and Karen, who so generously shared their stories. Both stories remind us that caring often doesn’t begin with a label – it begins with love, responsibility, and simply “getting on with it”.
Like many carers, Kelly didn’t realise support was available and carried everything on her own for years. It was only when she connected with her community that she found understanding, time for herself, and support that made a real difference.
Karen’s journey highlights how quickly life can change. Balancing caring, work, and her own wellbeing became overwhelming, leaving her feeling isolated. With the right support, she began to rebuild her confidence and prioritise her own health alongside her caring role.
These stories show just how powerful a carer-friendly community can be - one where people feel seen, listened to and supported, and where organisations work together with compassion and flexibility to meet carers’ needs.
This week, we’ve been reminded that:
🫶 Carers don’t have to do it alone
👍 Being understood can change everything
💥 Small moments of support can have a huge impact
As Carers Week ends, our commitment continues - to listen, to learn, and to keep building a community in Portsmouth where every carer feels recognised, valued, and supported.
💙 Thank you to every carer in our city.
If you’d like to read Kelly and Karen’s stories, you can find them here:
👉 https://portsmouthcarersservice.co.uk/building-carer-friendly-communities/
