Welcome to
the Carers Week blog. Here you'll be able to read regular updates from the
Carers Week team and find out what's happening behind the scenes as we prepare
for the big event in June.
Your
contributors to this blog are:
Paul Matz,
Carers Week Manager
"I
have overall responsibility for Carers Week, supporting all the carers and
local partners who do the hard work on the ground that results in thousands and
thousands of local activities. I also co-ordinate our work with MPs and do my
very best to leave all our media work to Sushila. When they hear about my role
with an awareness week new friends and acquaintances often ask what I do the
other 51 weeks of the year. If only..."
Ann Smith, Carers Week Media Officer
"I will be ensuring that the media knows all about Carers Week, which means getting the national newspapers, tv and radio shows, magazines, as well as local papers and stations writing articles and broadcasting reports about carers throughout June! With such an important week, and so many events and charity partners to publicise, there's an amazing amount of stuff to do in advance; contacting publications, recruiting celebrities, speaking to carers who might be happy to be interviewed. I know the media world pretty well, as I've worked as a broadcast journalist for many years, both with the BBC and ITV, and currently work at Carers Week for 3 days a week."
Ok - it’s Sunday 13th June. Carers Week is now just hours away (gulp), and the media all now know just how worthwhile carers and caring are - not least because of the huge number of carers who have been interviewed up and down the country by newspapers, radio and TV station.
I’ve also been putting in a lot of (wo)man-hours, writing press releases and the like and calling up the journalists - basically harrying them to take me and the 6 million carers that I realty do feel like I’m working for, seriously. As I wait with bate... Read more >>
Carers Week HQ is now my second home, as my fiancé can testify – I’ve got an entire wardrobe of clothes, and several pairs of shoes lurking below my desk. The phone seems to be permanently attached to my ear, and my fingers are a blur, dancing over the keyboard, as I write emails to carers, journalists, and scribe press releases in preparation for Carers Week. I certainly think my touch-typing skills are now at their peak. Not that I’m complaining mind!
Carers Week has become such a big part of my life and for me it’s not ju... Read more >>
I’m feeling a little nervous as this is officially my first ever, and I mean ever (!) blog. Today is Sushila’s last day as Media Officer for Carers Week. The reigns will be passed to me, which is a very good thing indeed, but we will miss her cheery way here, and her enthusiasm. I’m feeling really motivated to carry on her good work, and facing my own challenges as I try and build on the success of Carers Week 2009. I’m excited about the different ways we’re working on to promote all the good work that carers and local groups across the... Read more >>
Carers Week is still eleven weeks away but it’s been quite a frantic last few days at Great Dover Street, as we move in to overdrive with preparations for the event.
With the General Election date expected to be announced on Tuesday we’ve been using this weekend to contact prospective MPs, inviting them to offer their support for carers and Carers Week. Well over a hundred responded immediately, you can see their details here
It’s been a really busy week here at Carers Week Central, with two big meetings with our national partners. These meetings are to agree the direction of our media and parliamentary work for this year’s Carers Week (though are sadly not as slick and professional as the meeting pictured!).
I’m obviously most involved in the media work, but I find our parliamentary and policy meetings equally interesting, probably because it’s all quite new to me. All ou... Read more >>
