Bristol Charities and Carers Support are proud to announce a new partnership to deliver Carers Community Cafés in Bristol; safe, welcoming spaces designed to provide respite, connection, and support for unpaid carers.
Three new cafés are launching in St George’s, Frome Vale, and Stockwood, offering carers a regular opportunity to take a break, enjoy a cuppa, and access tailored support, all in a nurturing environment where they are recognised, valued, and in company with others who understand.
This initiative brings together the strengths of both organisations: Carers Support, with 28 years of expertise supporting unpaid carers across Bristol and South Gloucestershire, and Bristol Charities, with a deep commitment to tackling poverty and building stronger communities.
By working collaboratively and using resources strategically, the partnership aims to identify and address gaps in local support for carers while complementing existing services. Bristol Charities is funding the pilot through its Ella Mary Merchant grant programme and is embedding two of the cafés within its established Community Hubs in Frome Vale and Stockwood, ensuring they are closely connected to wider community services and opportunities.
Together, this partnership is helping to shine a light on the vital but often invisible role of carers, and creating spaces where they can rest, connect and be cared for too.
Carers Support works across Bristol and South Gloucestershire and has built a strong reputation as a trusted source of advice, advocacy and emotional support for unpaid carers of all ages. Their deep understanding of the challenges carers face has shaped a wide range of impactful services, from one-to-one support to information, training and peer networks.
With their long-standing expertise and community connections, Carers Support is now working to grow the Carers Community Café in St George’s, with a particular focus on engaging the Somali community, where a clear need for carer support had already been identified. By co-developing this space with local residents and organisations, they aim to ensure the café is culturally inclusive, relevant, and truly reflective of the community it serves.
This collaboration represents a meaningful step toward making carer support more visible, accessible and rooted in the everyday lives of the people who need it most.
Carers are seven times more likely than the general population to feel lonely or isolated, with 81% reporting that their caring responsibilities have directly contributed to this experience.* The demands of caring, often unpaid and unrecognised, and can take a profound toll on emotional wellbeing, leaving little time or space for connection, rest, or self-care.
Across the UK, 1.2 million unpaid carers are living in poverty, with 400,000 in deep poverty**. These stark figures highlight not only the financial pressures carers face, but the urgent need for accessible, community-based support.
The Carers Community Café has been created in response to these challenges. They offer carers a space to feel seen, valued and supported, a chance to step out of their routine, meet others who understand, and do something just for themselves in a warm and welcoming environment, with that all important cuppa and comfort welcoming them in.
Bristol Charities CEO, Julian Mines says, “Bristol Charities has entered a new stage in its journey to tackle inequity in Bristol. By working in close partnership with Carers Support, we’ve co-designed a new service that brings together their expertise with our commitment to community transformation. I am delighted to see the cafés come to life, creating welcoming, inclusive spaces that offer both practical support and a genuine sense of belonging and improved wellbeing for carers and the wider community.
Carers carry an often-invisible load, the emotional, physical and mental toll of supporting others, often without recognition. This initiative is a powerful example of what can be achieved when we come together to recognise, support, and uplift those who give so much to others.”
Lucy Giles, Interim CEO of Carers Support says, “We know from years of working alongside carers that the role can be incredibly isolating and emotionally demanding, especially for those in marginalised or underserved communities. The Carers Community Café is a simple but powerful way to offer connection, respite, and recognition — things that are too often missing in carers’ lives.
We’re proud to be working in partnership with Bristol Charities to develop these spaces, and especially to build on the relationships we’ve already established with the Somali community. By listening to what carers need and co-creating support with them, we can help ensure no one feels invisible or alone in their caring role.”
The Cafes
- St George’s Community Café for Somali Carers runs on the second Monday of each month, next dates are 14 July and 11 August. 1-3pm at The Beehive Centre, Stretford Rd, Whitehall, BS5 7AW.
- Frome Vale Carers Community Café runs the fourth Wednesday of every month, next dates are 23 July and 20 August, 10am-12pm at The Vassall Community Hub, Gill Avenue, Fishponds, BS16 2QQ.
- Stockwood Carers Community Café Coming soon – look out for an announcement soon
Just drop in, there is no need to book. For more information, please contact Pauline on:
0117 958 9988 or 07840 822273
or email Overview – Carers Support Bristol and South Gloucestershire
To find out more about Bristol Charities Community centred work, please contact:
Jo Stokes, Development Manager