A well-earned break, new connections and plenty of laughter were on the agenda when carers from three Community Cafes across Bristol recently came together for a day out at Tyntesfield.
The Community Cafes, which Bristol Charities is proud to have helped fund, provide welcoming spaces where unpaid carers can meet others who understand their experiences, build relationships and access support.
Carers from across the three Cafes had the opportunity to bring those connections together with a visit to the National Trust’s Tyntesfield estate in North Somerset.
Despite the glaring sunshine and relentless heat, the group had a fantastic day. After exploring Tyntesfield House and learning more about its history, everyone came together for lunch at the Cow Barn café. There was then time to enjoy the gardens – and, of course, the gift shop – before heading home.
It was a day filled with conversation, fun and laughter, but it also demonstrated something important about the value of creating spaces where carers can connect.
More than a cup of coffee
Across the UK, 5.8 million people provide unpaid care to family members and friends, with 1.7 million providing 50 hours or more of care every week.¹
Behind those numbers are millions of people giving an extraordinary amount of their time and energy to support someone they care about. The economic value of unpaid care across the UK has been estimated at £184 billion a year – illustrating the enormous contribution carers make to families, communities and society.²
But caring can also come at a personal cost. When so much time and energy is devoted to supporting someone else, opportunities for carers’ own social connection, friendships and time away from caring responsibilities can become harder to find.
That’s why spaces like the Community Cafes have been so important.
They have provided regular, welcoming places specifically for carers – somewhere to meet, talk, take some time for themselves and build relationships with people who understand some of the challenges they face.
Jo Stokes, Development Manager at Bristol Charities, said:
“Carers give so much of themselves to other people, often quietly and without recognition, so creating a regular space where they can come together, build friendships and have some time for themselves really matters.
“What is particularly lovely is seeing those relationships grow beyond the Cafes themselves. A day like this shows that we’re not simply funding an activity – we’re helping create connections and a community around people who spend so much of their lives caring for others.”
Bristol Charities worked with Carers Support to co-design the Community Cafes, drawing on Carers Support expertise and investing the carer specific grant which Bristol Charities administers. The three Cafes provided support in ,Whitehall, Frome Vale and Stockwood, with the latter two embedded within our Community Hubs.³
A valued part of our Vassall Centre community
Our relationship with Carers Support goes further still.
Carers Support is a valued tenant at our Vassall Centre in Frome Vale, part of a nucleus of charities and voluntary organisations working alongside one another to support people from across the region.
That is central to our vision for the Vassall Centre and our wider Community Hub approach: creating trusted places where people, relationships and organisations come together, and where one connection can open the door to another.
A huge thank you to Carers Support for the work they do every day with Bristol’s unpaid carers, and to the National Trust for helping make such an enjoyable day possible.
Want to know more?
If you’d like to chat about the work of Carers Support, just get in touch with Pauline:
References
1. Carers UK, Key facts and figures. Based on Census data, 5.8 million people across the UK provide unpaid care, including 1.7 million providing 50 or more hours of unpaid care each week.
Carers UK – Key facts and figures
2. Carers UK, State of Caring 2025: The cost of caring – the impact of caring across carers’ lives. The economic value of unpaid care in the UK is estimated at £184 billion a year.
Carers UK – State of Caring 2025
3. Carers Support Bristol & South Gloucestershire, Carers Community Cafés. The Community Cafés provide opportunities for carers to connect, share experiences and take a break from their caring role.
Carers Community Cafés | Friendly Drop-In Groups for Carers in Bristol
