May 2026
Join us for Carers Week this June
Building Carer Friendly Communities in Portsmouth
Carers Week is back – and this year it’s extra special! From 8th – 14th June 2026, we’ll be celebrating Carers Week alongside the city’s Portsmouth 100 celebrations, with a packed programme of activities that shine a light on carers and the communities that support them.
Carers Week is a national awareness week, and this year’s theme, Building Carer Friendly Communities, is all about recognising carers and making everyday places more welcoming, understanding and supportive. From neighbourhoods and workplaces to cafés, parks and community spaces – small, thoughtful changes really can make a big difference.
Calling All Carers: Show Us Your Carer Friendly Portsmouth
To celebrate Carers Week and Portsmouth 100, we’re inviting carers across the city to take part in our Portsmouth 100 Carers Photography Competition.
We are inviting carers to snap photos of the places around Portsmouth that feel carer friendly – spots that offer a moment of calm, connection, support or joy while caring. It could be somewhere you go to unwind, feel welcome or just take a breather. Full details of how to enter the competition here: Portsmouth 100 Carers Photography Competition – Portsmouth Carers Service
Thanks to the wonderful support of local businesses there are some fantastic prizes to be won:
- An overnight stay at The Royal Maritime Hotel
- High Tea at The Spinnaker Tower
- A one-night Bed and Breakfast Break at The Village Hotel Club Portsmouth
- Day Tickets to Victorious Festival 2026
- Evening dinner for two people at the Langstone Quays Resort
What’s On During Carers Week?
During Carers Week, we’ll be hosting a celebration event to showcase carers’ photographs and highlight what makes Portsmouth a carer friendly city. The event will also include creative activities with Think Big Do Bigger, plus the chance to enjoy a ride on the lovely Cycling Without Age trishaws – a perfect way to relax and have some fun.
Throughout June we will be offering carers lots of opportunities to take a break, try something new and connect with others. Activities planned include:
- A creative carers break in Paulsgrove
- A library discovery session in Cosham
- Getting closer to nature at Milton Allotment
- A chance to try walking netball
- Plus, our ever‑popular cookery breaks
Full details will be shared in our Carers Breaks Programme, so keep an eye out and book on early if something catches your eye!
Let’s Build Carer Friendly Communities – Together
As part of Portsmouth 100, we’re also inviting local businesses, community groups, and health and social care organisations to make a pledge to support carers and help build a more carer friendly Portsmouth.
Carer friendly communities can exist anywhere carers live, work, study or spend time – and even the smallest actions can have a big impact. Inspired by Carers Trust guidance, pledges could include:
- Businesses and services offering flexible or priority access
- Community groups creating welcoming, inclusive spaces
- Schools and colleges identifying and supporting young carers
- Health services helping staff recognise and support carers
- Social care services taking a whole‑family approach
- Workplaces offering flexible working to support working carers
Together, these pledges help show carers that they are valued, understood and supported across our city – help us to collect 100!
Meet the Team: Colton
Get to know the people behind Portsmouth Carers Service
What do you do at Portsmouth Carers Service?
I am a student social worker completing my placement at the Carers Centre, I have been developing my professional skills with help from the team. I have been given the opportunity to attend and learn from a wide variety of the support groups run here. Listening to carers experiences, creating person-centred assessments, support plans, and signposting for practical support.
What do you like about working there?
I enjoy working at the Carers Centre because the team are brilliant! They provide a great environment with so many opportunities for me to learn and contribute to meaningful support for carers.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?
In my free time, I enjoy spending time with friends, being outdoors, and switching off from work.
What is your favourite quote?
“People are not problems to be solved; they are people to be understood.” – John O’Donohue
What’s on at the Carers Centre
Hula Hooping at the Allotment
How did you get more active this April? Will you continue?
During Carers Active April, Portsmouth Carers Service encouraged carers to move more in ways that support their wellbeing. Through our Carers Breaks Programme, carers were supported to get active, enjoy nature, and build gentle movement into everyday life – whether at home or out and about.
From stretching and mindful movement, to joining in with Wellbeing Walks, BH Live activities, and even a bit of hula‑hoop fun during one of our allotment breaks sessions. Carers showed that getting active doesn’t have to be serious to be beneficial. Small moments of movement can help lift mood, ease stress, and support both physical and mental wellbeing.
We’d love to hear from you – tell us how you’ve been moving more, what you’ve enjoyed, or what’s helped you stay active, and help inspire other carers to do the same.
Your Break, Your Way: Update
Learning, Savings and Wellbeing with Flourish
Flourish Click Learning is an e-learning platform which offers a range of helpful training modules to support your caring role. We’ve picked out some Carer Essentials on topics could be helpful to all – such as:
- First Aid Skills
- Mental Health First Aid
- Mental Capacity Act
- Stress and Continence Management
- Nutrition.
If there is a particular health condition or topic that you would like to learn more about, please let us know as other modules are available.
An added bonus is Flourish Rewards – a free discount platform available to all Click Learning users. It’s packed with perks and ready for you to start saving. There are lots of everyday discounts: whether you’re grabbing your morning coffee, on a day out, or doing the weekly shop. There’s no strings attached: no fees, no faff, no fine print. Just a thank you for learning and caring.
Flourish Wellbeing is a free health and wellbeing platform created especially for Click Learning users. You’ll get instant access to a huge range of wellbeing tips and resources. Making it easier for you to take time to think about your own wellbeing alongside caring.
Flourish uses the Recite Me function to provide accessible formats, language translation and audio reading. This allows you to learn in the way that suit you.
If you are caring for someone in Portsmouth it’s free to register – why not give it a try!
Contact Portsmouth Carers Service on: 02392 81864 or email: carercentre@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
Deaf Awareness Week
Support for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Adults
As part of Deaf Awareness Week, Adult Sensory Services are holding local pop‑up information events to raise awareness of hearing loss and to offer practical support to adults who are Deaf or hard of hearing, as well as the carers who support them.
Hearing loss is more common than many people realise. Around 1 in 3 adults experience some form of hearing loss, tinnitus or deafness, and many people begin to notice changes to their hearing after the age of 50. An estimated 2.4 million adults have hearing loss that affects everyday conversations, and around 87,000 adults use British Sign Language (BSL).
For carers, supporting someone with hearing loss can present additional challenges – especially around communication, social isolation, and access to services. These pop‑up events offer a valuable opportunity to get advice, explore available equipment, and learn about local support and community connections.
Drop‑in Information Events:
Carers and the people they support are warmly invited to attend one of the following drop‑in sessions:
- Thursday 7 May, 10am–1pm
The Foyer, Paulsgrove Community Centre, PO6 4JB - Friday 8 May, 10am–1pm
The Carers Centre, Southsea, PO4 0AD
At the events, Adult Sensory Services staff will be available to talk through:
- Support available for adults who are Deaf or have hearing loss
- Practical equipment that can help with communication and daily living
- Local services, groups, and community connections
No appointment is needed – just drop in at a time that suits you.
These sessions are a great chance for carers to better understand hearing loss, ask questions, and find out what support is available both for themselves and for the person they care for. Even small adjustments or the right equipment can make a big difference to independence, confidence and quality of life.
If you support someone who is Deaf or experiencing hearing difficulties, or if this is something you would like to learn more about, you are encouraged to come along.
Inclusive Communication
Inclusive Communication – What Carers Should Know
Good communication is essential to good care. Across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, work is underway to make sure everyone can access NHS services and information in ways that work best for them.
Rebecca March, a Speech and Language Therapist and the Inclusive Communication Lead for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Trust, has been visiting local community groups to talk with people about the challenges faced by those with communication differences or information needs. These can include people who have sensory impairments, learning disabilities, are neurodivergent, do not speak English as a first language, or need information in alternative formats.
The Inclusive Communication Group
To support this work, an Inclusive Communication Group now meets monthly. The group brings together patients, carers, family members, community organisations, and NHS staff, all with a shared aim: improving the experience of healthcare for people who have communication or information needs.
The group is open to anyone who wants to help make healthcare more inclusive, and meetings are held either face to face or online via Microsoft Teams.
Why Inclusive Communication Matters
The NHS has a responsibility to communicate with people in ways that are easiest for them to understand, valuing different communication methods and avoiding disadvantage. One of the key frameworks supporting this is the NHS England Accessible Information Standard, which requires services to:
- Ask people about their communication and information needs
- Record those needs clearly
- Act on them consistently
Support might include providing interpreters, offering letters in large print or Easy Read formats, or using other adjustments that help people understand and be understood.
As carers, you should expect these needs to be recognised and respected when supporting someone to access NHS care.
What’s Coming Next:
An Inclusive Communication information leaflet for carers is currently being developed. This will clearly explain what support you and the person you care for should expect from NHS services.
There will also be online seminars in May, giving carers and community members the opportunity to learn more and ask questions.
Find Out More or Get Involved
If you would like more information about Inclusive Communication or how to get involved, you can contact the team:
Email: hiowh.experienceandengagement@nhs.net
Telephone: 023 8103 0849
Together, we can help make healthcare communication clearer, fairer, and more inclusive for everyone.