Creating Caring Villages

Creating Caring Villages

In this episode, we speak to Carrie Grant MBE, a campaigner, author, and broadcaster advocating for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Through her own powerful experience, we discuss the fight many parent carers with SEND children face to get their children the support they need and deserve. We talk about how crucial it is to create caring villages and communities to make the best out of awful situations, as well as the importance of campaigning at all levels- fuelled by the realisation that change can happen if we act. You can follow Carrie and all her work here: https://www.instagram.com/carriegrantsays?igsh=MTZwN3VhMzd2dzhkYw== [https://www.instagram.com/carriegrantsays?igsh=MTZwN3VhMzd2dzhkYw==] For any inquiries or to suggest future guests, please email us at: wearecarers@gmail.com [wearecarers@gmail.com]. Until next time! For more information on the We Care Campaign, visit us on: https://wecarecampaign.org.uk/ [https://wecarecampaign.org.uk/] and to find out what being an unpaid carer is really like, read Laura’s blog here: https://numbereighteeninthecorner.blog/ [https://numbereighteeninthecorner.blog/]

Empath power

In our latest episode, we speak to Bhulla Beghal, a filmmaker and Carla Mellor, a poet. We discuss why empathy is a strength in storytelling, how best to bring out emotion in campaigning projects, and how carers can better share their stories. Our conversation covers how these award-winning storytellers immerse themselves in worlds they don't have personal experience of to powerfully extract the underlying truths within. You can see more of Bhulla's work here: https://www.bluebellfilms.co.uk/ [https://www.bluebellfilms.co.uk/] He's @bluebellfilms @bhullabeghal on instagram and you can follow him on LinkedIn in here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhullabeghal/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhullabeghal/] Carla's work can be found @poetry_for_the_people on Instagram and her professional handle is @carlacreatesuk. For any inquiries or to suggest future guests, please email us at: wearecarers@gmail.com [wearecarers@gmail.com]. Until next time! For more information on the We Care Campaign, visit us on: https://wecarecampaign.org.uk/ [https://wecarecampaign.org.uk/] and to find out what being an unpaid carer is really like, read Laura’s blog here: https://numbereighteeninthecorner.blog/ [https://numbereighteeninthecorner.blog/]

Bridging the care expectation gap

In our latest episode, we speak to Taha Bokhari - lead analyst at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation - to discuss their report exploring the care expectation gap [https://www.jrf.org.uk/care/the-care-expectation-gap].  In our last conversation of 2025, we discuss why most people don't plan for their future, and why the majority of the British public significantly underestimate their future care needs or the fact they will likely have to provide care at some point in their lives. We cover why this gap in expectations versus reality is an issue, what we can all do to remedy it, and why taking time to project ourselves into the future could be beneficial to us all as a society.  You can follow the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/joseph-rowntree-foundation/] and on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/jrf-uk.bsky.social]. You can also follow Taha on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/taha-bokhari-b31494a2/] or Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/datataha.bsky.social]. For any inquiries or to suggest future guests, please email us at: wearecarers@gmail.com [wearecarers@gmail.com]. Until next time! For more information on the We Care Campaign, visit us on: https://wecarecampaign.org.uk/ [https://wecarecampaign.org.uk/] and to find out what being an unpaid carer is really like, read Laura’s blog here: https://numbereighteeninthecorner.blog/ [https://numbereighteeninthecorner.blog/]

Time, Risk and Poo

We have a very special guest for the first episode of season two...drumroll please...we're speaking to Sir Ed Davey! He is the Liberal Democrat MP for Kingston and Surbiton, leader of the Liberal Democrats - and importantly for us - a carer and recent author of a book called ‘Why I care: And why care matters’. Our wide ranging conversation covers his ongoing carer journey, what it has taught him, and the concept of radical honesty in politics. We talk about why he doesn't like the term 'unpaid carer' and why he thinks a carer-centric strategy is crucial to improving the UK's National Health and Social Services. You can find his book here [https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/why-i-care-and-why-care-matters-sir-ed-davey?variant=55081579839867] and follow him on all his social channels below: X https://x.com/EdwardJDavey [https://x.com/EdwardJDavey] https://x.com/LibDems [https://x.com/LibDems] Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/eddavey.libdems.org.uk [https://bsky.app/profile/eddavey.libdems.org.uk] https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:5cb5baul4azrgk7rkkgyt64w  [https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:5cb5baul4azrgk7rkkgyt64w] Instagram https://www.instagram.com/edwardjdavey/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/edwardjdavey/?hl=en] https://www.instagram.com/libdems/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/libdems/?hl=en] Tik Tok - Lib Dems https://www.tiktok.com/@libdems [https://www.tiktok.com/@libdems] For any inquiries or to suggest future guests, please email us at: wearecarers@gmail.com [wearecarers@gmail.com]. Until next time! For more information on the We Care Campaign, visit us on: https://wecarecampaign.org.uk/ [https://wecarecampaign.org.uk/] and to find out what being an unpaid carer is really like, read Laura’s blog here: https://numbereighteeninthecorner.blog/ [https://numbereighteeninthecorner.blog/]

Misery Olympics - fixing unpaid carers' PR problem

In our latest episode of Care Fully Considered, we welcome Minreet Kaur and Sangeeta Bhabra, both journalists, to talk about caring’s PR problem. We discuss how unpaid carers are portrayed by the media, why some of it is problematic, and what we can do to improve the general public’s perception of unpaid carers and caring in general. We talk about why the press chooses to portray caring in certain ways, what the best format could be for more well-rounded representation, and how to move beyond the ‘misery Olympics’ we often see in campaigns and on TV. You can find Minreet at minreet_kaur on instagram, @minkaur5 on X, or Minreet Kaur on LinkedIn. Read her latest work here [https://www.stylist.co.uk/health/mental-health/unpaid-carer-mental-health-toll/910511], here [https://www.stylist.co.uk/health/mental-health/unpaid-carer-mental-health-toll/910511] and here [https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/29/life-as-an-unpaid-carer-in-the-uk-i-feel-unseen-and-unheard-and-politicians-dont-offer-much]  You can find Sangeeta on X @SangeetaITV. Read her latest work here [https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2023-05-06/caring-for-the-carers-itv-sangeeta-bhabras-letter-to-her-younger-self]. Watch her documentary here [https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2023-05-12/catch-up-itv-news-meridians-special-programme-on-carers], and explore ITV News' podcast here [https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/episodes/7DrgPF5/].  For any inquiries or to suggest future guests, please email us at: wearecarers@gmail.com [wearecarers@gmail.com]. Until next time! For more information on the We Care Campaign, visit us on: https://wecarecampaign.org.uk/ [https://wecarecampaign.org.uk/] and to find out what being an unpaid carer is really like, read Laura’s blog here: https://numbereighteeninthecorner.blog/ [https://numbereighteeninthecorner.blog/]