A Carers Week Road Trip to Listen to Unpaid Carers
Carers Week is always a busy time at Bridgit. But this year, Darren Crombie, our Founder and CEO, took a different approach with a Carers Week road trip across the South West.
Armed with a motorhome, accompanied by his wife Jules and their dog Beau, Darren travelled more than 700 miles. He met carers, support teams and partner organisations to better understand the challenges facing unpaid carers.
The journey was not about presentations or sales pitches. It was about listening.
A week spent meeting carer organisations
The Carers Week road trip began on Monday with a visit to Somerset Carers.
Darren spent time hearing about the realities facing carers across both rural and urban communities. A key theme was accessibility.
Many carers still do not identify themselves as carers. As a result, they often miss out on support until they reach crisis point.
Conversations focused on how digital tools can help organisations engage carers earlier. They also looked at how support can be offered at the moment it is needed.
On Tuesday, Darren visited Dorset Carers.
Here, discussions centred around prevention, wellbeing and helping carers navigate increasingly complex health and care systems.
The team shared examples of how carers are balancing work, family life and caring responsibilities. This highlighted the need for simple, trusted support outside traditional office hours.
Midweek, Darren met teams supporting carers across the Poole and Bournemouth area.
The conversation focused heavily on community connections and reducing isolation. One of the strongest messages from the day was clear. Carers do not just need information. They need confidence, reassurance and someone to turn to when things become overwhelming.
The final stop was Bristol.
Discussions explored innovation, partnership working and the growing role of digital support. The visit highlighted how local authorities, NHS partners and voluntary sector organisations are increasingly looking for ways to combine human support with technology.
What the Carers Week road trip showed us
Across all four locations, the same themes came up again and again.
Many carers still do not recognise themselves as carers.
Support is often found too late.
Services are under pressure.
Carers want simple, practical help they can access when they need it.
Human support remains essential. However, technology can make it easier to find and access that support.
This matters because unpaid carers often carry a huge amount quietly. They may be supporting someone every day, while still managing work, family life and their own wellbeing.
That is why early, simple and trusted support is so important.
What Bridgit is doing
Bridgit is proud to work alongside organisations across Somerset, Dorset, Poole, Bournemouth and Bristol.
Together, we are helping to identify hidden carers and connect them to support earlier.
Most importantly, we are helping ensure carers do not have to navigate their journey alone.
Digital tools cannot replace human support. However, they can make support easier to find. They can also help stretched teams reach more people before problems grow.
A road trip with Beau
Of course, no road trip would be complete without mentioning Beau the dog.
While Darren spent the week meeting partners and discussing the future of carer support, Beau was responsible for morale, companionship and plenty of fresh-air breaks.
Jules kept everything running smoothly too. So, it became a true family road trip with a purpose.
After 700 miles, countless cups of coffee and four fantastic organisations, one thing became clear.
There is incredible work happening across the country to support unpaid carers. Our role at Bridgit is to help amplify that work, make support easier to access and ensure more carers get the help they deserve before they reach breaking point.
Because behind every cared-for person is often a carer who needs support too.