Free Carers Rights Day event at Blyth Sports Centre on 19 November, 1.30pm to 4pm: unpaid carers can meet more than 20 support groups in one room.
Unpaid carers in Northumberland can talk to Carers Northumberland and more than 20 other support organisations in one place at Blyth Sports Centre on Thursday 19 November 2026, from 1.30pm to 4pm. The event is free, it is part of the national Carers Rights Day, and it is open to carers and to the people who support them.
Overview
- What: Carers Rights Day Information Event, run by Carers Northumberland
- When: Thursday 19 November 2026, 1.30pm to 4pm
- Where: Blyth Sports Centre, Bolam Avenue, Blyth NE24 5BT
- Cost: free
- Questions: 01670 320025 or info@carersnorthumberland.org.uk
Who will be there
The charity’s poster lists the organisations joining it on the day. They include Healthwatch Northumberland, Northumberland County Council, Macmillan Cancer Support, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS), Railway Medical Group, Marine Medical Group, Age UK Northumberland, Citizens Advice, Alzheimer’s Society, the National Autistic Society, Mental Health Matters, Escape Family Support, Vision Northumberland, the Northumberland Parent Carer Forum, the Northumberland Information, Advice and Support Service, Full Circle Food, Bright Red, Rape Crisis, CVA Blyth Valley, Blyth Resource and Initiative Centre and Northern Cancer Voices.
Do you know you are a carer?
This year’s Carers Rights Day theme is “Someone you know is a carer… but do they know it yet?” The point, Carers Northumberland says, is that many people spend years looking after a partner, parent, child, friend or neighbour before they think of themselves as a carer, and miss support and rights in the meantime.
The charity describes a carer as anyone who gives unpaid care and support to a family member or friend who has a disability, a mental or physical illness, a substance misuse problem, or who needs extra help as they grow older. For some the role starts suddenly, after an accident or the birth of a disabled child; for others it builds slowly as a parent can no longer manage alone or a partner’s health declines. It can mean a few hours a week picking up prescriptions and making meals, or personal care day and night.
The numbers behind the day
The 2021 census put the number of unpaid carers living in Northumberland at just over 31,000, and Carers Northumberland says the real figure is likely to be higher. The charity’s release, which draws on figures from the census and from Carers UK, also says:
- there are 5.8 million unpaid carers in the UK, and 12,000 people become one every day;
- unpaid care is worth £184 billion a year, roughly what the Government spends on the NHS;
- 1.2 million unpaid carers live in poverty and 400,000 in deep poverty (research for Carers UK by WPI Economics);
- nearly 3 million people combine unpaid care with paid work, 1 in 5 people in the workplace provide unpaid care, and an estimated 1,500 people leave work to care every day (Opinium polling for Carers UK);
- in Carers UK’s State of Caring research, 42% of carers said their physical health had suffered because of caring and 74% said they had felt stressed or anxious.
Carers UK’s 2025 State of Caring Survey drew 10,539 responses. According to Carers Northumberland, it found carers struggling more with money than before, with those already hit by the cost of living “further impoverished by having their ability to earn restricted by the rules governing the claiming of Carer’s Allowance”.
What the charity says
Debra Blakey, chief executive of Carers Northumberland, said: “Having a caring responsibility shouldn’t mean that you no longer have choices. Carers have rights in the workplace, as well as having the right to decide what level of care they are comfortable providing without external support.
“Carers need to be fully supported if they are to continue caring effectively. We want carers to know they are being listened to and that they have rights which should be respected and addressed appropriately.
“Carers Northumberland are here to offer support, information, advice, and practical help to ensure carers are receiving everything that they are entitled to and how to access additional financial support.”
The charity says knowing your rights helps carers “feel confident asking for what you need, as well as challenging things when your rights are not being met”, whether at work, in education, with health and social care services or at home. Its aims for the day are to tell carers their rights, make sure they know where to get information, advice and support, and raise awareness of what carers need. It asks everyone else to talk to friends, family and neighbours about caring, and to push for carers to be spotted sooner at work and in the services they use.
What it means for you
If you look after someone and have never called yourself a carer, the Blyth event is a chance to find out what you may be entitled to without booking or paying. If you cannot get there, Carers Northumberland’s information line is on 01670 320025, by email at info@carersnorthumberland.org.uk, or through its website, where carers can also register with the charity.
Carers Northumberland was set up in 2008 and is based on Station Road, Ashington. It offers information and advice, workshops and training, carer groups, trips and activities, emergency planning tools and access to grants, for carers of any age. Its core funding comes from Northumberland County Council, the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board and Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust (CNTW), with project funding from the North East Combined Authority and support from charitable trusts and donations.
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