Carefree, the award-winning tech-first charity that turns donated hotel rooms into life changing breaks for unpaid carers, has recently announced it has delivered its 20,000th break. The milestone reflects a significant acceleration in the charity’s growth and a growing recognition of the urgent need for carer respite across the UK.
Carefree works by connecting full-time unpaid carers with donated hotel rooms giving carers (and a companion) access to two 1-2 night stays for a small admin fee. Since its founding in 2017, the charity has grown from a small tech start-up to one of the UK’s most innovative digital charities for carer support with almost 50,000 carers now registered on its platform, and 230 hotel partners from 17 different hotel groups providing rooms across the UK. With each break valued at an average commercial rate of £275 ,Carefree has mobilised over £5.5 million worth of donated accommodation for the social care sector, at a fraction of the cost of traditional respite support. Where a typical carer break grant is up to £300, Carefree delivers the same outcome for just £38, thanks to its model using donated hotel capacity. For stretched councils and funders, that’s not just a social good, it’s a significant saving.
The scale of the need
There are an estimated 5.8million unpaid carers in the UK, with 1.7 million of them providing 50 or more hours of unpaid care per week (Census 2021, ONS) and saving the public purse an estimated £184 billion a year – the equivalent of the entire NHS budget. Yet 68% say they are unable to get a break when they need one (Carers Trust). Carefree’s model offers a solution that costs nothing to the public purse, instead unlocking the estimated one million unsold hotel rooms available across the UK every week.
Of the 20,000 carers who have now taken a break through Carefree:
- 95% say their break improved their wellbeing
- 78% had not had a break in over a year
- 88% say the break would not have happened without Carefree’s service
Charlotte Newman, CEO of Carefree, said:
“20,000 breaks is a number, but behind each one is a person who has given an enormous amount of themselves – often for years – without respite, without recognition, and often without support. That a single night away can change someone’s outlook so profoundly says everything about how little we ask of the system to make a real difference. We’re proud of how far we’ve come, we’re a tiny team creating a massive impact,and we know we’re only scratching the surface. There are 5.8 million full-time carers in the UK who need this. We’re just getting started.”