Carers Trust’s Partnership with Bloom & Wild
Bloom & Wild, the UK’s most-loved online florist, has been supporting Carers Trust since October 2020. For every Florist’s Pick bouquet that Bloom & Wild sells, £1 is donated to Carers Trust.. Their florists refresh the limited-edition seasonal blooms every four weeks, so they’re always changing.
Bloom & Wild customers have helped raise more than £600,000 for unpaid carers. This funding has helped support up to 2,000 unpaid carers through practical and wellbeing support, crucial training essential to their personal development, and over 1,000 items they need to deliver their caring roles. For Black Friday, Bloom & Wild donated an additional £25,000 to support Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal’s Respite Fund for Carers, helping up to 2,500 unpaid carers access much-needed breaks.
Until early November, three bouquets designed by young adult carers Billie, Juwariah and Ramla, supported by Carers Trust’s local carer organisations, will be available to buy, with £1 from every bouquet sold donated to Carers Trust.
An example of their support’s strong impact is £100,000 from the Bloom & Wild donation which has helped provide 400 carers and their families with essential household items including washing machines, cookers and beds. Read below to see some of the impact this has had on the lives of unpaid carers.
We are hugely proud of our partnership. Follow the partnership on @CarersTrust and @BloomandWild Twitter and Instagram channels and keep up to date with our exciting initiatives.
Making a difference with a Carers Trust grant
Bloom & Wild support helps Carers Trust deliver impactful programmes and grants where they are most needed. Grants are one crucial way that Bloom & Wild helps support unpaid carers.
Melanie was awarded a grant of £200 towards the cost of a course in Sports Massage Therapy, thanks to Bloom & Wild support
“I wanted to try something new and completely out of my comfort zone when I was trying to decide whether or not to change jobs. With caring for my parents, who live with me, as well as my husband and being parent to two teenagers, I wanted to explore a profession that could work around all of my caring commitments…I wouldn’t have had the opportunity if it wasn’t for the grant I received. Thank you so much.”
Dave is in his 60s and cares for his wife who has a number of health conditions including Fibromyalgia and COPD.
Dave’s caring role is very intense and demanding, it is affecting his sleep and he’s struggling emotionally as he has no break from caring. Dave loves going fishing, he says that “everything, to a point, is forgotten about” when he is fishing.
His Carer Support Worker says that “Dave has expressed that his head feels like a pressure cooker. He doesn’t really do anything else for himself so this respite and time off would be hugely beneficial – it’s his escape”.
Dave has been awarded a grant of £182, funded by the Bloom & Wild donation, which will fund 7 fishing sessions, enabling him to take a much-needed break from caring, relieving some of the stress he is under.
Nadya is 42 and cares for her mother who has cancer.
She lives with her mother and cares for her full-time, providing a huge amount of emotional and physical support. Nadya struggles to make time for herself, which is impacting on her mental health. Nadya’s bedframe is broken and her mattress is very old, meaning that it is uncomfortable and causes her to have constant backache. Nadya has anxiety which is exacerbated by the fact that she is not sleeping well. She has been awarded a grant of £250, funded by the Bloom & Wild donation, to purchase a new bed.
Her Carer Support Worker says “the bed will enable Nadya to have a good rest and a good night’s sleep which will result in her own physical and mental health rapidly improving”.
Building recognition and awareness of unpaid carers
Together, we are building recognition and awareness of unpaid carers across the UK, who care for their loved ones every day, and provide a platform to share their stories.
Many young and young adult carers have seen an increase of 30 hours or more in the amount of time they spend caring every week, and almost two thirds of adult carers are now spending 50 hours or more per week caring. It is now more important than ever to recognise, reach and support them.
Through raising valuable funds and using our collective voices to share stories and campaigns through social media and through Bloom & Wild’s creative platform, Care Wildly, we aim to have a huge impact.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to give unpaid carers across the UK a larger platform to be recognised for the incredible care they give to friends, family, and loved ones every day. Bloom & Wild’s philosophy and ethos of recognising those who Care Wildly, has great synergy with Carers Trust. That’s why we’re excited about the impact and reach that this partnership will have for unpaid carers.”
Svetlana Kirov, Executive Director of Fundraising, Carers Trust
“We may not realise it, but many of us know an unpaid carer. The friend who’s looking after their terminally ill mum. The parent who left their job to care for a child with special needs. The teenager missing college to help a sibling struggling with mental health. As a company who sees the huge impact that care has on others - this really struck a chord with us. We wanted to do more to recognise the people who endlessly care wildly for others. So, we’re proud to support Carers Trust and the work they do to support these incredible people, so they can live a better life themselves.”
Charlotte Langley, VP Brand & Communications, Bloom & Wild
Providing opportunities for young carers
Bloom & Wild is helping to protect young carers’ futures by providing them with opportunities with their team to grow their confidence, share their work and inspire future careers.