Carefree

Carefree’s mission is to fuel the future of unpaid caregiving. There are nearly 7 million unpaid caregivers in the UK providing 80% of home care, yet most of us are unaware of their contribution to society. Carefree’s goal is to fundamentally change the fabric of support for this remarkable, yet largely invisible, workforce. 67% of carers suffer mental or physical ill-health as a result of caregiving and 46% haven’t been able to take a break to tend to their own wellbeing in 5 years.

Carefree is reimagining how those who give unpaid care are recognised and supported within their communities. Through Carefree’s digital platform they transform donated assets like vacant hotel rooms, into active resources like short-break accommodation. Carefree’s plan is to convert 1% of the 1 million UK hotel rooms left unsold each week into short-stay accommodation for those in critical need of time away from their caring responsibilities. Excess capacity is a fact of life for every hotel and holiday cottage owner. Some of it is seasonal but much of it is year-round. Offering some of this surplus to caregivers for a short break has the potential to dramatically improve their wellbeing.

• They invite Hospitality Partners to donate accommodation with full control over the inventory
• They enable Community Partners to refer registered carers and amplify the impact of their service
• They provide carers with access to breaks in hotels and holiday cottages throughout the UK

The first award from Postcode Innovation Trust was used to develop their platform to enable a seamless flow of gifted inventory to eligible caregivers, bring in a customer success team to assist high-need users with their bookings and drive accommodation gifts, and market their offering to caregivers and the hospitality industry. 

The second award was used for business development purposes to support them to diversify their revenue streams, further improve their online platform and increase outreach and marketing activities to unpaid carers. 

Visit their website here: https://carefreespace.org/