As the calendar year draws to a close, the team here at Carefree is taking a moment to look back and reflect on an extraordinary 2025. It has been a year defined by unwavering dedication: from the tireless unpaid carers we serve, to our incredible hotel partners, and, of course, our passionate Carefree team.
We couldn't do any of it without you—our supporters, partners, and the carers who entrust us with this precious time off. Join us as we dive into our biggest highlights of 2025, chosen by the Carefree team itself. Get ready for a heartwarming look at the moments, milestones, and magic that made this year truly special.
Our 2025 Statistics
Carefree hit some major milestones and we couldn't be prouder:
We signed up over 14,000 carers this year
We delivered over 6000 breaks
Our most popular month was October where we delivered 892 breaks total
88% of our carers said they would never have been able to take a break without us
And now onto our yearly highlights!
Introducing Biannual Breaks
We’ll start with a favourite from many of our team… the news that we’re officially moving to two breaks a year from January! Now all of our registered carers can book one break between January and June and another from July to December. The outpouring of love we got from this announcement was wonderful to see. Over the year, many of our carers have spoken about how a break isn’t just nice, but a lifeline for them and we couldn’t be happier to offer this opportunity not once, but twice now!
On The Airwaves With BBC London!
Unpaid carers like Susan and Gabrielle have described our short breaks as an "absolute lifeline." The BBC shared their stories, highlighting why rest is essential for those who dedicate their lives to caring for others. This was highlighted in an article and a TV spot, giving them a chance to tell their real stories and what a break with Carefree truly meant to them.
Read the full BBC article here
Gabrielle and our fantastic CEO, Charlotte Newman, also appeared on BBC London Radio to reiterate why having time to rest and recharge is so important and how emphasise how unused hotel rooms can be transformed into meaningful support for the UK's millions of unpaid carers.
Missed it? No worries! You can listen to the full episode here.
Building Our Brand With AI
One of our biggest breakthroughs this year was with tech! We’re always looking for innovative ways to deliver the best service we can and spread our service far and wide with our small team. The solution? No code AI.
“I’m CTO at Carefree—and I still can’t write code.” - Joey’s opening line at the West Midlands Funding Network conference. It made quite the impact. How does someone who doesn’t code run the tech stack of a national charity now serving over 40,000 verified carers and delivering 17,000+ hotel breaks to date? The answer, unpacked over lightning talks and a panel on Ethics & AI for Good, alleviated all those worries by explaining how pairing no-code platforms with AI assistants can help solve frontline bottlenecks and achieve a lot with a team of under ten people.
How are we using it? What does the future hold? Find out the full AI story in our tech catch up here.
NHS Thoughtful Thursday
Keeping on a roll with our tech, in November our CEO and CTO attended a Thoughtful Thursday session as part of NHS England’s Digital Prevention Services Portfolio to showcase how the tech-first element of our charity enables us to provide the best service that we can.
One of our CEO’s personal highlights of the year and Rachel Hope, Director, Digital Prevention Services Portfolio, NHS England had this to say.
A Carefree Break for an Invisible Army
During Carers week, we hosted a brand new photography exhibition: A Carefree Break for an Invisible Army. This exhibition was dedicated to sharing the powerful stories of some of the incredible unpaid carers we've had the privilege to support with a much-needed break.
Joined by carers, their families, and our valued hotel partners and invited guests, we celebrated the launch and the profound impact of a break for unpaid carers. The exhibition, in partnership with Invisible Army, beautifully captures the everyday challenges and joys of these remarkable individuals. The exhibition featured the images and story of six carers. Each talked about their lives, their joys, and what often goes on beneath the surface- as well as how a hotel break with Carefree made a real difference in their lives.
Want to read their individual stories? You can read them below!
Three Peaks Conquered for Carefree
Literal summits were traversed for Carefree this year! The team at Punch Hospitality chose us as their charity to fundraise for this year and fundraise they did! From raffles, to in office events, the summit of their efforts (excuse the pun) was traversing three separate peaks: 24 miles in total in one day! Amazing views. Plenty of blisters. A lot of laughs.
We couldn’t be more grateful for their continued efforts for us!
A Few Words From Our Carers This Year
“I haven't had a holiday in over 21 years. I am literally on call night and day, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It's exhausting. I just carry on, carrying on. I forget about myself. I don't count myself as an actual person with needs. Even when I'm poorly, I can't stop and just have to carry on. This break meant the world to me. I can't even explain how wonderful it made me feel. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. The hotel and staff were very nice and the food wasn't just lovely, I didn't have to clean up or wash the dishes. How wonderful to not feel guilty about such things!” - Trish, an unpaid carer who stayed at Telford Hotel, Spa
"The break was important to me because the stress of looking after my son was getting to me. I have come back full of the joys of spring, I feel I can cope with anything now. The hotel was great, and the staff were very friendly and helpful" – Carole, Stayed at Lumley Castle
"Breaks are important so I can focus on myself for once and come back to caring refreshed and positive. The constant demands of caring for a number of people with various needs is exhausting" – Natalie, Stayed at The Winchester Hotel
“I would like the hotel to know that they make a real difference and cannot underestimate the value and difference their generosity makes. My previous record for caring without a single day off (around the covid era) was 2 years 8 months so breaks like this make an indelible impact and uplift. The hotel made the visit special and personalised from the moment of arrival. In reception we were informed by staff of a room upgrade and additional breakfasts. Inside the room was a hand written personal welcoming note from the manager. Everyone at the hotel St. Giles were fantastic and have our sincere gratitude for the break and how they made it happen” - Kerie, Stayed at the St. Giles London
“It was so lovely to have some time to myself in a really nice environment. I could just be me, without having to worry about anyone else for a bit, and I loved being able to use the pool! Having a nice breakfast in the morning was great too!” - Patsy, stayed at Chesford Grange
And that’s just a handful! We had so many wonderful comments this year that you can pursue on our wall of love.
What will the future bring for Carefree? We have a few exciting developments up our sleeve so make sure to watch this space. In the meantime, we have a wonderful festive season and a restful new year.
This is Carefree saying, bring on 2026!
