Hosted by YMCA Fairthorne Group and The Children's Society, the festival gives young carers aged 11 to 17 a rare opportunity to take a break from their caring responsibilities, meet other young people who understand their experiences and simply enjoy being children.

Over the course of the weekend, our young carers threw themselves into a wide range of activities, including skateboarding, water sports, dance workshops, inflatable obstacle challenges, live performances and a spectacular fireworks display.

Thanks to the generous support of Sue Osborne and her Women’s Institute committee, we were able to take twice as many young carers to this year's festival as we did in 2024. The trip was also made possible through the support of Mimi Phung, Philanthropy Manager at The Mercers' Company, whose help with our funding application was invaluable.

"I loved exploring activities that I have never participated before with my friends and overall meeting new people in a supportive environment." 

One of our young carers who took part in the festival

Our group was supported throughout the weekend by our dedicated volunteers and sessional workers Jason, Chrissy, Aamir and Bertram, whose calm approach and encouragement helped ensure every young person felt included and able to make the most of the experience.

We would also like to thank Edward Thomas & Son's Coach Company for stepping in at short notice to provide transport for our return journey after another booking was unexpectedly cancelled.

Most importantly, we are incredibly proud of the 20 young carers who attended. Throughout the weekend they showed kindness, resilience and support for one another, representing Kingston Carers Network with great maturity while embracing every opportunity the festival had to offer.

"I made loads of friends and have a fantastic time. It is fun because they don’t judge for who you are." 

One of our young carers who took part in the festival

We would like to thank The Children's Society and YMCA Fairthorne Group for organising another outstanding Young Carers Festival, and the more than 250 volunteers who gave their time to prepare meals, run activities and support young carers throughout the weekend. Their dedication helped create a welcoming and unforgettable experience for everyone involved.

Find out more about the Young Carers Festival, and their plans for an even bigger 2027.

The awards were hosted as part of a partnership event organised by Kingston Voluntary Action, Kingston Council and other voluntary organisations and charities across the borough, celebrating the dedicated volunteers and teams making a real difference in Kingston’s communities.

Amanda Simner received Highly Commended in the Unsung Hero category, while John Bangs was Highly Commended in the Lifetime Achievement category.

Amanda has volunteered with Kingston Young Carers for nearly 10 years, supporting everything from office administration to weekly peer support sessions and holiday activities for young carers. During the pandemic, she also helped deliver activity packs, food parcels and essential supplies to families.

Her colleagues describe her as “the kind of person you genuinely want to bottle and keep forever” – a reflection of the warmth and reliability she brings to every aspect of her volunteering.

John has spent more than 30 years championing carers, both while working for Surrey County Council and after retiring. Since then, he has helped to raise awareness through creative projects including the Young Carers in Bunnyland and Young Carers in Space books, developed alongside author and illustrator Ana Graça and our young carers.

Earlier this year, Young Carers in Space reached an extraordinary milestone when it was selected as a CBBC Bedtime Story. It is the first time ever one of their bedtime stories has centred on a young carer, a remarkable achievement reflecting John’s determination to make young carers a topic of national conversation.

“Both Amanda and John are the kind of people who quietly get on with making an enormous difference. They don’t seek recognition, but over many years they have devoted so much of their time, energy and commitment to Kingston Carers Network, and we are incredibly grateful for everything they do.”

Jess Burrows, Volunteers Manager

Congratulations to Amanda and John on this well-deserved recognition, and thank you for everything you do for carers across Kingston.

A highlight of the week was our Connection and Celebration Event, co-hosted with Carers UK at The Fircroft Trust in Surbiton. Over one hundred people joined us for a day of conversation, connection and recognition. We were privileged to be joined by Ed Davey MP, Alison Bennett MP and Helen Walker, Chief Executive at Carers UK.

Carers of all ages had the opportunity to hear from and speak with them, sharing the realities of caring - from the challenges and pressures to the moments of pride and fulfilment - and discussing what can be done to create truly carer-friendly communities.

The event also included creative activities, games and a lucky dip made possible by the generosity of local businesses who donated a range of fantastic prizes.

One carer shared with us that it was “the best day of their year so far” - a wonderful reflection of what the week has been all about.

Throughout the week, we also focused on helping more carers to be recognised and supported. We launched our new Local Health Professionals Toolkit, designed to help healthcare staff identify unpaid carers, understand the impact of caring and connect carers with local support.

We wrote to every GP practice in the borough and hand delivered information packs, leaflets and posters to practices across Kingston. Several surgeries are now displaying our resources on waiting room screens and self-check-in systems, helping more carers learn about the support available to them.

Young carers were also at the heart of the week. Our Young Carers team visited King’s Oak Primary School in New Malden to deliver an assembly exploring what caring responsibilities can look like for children and young people.

Two pupils shared their own experiences as young carers, helping bring the message to life for their peers. We are incredibly grateful to the school for supporting our work through a fundraising mufti day, which has raised an incredible £641.

Alongside this awareness-raising work, carers were able to access practical advice, information and wellbeing opportunities.

Our Benefits and Tribunal Representative hosted a Benefits and Lasting Power of Attorney Open Day, supporting carers with topics including Universal Credit and future planning. We were delighted to help complete two Lasting Power of Attorney applications from start to finish during the day.

Carers also came together at a coffee morning co-hosted with Your Healthcare CIC and were able to access a health and wellbeing check drop-in session with Kathy Wong, Health Engagement Officer at Kingston Voluntary Action.

Adult carers then enjoyed free beauty and wellbeing treatments kindly offered by Kingston College Beauty Therapy students, while our Young Carers Resilience and Peer Support Group took part in a special yoga session with Rebekah Arkle from All Shapes Yoga.

Our Youth Group were delighted to be joined by two artists, Jamal Mansaray and Muhammad Hassan, who supported the group to explore painting, poetry and Japanese calligraphy around the theme of belonging, support and inclusion as young carers.

We rounded off the week with a social picnic at Hampton Court Palace, giving carers the chance to enjoy the surroundings and strengthen the connections that are so important when caring can sometimes feel isolating.

Thank you to every carer, partner, volunteer and supporter who took part in Carers Week and helped make it such a success. By working alongside local people and organisations, we hope to continue building a more carer-friendly Kingston where every carer feels seen, heard and supported.

We would also like to thank Sorrento Restaurant, Hampton Court Palace Music Festival organisers MARI Group, Hollywood Bowl Tolworth, Health by Serena, Historic Royal Palaces and The Entertainer Kingston for generously donating prizes for our Connection and Celebration Event.