Free Huntingdon workshop gives unpaid carers a say

Unpaid carers from across Cambridgeshire can help influence future local support at a free workshop on Friday 18 September. The session runs from 10.30am to 12.30pm at Huntingdon Library and is open to unpaid carers, young adult carers and people with lived experience of caring.

Cambridgeshire County Council is asking anyone interested in taking part to contact [email protected]. This is the first in a series of workshops running from September 2026 to March 2027, and participants are not expected to attend every session.

The Huntingdon workshop at a glance

The invitation includes people who care for family members, friends or neighbours. Local organisations and others interested in supporting carers are also being brought into the wider process.

Carers will help define future support priorities

The two-hour workshop is intended to move beyond collecting general feedback. Participants will discuss what future Adult Carers Support Services should prioritise, how support should be delivered and which outcomes those services should seek to achieve.

During the session, attendees will be able to:

• Explore priorities for future carers’ services.
• Describe the outcomes they want future support to deliver.
• Contribute to the council’s wider commissioning plans.

The work builds on views already shared by carers. According to the council, direct experience will help future services reflect both the needs of people providing unpaid care and those they support.

Graham Wilson, chair of the council’s Adults and Health Committee, said carers’ experiences were invaluable when deciding how future support should operate. He encouraged people with caring experience to take part and have a say in service development.

One session in a longer programme

Further workshops are planned through March 2027. The council says all involvement is welcome according to each person’s availability and interests, so attending the Huntingdon session does not create an expectation that someone will join every later meeting.

The workshops also contribute to the Big Conversation on Care, launched on 29 July. That national conversation is gathering public views about the future development of a National Care Service and how care and support could be provided in the years ahead.

For Cambridgeshire participants, the immediate focus remains local: defining priorities and desired outcomes for future Adult Carers Support Services in the county.

How to take part and request support

The council says it is committed to making the workshops accessible and inclusive. Anyone with accessibility requirements or communication needs should raise them when making contact so appropriate support can be discussed.

The published notice identifies Huntingdon Library as the venue but does not provide a street address or transport information. Prospective attendees can request further practical details, discuss access needs or register their interest by emailing [email protected].

Source: Cambridgeshire County Council