Caring for a loved one can be rewarding but tiring. To avoid burnout, it’s important that carers get time to relax and have fun. In the lead-up to Carers Week 2024, we collaborated with Manchester Carers Forum, African Caribbean Care Group and Create to provide poetry workshops for carers across the city. These provided carers with some respite and an opportunity to explore their feelings in a creative way.
The workshops culminated in celebration events during Carers Week, where many carers read out their poems. The poems were also published in a booklet called ‘A Vibrant Bunch’, which you can download here!
The carers who attended the workshops described how they were both beneficial but that it was also challenging to explore feelings about being a carer:
“I found the Poetry Workshop really enjoyable and challenging at the same time. At first I thought I would not be able to write a lot being a carer which is demanding with not a lot of creative time but lo and behold the sessions released my imagination to write. I was pleasantly surprised.”
Case study
One of the workshop participants is a carer for her adult brother who has a physical disability, due to an error when having an operation. She provides all aspects of care to her brother. She is also a carer for her 12-year-old son has autism and Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). Due to the demands of her caring roles she is not working.
At the same time as the poetry workshops were taking place, her son was put into the care of family members, and she was not allowed to see him. The poetry workshops allowed her to take her mind of the things she was dealing with. It also gave her a sense of identity. She described that the time spent creatively during the workshop’s helped her “mentally, physically and spiritually”.
She was very appreciative of the opportunity to write poetry and for it to be published in the booklet and to read out her poetry to a wider audience in the celebration events.
One of the participants described the poetry workshops through creative writing:
“I would like to share with you my experiences of attending a Poetry Workshop Project which was held at the Windrush Centre, Manchester.
The last time I put pen to paper and wrote about my thoughts and feelings was a long long time ago.
Our facilitator Ben Mellor explained the benefits of Free Writing and writing poetry.
Actually putting pen or pencil to paper and Free Writing (anything that came into my head) was magic.
This Free Writing has taken me on a very interesting journey.
I became aware of my levels of concentration, feeling grounded, my mood improved.
All my Five Senses were heightened.
I have become more calm and staying in present moment.
This relaxed state helps me with my Demanding Carer Role.
Writing is Cathartic for me.
Gives me Peace.
Gives me Confidence.
I now write poetry and short stories.
Some of them I keep to myself and some I share.
There is No Right or Wrong.
It is also fascinating listening to other carers poetry.
An Absolutely Brilliant Course.
Thank you so much.
I am truly grateful.”
