How the Mobilise community helped shape BBC Caring Matters Week

As part of the first BBC’s Caring Matters Week, which ran from 23rd-30th May 2026, our co-founder and Chief Carer Officer, Suzanne Bourne, along with carers from the Mobilise community were on BBC Radio 5 Live, talking about what unpaid caring really looks like in day-to-day life.

What made these appearances particularly meaningful is that Suzanne wasn’t just sharing her own perspective - she was reflecting what hundreds of carers in the Mobilise community had told the BBC just a few weeks earlier, in their survey on unpaid caring. Mobilise put it out to our community and over 600 of us responded, with those responses going on to help shape the themes running through Caring Matters Week, including in coverage of the programme Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together.

One figure from the survey stood out for us: more than a third of us said someone in our household had to give up work to care, which is a stark number, but also points to something deeper, that is, the ripple effect caring has on work, income, identity, and long-term security. Behind every percentage is one of us making a decision we never expected to face.

On air, Suzanne spoke very honestly about this. She talked about how some of us are being pushed into “heat or eat” choices as everyday costs keep rising and she challenged how self-care is usually talked about, because for most carers, self-care doesn’t look like a spa day or a meal out. It’s more like finishing a hot drink before it goes cold, or tackling the complexity of covering caring so we can attend our own healthcare appointments and have time to recover too.

Throughout the interviews, Suzanne, and other carers from the Mobilise community, powerfully championed our voices giving deep insight into our caring lives. Suzanne also  shared how Mobilise’s 24/7 online community and app is helping carers to feel less isolated via practical advice, emotional support, and connection with others who understand their experience.