Vacant hotel rooms become 'lifeline' for carers

Susan Copping said she enjoys "sleeping, reading and not watching the clock" when she takes her respite breaks

Carers have described a charity that offers them a night or two of respite care as an "absolute lifeline".

Carefree connects unpaid carers with hotels that have spare capacity - something Gabrielle Warner took advantage of just before Christmas.

Her seven-year-old son Arlo is autistic, non-verbal, and has a sensory processing disorder. She also has a young daughter.

Arlo needs round-the-clock care, and Ms Warner has not had a night away with her partner Charlie for more than two years.

Gabrielle Warner said her break with partner Charlie was "a lifeline"

Ms Warner, who lives with her family in New Haw in Surrey, described Arlo as "a cuddly, loving little boy" but said life as a full-time carer is tough.

"Being a parent to a child with special needs is so much more than being a parent.

"You are their 24-hour watcher. You cannot leave them alone.

"It's not just the caring aspect which is 24/7.

"It's the constant worry. You can't get away from it … And I think you're physically tired.

"You're drained by the end of the day- there's so much you have to do. There's so much you go through."

The Carefree charity verifies the carers in need of respite and connects them with available hotels.

In the run-up to Christmas last year, Gabrielle and Charlie stayed at Nobu Hotel London Shoreditch, in east London.

"For the first time in a very long time we were able to leave the hotel and just walk and just look at the shops - just to walk around and hold each others hands and go for a meal and chat. It was so lovely - it was so nice."

Susan Copping and her 103-year-old mother find Susan's breaks give them something new to chat about

Susan Copping, a full time carer for her 103-year-old mum, has just spent two nights at a hotel in Islington with her daughter thanks to Carefree.

She, like Ms Warner, particularly enjoyed the feeling of not being "on duty".

"I can sleep. I can read. I can do a crossword. And I don't have to think about the clock.

She said she was reinvigorated after her break - and it also gave her a new topic of conversation to have with her mother.

"I have something extra to tell her about. I can show her the pictures of what we've seen and what we've done."

'It's a no-brainer'

Carefree is currently working with 14 hotel groups, including Axiom Hospitality which has 25 hotels in the programme - including 13 in central London.

Anael Peu from Axiom said the scheme benefits the community as well as the carers.

"Hotels don't sell all the rooms every single night.

"The fact that we can give these unsold rooms to people for a better use was a no brainer - when they come they don't just come to stay the night.

"They have a packed agenda. They go and see shows, art exhibitions and so on."

Carefree chief executive Charlotte Newman said they use "technology-led solutions" to provide respite care without a cost to the cash-strapped social care sector.

"Carers are very much an invisible part of our society when it comes to who is providing the backbone of our health and social care system.

"So the fact that they are identified, they're recognised, they're congratulated and supported to continue their caring role and also it's something that makes a genuine and positive difference to their life."