By Matthew McKenzie – Cygnet PCREF Carer Lead & Carer Ambassador
Cygnet PCREF Carer Lead & Carer Ambassador
On 4 August 2026, unpaid carers, professionals and people with lived experience came together at Cygnet Churchill for the second Voices & Verses Carers Poetry Event. The purpose of the afternoon was not simply to read poetry, but to create a safe space where carers could express experiences that are often overlooked within mental health services.
The event formed part of Cygnet’s ongoing commitment to the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF) by exploring how creativity, culture and storytelling can strengthen co-production and improve relationships between carers and services.
By Matthew McKenzie – Carer, Campaigner, Author and Speaker
5 June 2026 – Supporting Kent County Council’s Carer Awareness Campaign
Although not officially part of Carers Week, my activities with Kent County Council formed an important part of my ongoing commitment to raising awareness of unpaid carers. I supported the county’s long-term carer awareness campaign by taking part in filming designed to help train council staff to better recognise and support carers.
I also discussed future opportunities to speak at Kent County Council carer groups and continued promoting my own support groups across the county. It was encouraging to see local government investing in carer awareness and recognising the importance of ensuring carers are identified, valued and supported within their communities.
9 June 2026 – Developed Video promotion for Carers Week 2026
I did my bit to raise awareness of Carers Week 2026 via a video I developed, which you can see below.
8 June 2026 – Carers Week Stall at St George’s University Hospital
Carers Week officially began with a rewarding day at St George’s University Hospital, where I hosted a Carers UK information stall. The event provided an opportunity to engage directly with unpaid carers, patients, hospital staff and visitors, sharing information about the support available to carers both locally and nationally.
On Tuesday 28th April 2026, from 2:00pm to 4:00pm, we came together at Cygnet Churchill in Lambeth for what was described as a carers poetry event, but in truth, it became something much deeper.
It became a space where carers could speak, reflect, and be heard.
I hosted the session not just as a PCREF Carer Lead, but as someone with lived experience. That shaped everything the tone, the structure, and the intention behind every part of the agenda.
I made it clear: this was a safe, inclusive, and optional space. No pressure to perform. No expectation to share. Just an invitation.
We began with a simple check-in: “What’s one word you’re arriving with?”
Opening Readings: Creating a Shared Starting Point
I started with a couple of my own poems, drawn from my work around carers, stigma, and racial inequality in mental health.
As shown above, one piece explored the question of who is listened to and who is overlooked within systems. Another focused on stigma and shame, particularly how cultural expectations and institutional barriers can compound the experience of caring.
These weren’t just readings—they were a way of opening the room. An invitation for others to see themselves reflected.
Featured Performer: Karen Ibrahim
We then heard from Karen Ibrahim, whose poetry captured something deeply familiar to many carers the quiet, often invisible emotional labour of caring.
Her piece reflected the silence between carer and loved one, the fear of saying the wrong thing, and the reality of sitting with someone in distress without always knowing how to help. It spoke to that fragile balance carers hold every day.
Karen also shared a series of haiku-style reflections, drawn from carer experiences—short, powerful snapshots of emotion, nature, and coping. They reminded us that even the smallest expressions can carry deep meaning.
Guided Writing Exercise #1: Bringing PCREF to Life
We then moved into the first guided writing exercise.
I paired participants and asked them to:
Match PCREF-related concepts (like equity, advocacy, inclusion, resilience) to their meanings
Use those words to create a short poem or reflection
It was about translating PCREF from policy into lived language.
The results were powerful. Carers wrote about 4 poems altogether, below were the themes, which will be included in the new PCREF poetry book I am working on.
Feeling unseen and unheard
Wanting their voice recognised
Breaking down barriers in care
Finding strength through community
One group asked: “Is my voice not loud enough to be heard?”
I felt that line stayed with me, because it captures exactly what PCREF is trying to address.
Performer & Open Mic (Round 1)
We then moved into our first round of performances, where carers shared both prepared and newly written work.
I felt Brenda brought something unique, blending cultural storytelling and poetry rooted in Jamaican heritage. She reflected on traditional knowledge, community wisdom, and the use of language and folklore as a way of preserving identity and healing. Her use of dialect and storytelling highlighted how culture shapes how we express and understand care.
Next was Annette Davis shared a piece centred on the identity of being a carer, capturing the emotional strain, lack of recognition, and inner strength that comes with the role. Her poem questioned what it means to be labelled a “carer” while navigating burnout, resilience, and the need for self-care.
Next up was Faith Smith and Nadine sharing a powerful reflection on system inequality, exploring the daily pressures of navigating services, the lack of accessible support, and the feeling of being caught in processes that don’t always respond to real-life needs.
Each piece added another layer to the conversation, with different perspectives, but shared truths.
Break & Connection
We paused for a short break and refreshments provided by the kind and wonderful staff at cygnet, but for the poetry event the conversations didn’t stop.
Carers continued to connect. Share stories. and reflected on what they had heard.
This is something I always emphasise, community doesn’t just happen in structured sessions. It happens in those in-between moments.
Creative Exercise session #2: Exploring PCREF Language
After the break, I introduced a second exercise, which was more interactive and reflective.
Participants worked with a word-search style challenge, identifying key PCREF-related terms such as:
Voice
Inclusion
Equity
Community
Trust
Advocacy
Listening
Stereotyping
Rather than writing full poems, we focused on discussion: Which word stands out and why?
The responses were honest and grounded:
“Listening builds trust.”
“Community is where we belong.”
“Inclusion is what drives change.”
“Stereotyping still shapes how we’re treated.”
This is where PCREF becomes real, when people recognise themselves within it.
Performer & Open Mic (Round 2)
We continued with a second round of performances.
Carers shared reflections shaped by:
Cultural identity
Personal caring journeys
The emotional impact of systems
Hope, resilience, and change
Then ended with cultural carer songs by Brenda, see the video of part of the PCREF poetry session below.
In the end PCREF is about improving outcomes for racialised communities—but it cannot succeed if it remains purely clinical.
We:
Translated PCREF into lived experience
Used creativity to engage carers meaningfully
Created a culturally responsive space
Positioned carers as equal voices not passive participants
If you are caring for someone using Cygnet services, contact Family&Friends@cygnethealth.co.uk to join our Voices & Verses poetry group
By Matthew McKenzie, Carer Ambassador, Cygnet Health Care
On Friday 13th June 2025, I had the privilege of attending and speaking at Cygnet Health Care’s National Carers Event, hosted at Cygnet Churchill in Lambeth, London. The event brought together carers, staff, professionals, and advocates to reflect on the vital role of unpaid carers who step up daily out of love, resilience, and responsibility, often with little recognition.
Carers Week is always a powerful reminder that caring touches us all – and Cygnet’s event this year was especially moving and informative. It offered a platform for carers to share their lived experience, influence policy, and strengthen our collective voice.
Agenda Highlights
The day opened with a warm welcome from Laura Sheridan & Shane Mills, setting the tone for a day grounded in empathy and collaboration. We heard from a range of speakers including:
Susan Hartnell-Beavis, sharing practical tools for supporting carers.
Kate Mercer and Carly Ellicott, who both championed carer involvement in care planning and research.
John Bangs OBE, who brought a national perspective on carer rights and policy.
Dr Angela Misra, who tackled the health implications of caregiving.
Julian de Takats and Matthew McKenzie (myself), focusing on empowering carers’ voices.
We also had insights from Dr Henk Swanepoel & Sophie Borg, who presented on collaborative approaches with carers in mental health services.
Welcome to another blog post from carer activist Matthew McKenzie. As a carer I find it vital that carers of those going through mental ill health get a chance for engagement from services. Friends and families tend to hidden away supporting their loved ones. They want the best support, but often struggle to be heard.
As one of the carer ambassadors for Cygnet health care, I was delighted to attend and support their latest carer network event. There have been a series of carer network events taking place around Cygnet sites and the latest one was held over at Cygnet Hospital over in Harrow. The event was planned in coproduction by Laura Sheridan Group Service Improvement Manager for Cygnet. Laura helps lead on the carer network programme and triangle of care focus at Cygnet.
For our latest carer event we had a fantastic line up of speakers. Cygnet health care want carers to be part of their network and want carers to be involved by leading from the front. Our first speaker was Lesley Mellor who is Parent Carer. She is also one of the carer ambassadors for Cygnet health care. Lesley shared her knowledge about the importance of including carers and the promise that Cygnet health care will be there to support unpaid carers.
The next speaker was Sharon Spurling who is the Triangle of Care Programme Lead at Carers Trust. Cygnet Health care wants to strenghen its policies to have that carer focus. The triangle of care programme offers that chance to raise carer identification and engagement to the highest standard. Several of Cygnet hospitals are working on triangle of care standards at their sites. With carers at our latest network event, it was a chance to promote what triangle of care is all about.
We also had Julie Garbett present about Julie is a Regional Nurse Director (London and South), Cygnet Julie is a registered mental health nurse of 20 years, with a vast range of experience gained working for NHS Mental Health Trusts and CMHTS in the South East. Julie spoke about how important carers are to Cygnet. Julie helped identify how carers are not just one group, unpaid carers can be anyone.
At the event carers were looked after with a lovely meal and a chance to network with speakers and with other carers.
We then heard from Matthew Gill who is Director of Psychology Services Midlands at Cygnet. He is a Consultant Forensic Psychologist with over 20 years of experience. Matthew is a committee member for the British Psychological Society and an AIMS assessor for the Royal College of Psychiatry. Matthew spoke about the importance of talking therapies. You can see from one of the slides on what Matthew covered below.
It was important we get to hear from the lived experience voice of the carer. Julian de Takats – Parent carer told his story and his thoughts about the carer experience. Julian as another carer ambassodor for cygnet health is passionate about carers being able to network and working together in a peer environment. Julian worked in the music industry before accidentally becoming a carer. Julian has been an active member of the Cygnet Carers Network since 2022 and is now proudly an Expert by Experience Carer Ambassador.
Next up to present at the carer network event was Dr Richard Church who is the Medical Director, Cygnet Hospital Woking. Dr Church studied medicine at the University of Cambridge and undertook general psychiatric training at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. After working in the NHS for over 15 years, in November 2017, Dr Church joined Cygnet Woking as Medical Director and Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist. Dr Richard spoke about the barriers carers face when speaking to services. Richard gave an honest presentation that cygnet also faces challenges when working with carers, but he also gave thoughts on how cygnet with working with those challenges.
My thoughts summing up the event
The location, theme, presentations and speakers were excellent. Time and time again I state it is important the mental health, social care and health providers hold engagement events on what they offer to carers. It is not enough to promote an offer to carers as unpaid carers need to be involved and also need empowered to network, develop peer skills and work with providers.
Cygnet health care are setting an example that carers play an important part of recovery. Carers should not be hidden away struggling to support and provide care. I do admit that health and social care is struggling with the challenges they face, but we all need to work together. I hope we continue to reach out to carers, promote carer focused policies and be held to account on our promise to carers. This is a new journey for cygnet, but we want to share the journey with our carers.
