This week’s person of the week is actually people.

They come from Whitehaven, Workington, Carlisle, Penrith and all points in between.

There are many of them and yet, we hear every day how there are not enough and without them people in hospital, well enough to go home, are bed blocking because they cannot be discharged.

We are talking, of course, about carers, the people who go into homes to take care of those unable to do it for themselves.

For those lucky enough to have a care package, the results can be fantastic.

Not only do these carers help people to function at home, but they also bring the outside world with them.

Many of their clients are living solitary, lonely lives. Some no longer have the capacity to step outside of their own homes.

The carers bring the world in. The client is suddenly not alone but is sharing the lives of these carers, many of them much younger than themselves.

Carers come in all shapes and sizes. Some are super efficient. They have got the care routine working like a well-oiled machine. Others have less experience which means they might be a little slower or might forget tiny detail - but never enough to cause any real harm to the client.

There are reablement carers. They are the ones who arrive after a patient comes from hospital. Their job is to be on hand to help but also to encourage independence and to help a client to regain confidence in the familiar surroundings of their own home.

When it is obvious that longer-term care will be needed, the carers takeover.

This is where this week’s people of the week becomes a bit personal because we are on the receiving end of some of that care.

We have people calling four times a day for half an hour each.They are all the ones I have described above and they all share one thing in common.

That one thing is not what they are paid for. In fact that one thing is many little things. Paramount, however, is their kindness to the client. When the spouse is tired and grumpy, they come in and make everyone feel better. They shower kindness on their clients but also on the family.

We have experienced them running small errands for us in their own free time. They sometimes come in feeling tired, dispirited or under the weather but the client would never know it.

To all of you, from all of us: Thank you!