Heidi WatsonSector leader

Biography

Heidi Watson has been Chief Executive Officer of Carers' Resource since April 2024. Carers' Resource is an independent Yorkshire charity that provides information, advice and emotional and practical support to unpaid carers of all ages across the Bradford, Harrogate, Craven and Selby districts. Watson has operated at CEO or Director level in charities and private sector organisations delivering social projects for over 20 years, including strategic oversight of national and local health and support worker teams assisting children and adults with congenital health conditions and their unpaid carers. She has significant experience working closely with local authorities, national government departments and NHS teams. Watson has publicly argued for greater recognition of the pressures facing unpaid carers and has co-operated with North Yorkshire Council on developing a regional carers strategy.

References

1. 1.Our team – Carers' Resource — Confirms Watson's role as CEO from April 2024, her 20+ years at CEO/Director level, and her background working with NHS teams and local authorities
2. 2.Carers UK open letter to Secretary of State for Work and Pensions — Identifies Heidi Watson as CEO of Carers' Resource and signatory to a national open letter on unpaid carer support
3. 3.Carers Week 2024 – Putting carers on the map – Carers' Resource — Records Watson speaking publicly about the scale of unpaid caring and the pressures carers face
4. 4.Public urged to help shape support for county's unpaid carers – Harrogate Informer — Watson quoted as CEO on Carers' Resource's role co-developing North Yorkshire Council's draft carers strategy
5. 5.Contact Carers' Resource

Expertise

Cited on

• Unpaid carers

Stated areas of expertise

• Unpaid carer support
• Carer identification and recognition
• Health and social care workforce
• Voluntary sector leadership
• Carer wellbeing policy
• Local authority and NHS partnerships

Notable achievements

• Signed Carers UK open letter to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in her capacity as CEO of Carers' Resource, calling for improved support for unpaid carers. Source ↗
• Led Carers' Resource's involvement in co-developing North Yorkshire Council's draft 'Caring for All' unpaid carers strategy, published for public consultation in August 2026. Source ↗
• Publicly championed Carers Week 2024, drawing attention to census data showing over 45,000 unpaid carers in the Bradford district alone. Source ↗

What they’ve said

• “Carers' Resource has worked closely with North Yorkshire Council and other partners to prepare this draft strategy using the experience and knowledge gained by supporting unpaid carers in Harrogate, Craven and Selby for 30 years.”

  Chief Executive Officer of Carers' Resource · Unpaid carers · 10 Aug 2026 · Craven residents asked to help shape support for unpaid carers ↗

Source references

1. Craven residents asked to help shape support for unpaid carerscravenherald.co.uk · 10 Aug 2026

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://www.carersresource.org/about/team/
• LinkedInhttps://uk.linkedin.com/in/heidi-watson-22427766
• Websitehttps://www.carersresource.org/contact/

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.