Bristol-based charity The Green House scoops top prize at 2026 GSK IMPACT Awards

The Green House, a charity based in Bristol and serving Bristol, Bath, North and East Somerset, and South Gloucestershire, has been named overall winner of one of the UK’s most prestigious awards for small and medium-sized charities, in recognition of its exceptional support for children and young people who have experienced child sexual abuse (CSA).  

Following a rigorous assessment and selection process, the Green House was chosen from a record number of high-calibre award entries to win the top honour at the 2026 GSK IMPACT Awards, which is awarded by global biopharma company GSK in partnership with leading health and care charity The King’s Fund. The charity was awarded the prize at a ceremony held in central London last night, Wednesday 13 May.  

Now in its 29 year, the GSK IMPACT Awards celebrate outstanding small and medium-sized charities working to improve people’s health and wellbeing in the UK. As overall winners, the Green House will receive £50,000 in unrestricted funding as well as a place on a highly coveted leadership development provided by The King’s Fund.  

Each year an estimated 500,000 children experience sexual abuse before the age of 16*. Research shows that 15% of girls and 5% of boys are affected, with around half of reported offences occurring within the family. The impacts of child sexual abuse are profound and long-lasting, linked to depression, anxiety and eating disorders, and with 73% of survivors living with post-traumatic stress disorder. Yet stigma and silence mean many cases go unreported until adulthood, and statutory services often lack the confidence and skills to respond effectively. 

The Green House is the only free, local specialist provider of support for children and young people aged 4–18 who have experienced sexual abuse in the area. Established in 1975 as the Avon Sexual Abuse Centre, the charity began as a volunteer-led organisation supporting women. Today, it offers a wide range of specialist services, including one-to-one therapy using creative arts, such as drama, play, music and painting, to help address the trauma of CSA. The charity also runs an innovative 12-week nature-based creative therapy group programme for young people aged 14–18, and provides support for parents and carers through one-to-one sessions, regular drop-ins, family days and an online self-guided course, Taste of Recovery. 

The judges were particularly struck by the charity’s deep commitment to amplifying survivor voices and honouring lived experience, alongside its innovative ‘whole-family’ approach. By offering survivors of child sexual abuse timely access to specialist therapy and providing families with independent support the charity ensures compassionate, holistic care for everyone affected. 

The judges praised the Green House for its outstanding partnership working, influence on national policy and strong collaboration with local services, including schools, child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), social care, police and health teams. Together, these partnerships help ensure professionals across the community have the knowledge, tools and confidence to support children and families affected by sexual abuse. 

Through its BlueStar project, the Green House has played a pivotal role in challenging outdated national policy by highlighting barriers to pre-trial therapy for children and young people. By addressing the long-held misconception that therapy could compromise criminal cases, the project helped prompt the Crown Prosecution Service to update its guidance in 2023. BlueStar now delivers training on pre-trial therapy and has developed standards endorsed by the Crown Prosecution Service and the National Police Chiefs’ Council. 

The charity has also worked closely with mental health services, carrying out a national scoping exercise of 235 CAMHS to identify barriers to access. This work has led to a two-year Trauma-Pathfinder Referral pilot with five local CAMHS sites, helping to integrate specialist child sexual abuse support and strengthen pathways of care within local communities. 

Commenting on the win, Susan O’Connor, Trustee of The Green House, said: ‘We are absolutely delighted to be chosen as the overall winner from an incredible group of charities doing outstanding work across the health and care sector. This award is a testament to our children and young people and the dedicated team, who go above and beyond every day to provide sensitive services for survivors and their families. The funding, training and development provided by the GSK IMPACT Awards Leadership Network will help us raise our profile, share our learning and, most importantly, continue working to end the stigma and silence surrounding child sexual abuse and assault and creating a world where survivors feel seen, heard and supported.’   

Preet Kaur Gill, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Innovation and Safety, Department of Health and Social Care, said: 

‘You can’t put a price on the difference these charities make. Rooted in their communities, they support people with empathy, dignity and trust in ways that truly change lives every day. The Green House sets a gold standard for what this looks like in practice. These charities are a vital part of a wider health and care ecosystem, alongside the NHS, local government and others, and collaboration across that system will be crucial to building services fit for the future and fit for its people. 

‘The winners reflect the direction set out in the 10 Year Plan for Health, and I’m delighted to see their work recognised tonight.’  

Sir Jonathan Symonds, Chair, GSK, said: ‘The Green House stands out for its innovation, care and determination to support children and young people who have experienced sexual abuse. By securing timely support for families and children, partnering with professionals to improve service responsiveness and removing barriers to early therapeutic access, the Green House has earned recognition for their unwavering commitment to their community and beyond.’ 

Sarah Woolnough, Chief Executive of The King’s Fund, said: ‘The Green House is a charity built on deep trust, compassion and lived experience. Day in, day out, it walks alongside children and families navigating trauma and difficult emotions, providing specialist, life‑changing support when it is needed most. What makes its work so powerful is the way it amplifies survivors’ voices, not only to shape the services it delivers locally, but to empower survivors, influence national policy and change how systems respond to child sexual abuse. This is work that brings hope, healing and dignity, and its impact will be felt for generations.’ 

Notes to editors     

The Green House received their GSK IMPACT Award at a ceremony in central London last night.

Photos, interviews and case studies are available upon request. For further information please contact Frank Rigby, Media and External Engagement Executive at The King’s Fund on 020 7307 2585 or [email protected]  

 For more information about The Green House, visit: https://the-green-house.org.uk/ 

 GSK IMPACT Awards     

• The GSK IMPACT Awards, run in partnership with The King’s Fund, are designed to recognise the outstanding work of community-based health care charities. For more information visit www.gsk.com/en-gb/responsibility/charitable-investments/#UKInvestments    

• The awards are open to small and medium-sized charities working in health and wellbeing with an annual income between £150,000 and £3 million that are at least three years old. The 2027 GSK IMPACT Awards will open for applications on 1 July 2026. For more information and to apply visit www.kingsfund.org.uk/gskimpactawards  

• Since its inception in 1997, more than 570 charities have received a GSK IMPACT Award and funding totalling over £9 million.      

• This year £430,000 in unrestricted prize money will be awarded to UK charities through the GSK IMPACT Awards. Five runners-up will receive £4,000 each. Ten winners will each receive £40,000 in unrestricted funding, film assets, a set of promotional photographs of their services, as well as access to training and development activities estimated to be worth £13,500. The ten winning charities are also invited to join the GSK IMPACT Awards Network, a UK-wide network of almost 140 previous award winners who work together to develop leaders, find new ways of working and provide mutual support.        

• The 2026 winners went through a rigorous assessment, including a half-day in-depth discussion with an independent assessor, and were selected by a judging panel of health and charity experts.   

GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology, and talent to get ahead of disease together. Find out more at gsk.com      

The King's Fund is an independent charity working to improve people's health. Our vision is a world where everyone can live a healthy life. Our mission is to inspire hope and build confidence for positive change. We achieve this through expert insights and original research, developing leaders and their organisations, convening, and strategic, collaborative partnerships. 

The King's Fund is an independent charity working to improve people's health. Our vision is a world where everyone can live a healthy life. Our mission is to inspire hope and build confidence for positive change. We achieve this through expert insights and original research, developing leaders and their organisations, convening, and strategic, collaborative partnerships. For further information visit www.kingsfund.org.uk 

*Child Sexual Abuse Centre, 2025