Community health and wellbeing charities win GSK IMPACT Awards for excellence
Eight charities from across the UK have won a prestigious national award for improving health and wellbeing in their communities.
The charities have each won a 2018 GSK IMPACT Award, run in partnership with The King’s Fund, and will receive £30,000 as part of the prize. The winners went through a rigorous assessment process, being judged on innovation, management, partnership, achievement, community focus, and targeting need. They beat more than 350 organisations to achieve the accolade.
The eight winners of the 2018 GSK IMPACT Awards are:
Birchwood Centre – provides support and accommodation for vulnerable young people who are homeless or in housing need in Skelmersdale, West Lancashire
Birmingham LGBT – provides a wide range of health and wellbeing activities for LGBT people in Birmingham
Leeds Gypsy and Traveller Exchange – provides a voice for and improves the quality of life of the Gypsy and Traveller community in Leeds and the surrounding area
Rape and Sexual Violence Project (RSVP) – offers support to children and adults in Birmingham affected by sexual violence and abuse
Seaview Project – improves the quality of life for homeless people and insecurely housed people in Hastings and St Leonards, East Sussex
Sickle Cell Society – supports and represents people affected by sickle cell disorder to improve their quality of life
Unseen – supports survivors and vulnerable people who may have been victims of human trafficking and modern slavery
WILD Young Parents Project – provides young parents in Cornwall with opportunities to develop skills, improve self-confidence, make positive and healthy choices, and achieve their potential.
As well as the £30,000 in funding, winning charities are given access to free training and leadership development. They are also invited to join the GSK IMPACT Awards Network, a national network of almost 80 award-winning health and wellbeing charities that connects previous winners and supports them to further develop their leaders.
The eight winning charities will receive their awards at a ceremony at the Science Museum in London on Thursday 17 May 2018. An overall winner will be announced on the night and awarded an extra £10,000.
Katie Pinnock, Director of UK and Ireland Charitable Partnerships at GSK, said:
‘The winners of the 2018 GSK IMPACT Awards cover a huge breadth of areas, both geographically and in terms of the issues they address, but what unites them is their commitment to excellence and their focus on improving the health and wellbeing of their communities.
‘We at GSK are proud to support these awards, as it is an opportunity to recognise and further help develop organisations that make a real difference on the ground to some of the most vulnerable people in society.’
Lisa Weaks, Head of Third Sector at The King’s Fund, said:
‘This year’s awards were extremely competitive, which reflects the strength and depth within the charity sector. The judges were particularly impressed by the innovation the winning charities displayed in constantly looking for new ways to do even more for their beneficiaries.
‘We hope that winning this award will help further extend the reach and impact of these charities. As well as the financial support the award brings, the leadership support should mean they are even better placed to improve the health and wellbeing of the people they serve.’
Notes to editors
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.uk.gsk.com/gskimpactawards
The awards are open to charities working in health and wellbeing with an annual income of between £80,000 and £2.5 million that are at least three years old. The name ‘IMPACT’ derives from the criteria that winners must have demonstrated in their application submissions: Innovation, Management, Partnership, Achievement, Community Focus and Targeting Need.
This year £268,000 in prize money will be awarded to UK charities through the GSK IMPACT Awards. There are eight winners that each receive £30,000, and six runner-up organisations that each receive £3,000. An overall winner will be awarded an additional £10,000 at the award ceremony at The Science Museum in London on Thursday 17 May 2018.
The 2018 winners have been selected by a judging panel of health and charity experts including Sir Philip Hampton, Chair of GSK; Sir Christopher Kelly, Chair of The King’s Fund; Dawn Austwick, Chief Executive of Big Lottery Fund; Gilly Green, formerly Head of UK Grants at Comic Relief; Michelle Mitchell, Chief Executive of MS Society and NHS England board member; and Paul Streets, Chief Executive of the Lloyds Bank Foundation.
Since the awards began in 1997, almost 440 community health care charities have received a GSK IMPACT Award and funding totalling more than £6.2 million.
Supporting information about charities
An estimated three million people volunteer in health and social care. They play a vital role in delivering services and are an increasingly important part of the extended care team for many people.
Small, local charities are often well-placed to understand the needs of the UK’s increasingly diverse population and can respond flexibly and creatively to community health and wellbeing challenges.
GSK is a science-led global health care company with a special purpose: to help people do more, feel better, live longer. It has three world-leading businesses that research, develop and manufacture innovative pharmaceutical medicines, vaccines and consumer health care products. Its goal is to be one of the world’s most innovative, best-performing and trusted health care companies.
For further information please visit www.gsk.com
The King's Fund is an independent charity working to improve health and care in England. We help to shape policy and practice through research and analysis; develop individuals, teams and organisations; promote understanding of the health and social care system; and bring people together to learn, share knowledge and debate. Our vision is that the best possible health and care is available to all.