Health and wellbeing charities win prestigious GSK IMPACT Awards

Ten charities have been selected from more than 370 organisations across the UK to win a 2019 GSK IMPACT Award, run in partnership with The King’s Fund. 

The GSK IMPACT Awards recognise and reward outstanding small to medium-sized charities doing excellent work in improving the health and wellbeing of their communities. The winners will each receive £30,000 and access to a training and leadership development programme. Each organisation went through a rigorous assessment process, being judged on innovation, management, partnership, achievement, community focus, and targeting need.

The ten winners of the 2019 GSK IMPACT Awards are:

• The Children’s Sleep Charity – dedicated to supporting children and young people with sleep issues in England and Wales. 
• East Surrey Domestic Abuse Service – supports people in East Surrey who are at risk or experiencing domestic abuse and coercion.
• Grassroots Suicide Prevention – aims to prevent suicide and reduce the stigma associated with it. 
• Healthy Minds – a user-led service promoting positive mental health and recovery in Calderdale, West Yorkshire. 
• Off the Record Youth Counselling Croydon – offers free, independent and professional counselling for young people in the London Boroughs of Croydon, Sutton and Merton.
• Positive Life – Northern Ireland’s only dedicated HIV charity and provides a wide range of services to those living with and affected by HIV.
• Rape Crisis South London – helps women and girls in South London who have suffered from any form of sexual violence, however recently or long ago.
• Refugee and Migrant Centre Black Country and Birmingham – supports migrants and refugees through crisis and disadvantage, offering advice and assistance.
• Suffolk Family Carers – supports unpaid carers of all ages across Suffolk.
• Support in Mind Scotland – aims to improve the quality of life for people whose mental health has a serious impact on their life, particularly those living in rural areas.

Developing leaders in the charity sector is a key aim of the GSK IMPACT Awards programme. All GSK IMPACT Awards winners will be invited to take part in a tailored leadership development programme provided by The King’s Fund. They will also be invited to join the GSK IMPACT Awards Network, a national network of over 80 previous award winners working together to develop leaders, find new ways of working, and provide mutual support.

The ten winning charities will receive their awards at a ceremony at the Science Museum in London on Thursday 16 May 2019. 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: 

'We are extremely proud of the GSK IMPACT Awards, now in their 22nd year. This year’s winners are making a huge difference to the lives of people, and it’s an honour to be able to recognise and support the work that they are doing.

'The ten winners offer help with a wide range of issues across the UK. It’s inspiring to see the different ways that these outstanding charities are engaging and supporting their communities and finding new and innovative ways to deliver their services.'

Lisa Weaks, Head of Third Sector at The King’s Fund, said:

'The standard of entry to this year’s awards was extremely high, showing the massive impact that community charities are having on people’s health and wellbeing. The financial support and the leadership and development opportunities offered by the GSK IMPACT Awards will give an important boost to these organisations and vital support for their leaders.'