Over £300,000 Awarded To Regional Charities Working To Improve Health And Wellbeing In Their Communities

Ten health and wellbeing charities from across the UK have been named as this year’s winners of a GSK IMPACT Award – seen as a mark of achievement in the health care charity sector. The winning organisations were selected from more than 400 charities who applied to be part of GSK’s flagship UK community investment programme, which is run in partnership with The King’s Fund.

Each winning charity receives £30,000 of unrestricted funding, access to a unique training programme, and can join the GSK IMPACT Award Network, which is a professional development group. An overall winner, who will receive an additional £10,000 in funding, will be announced at an award ceremony recognising all winners to be held at the Science Museum in London on Thursday 15 May 2014.

The 10 winners are:

·         Amaze – based in Brighton, helping improve the lives of parent carers of disabled children

·         The Anaphylaxis Campaign – based in Hampshire, helping to raise awareness of anaphylaxis and NHS services for allergies

·         Aware Defeat Depression – based in Northern Ireland, working to help reduce the stigma surrounding depression

·         HENRY (Health, Exercise, Nutrition for the Really Young) – based in Oxford, helping tackle childhood obesity

·         Gloucestershire Young Carers – based in Gloucestershire, supporting young people who have caring responsibilities for a family member

·         The Lesbian and Gay Foundation – based in Manchester, working to help improve the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people

·         Open Secret – based in Falkirk, helping people who have suffered childhood abuse or neglect

·         RISE (Refuge, Information, Support, Education) – based in West Sussex, supporting survivors of domestic abuse

·         Mayfair Community Centre – based in Shropshire, promoting healthy living and wellbeing

·         Wiltshire Centre for Independent Living – based in Wiltshire, helping disabled people live more independent lives

A judging panel of health and charity experts who chose the winners include broadcast journalist Fiona Phillips; Professor Steve Field, Chief Inspector of Primary Care at the Care Quality Commission; Gilly Green, Head of UK Grants at Comic Relief; Sir Christopher Gent, Chair of GSK,and Sir Chris Kelly, Chair of The King’s Fund.

Now in their seventeenth year, the GSK IMPACT Awards are seen as a mark of excellence in the health charity sector, and are open to charities with an annual income of between £25,000 and £2 million that are at least three years old.

Katie Pinnock, Head of UK Community Investment at GSK, said:

‘Charitable organisations are at the heart of the communities they support and play a crucial role in linking with the NHS  to address local health needs. We know how important their contribution is and want to play our part in ensuring their valuable work continues.’

Lisa Weaks, Third Sector Programme Manager at The King’s Fund, said:

‘The not-for-profit sector is a key part of our health and social care system, and these winning charities show just how much they achieve. Many are small organisations but have a significant impact on individuals and communities.  Their work can help relieve pressure on health services, improve people’s quality of life, and provide them with support when dealing with difficult life experiences or hard life choices.’