Ten charities have won GlaxoSmithKline’s IMPACT Awards for 2013 after being recognised for helping the UK with its health and well-being.
The winners were announced on Friday evening by GSK – and partner for the awards The King’s Fund think-tank – at the Science Museum in London.
They are: Care Network Cambridgeshire; East Lancashire Women’s Centres; Forum for Action on Substance Abuse; Greater Easterhouse Alcohol Awareness Project; Huntingdon’s Disease Association; Leicestershire AIDS Support Services; MAC-UK; No Limits; SIFA Fireside; and Yorkshire MESMAC.
The winners receive at least £30,000 as well as training to be able to take their organisations to the next level, according to GSK.
The East Lancashire Women’s Centres won the overall award on the night, who received an extra £10,000 on top of their £30,000 prize.
This year’s winners cover a wide-range of specialisms and represent all areas of the UK. These include one successfully targeting the mental health needs of young people involved in gangs and highly antisocial behaviour; supporting women with mental health issues with a broad approach including their wider socio-economic needs; and one supporting people with Huntington’s Disease, an incurable progressive hereditary disease.
Katie Pinnock, director of UK corporate contributions at GSK, said: “This year’s winners show what incredible impact charities can have on the health of the local community across the UK and why it is so important that we continue to support them. It is remarkable what these organisations have achieved with the small budgets and we hope that the £30,000 funding for each organisation, along with the recognition of the awards, with help them to continue this work.”
Lisa Weaks, third sector programme manager at The King’s Fund, added: “These charities show clearly how health charities can transform people’s lives in such diverse ways. They add value to the public services already given, providing innovative answers to difficult issues.”
Weaks said that these are “challenging times for charities”, especially smaller ones like organisations recognised by the awards. She pointed out that the commissioning system in healthcare has “changed dramatically” in recent years and The King’s Fund’s research has found that the financial climate is putting them at risk. “It is important that their value is recognised through awards like these, and provide them with the training to improve their organisations and secure their future success,” she concluded.
