Newbury charity The Charlie Waller Trust named Best UK Charity by match funder Big Give
A Newbury charity has been named the best charity in the country after it ran a fundraising campaign that raised more than £60,000.
The Charlie Waller Trust, a mental health charity named after a 28-year-old who lost his life to suicide, has been named Best UK Charity by match funder Big Give.
Charlie Waller was one of the many charities to take part in Big Give’s week-long Christmas Challenge back in December, where all donations received were eligible to be doubled.
The cornerstone of the trust’s successful fundraising campaign was an animated video, featuring the voice talents of real children and young people, showcasing the impact of the mental health training delivered by the Charlie Waller Trust.
The trust’s chief executive Clare Stafford said: “We are thrilled to win Best UK Charity.
“The whole team worked very hard during the Christmas Challenge and this award is an excellent reflection of their efforts.”
Big Give, which called Charlie Waller’s efforts ‘a wonderful’ case study, will also donate £1000 to the charity as part of their prize for winning the accolade.
The Charlie Waller Trust was created by the Waller family in 1997 in response to the loss of their 28-year-old son and brother Charlie – described as “a strong, funny, popular, good-looking and kind young man” and “the life and soul of every party” – to suicide.
It has since become one of the UK’s most respected mental health charities and its mission is to educate young people and those with responsibility for them – parents and carers, teachers, college and university staff and employers – about their mental health and wellbeing.
Its focus is on “supporting all young people, throughout their journey from primary school age to the early years of their working lives, recognising that the points of transition in that journey can represent moments of particular vulnerability”.
The majority of the trust’s work is delivered through schools, colleges, universities, medical schools and workplaces, in the form of consultancy, training, and the provision of educational and practical resources.
It seeks to establish enduring partnerships with such organisations, in order to bring about sustained change and lasting improvement.
To find out more about The Charlie Waller Trust, visit its website at https://www.charliewaller.org/