Lifelites is thrilled to announce the seven winning projects selected for its Lifelites 25 Community Programme, celebrating the charity’s 25th anniversary. Each winning organisation will receive a grant of £25,000 worth of life-changing assistive technology to support children and young people with life-limiting conditions.
The Lifelites 25 programme was launched to extend the charity’s impact to organisations that have never previously worked with Lifelites. After a rigorous application process, 10 inspiring finalists were shortlisted. From 10th March, the public was invited to vote for their favourite projects, resulting in over 4,500 verified votes. The three projects with the highest number of votes were selected for funding, while the remaining four winners were chosen by an independent panel.
Rob Lightfoot, CEO of Lifelites, shared his enthusiasm for the initiative:
“We are delighted to announce the first 7 Lifelites 25 Community Projects. We are grateful for the engagement of all 10 short-listed projects and humbled by the vital support they are delivering in the community for children and families. The public response to voting has been amazing, with over 4,500 verified votes; the depth of support for these important services is clear.
We are very excited about delivering the next phase of the programme and bringing the incredible power of assistive technology to a new cohort of children, young people, and their families through these innovative new partnerships.”
The winning projects represent a diverse range of organisations dedicated to supporting children with complex needs. Each will receive cutting-edge technology designed to offer new opportunities for communication, play, and creative expression.
About the 4 winning projects elected by an independent panel, Tracy Rennie, Trustee at Lifelites said:
It wasn’t easy choosing from ten great projects but we are delighted that the four chosen will help us to achieve our aspiration to reach more children wherever they may be – at home, school, hospital or short break setting as well as hospices.
Children are children first and foremost and these innovative and exciting projects will enable even more children to play, connect and have joyful experiences with those special to them – their brothers, sisters, parents, wider family and their friends.
Public Vote Winners:
Committee-nominated Winners:
To learn more about the winning projects, visit: Lifelites 25 Community Voting.
Timothy Holdsworth, Headteacher at St Ann’s School, a project elected by our panel, said:
“Thank you, Lifelites, for your incredible generosity in supporting our pupils. We are excited to see how your donated equipment will bring joy, connection, and inclusion to their learning experience. It will undoubtedly create a fun and engaging environment, opening up the world around them.”
Gemma Harris, Developmental Advanced Clinical Practicioner at Zest, for St Elizabeth Hospice, said:
“We cannot wait to see the impact this will have on the young people we support at Zest and a massive thank you to everybody who voted for us to be a part of this.”
Jen Kelly, CEO of the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust, said:
“We are thrilled to receive funding from Lifelites, and are incredibly grateful for their kind support. As a small charity with no regular statutory income, we rely entirely on fundraising to meet our annual budget. Our AV1 project plays a crucial role in connecting unwell children with their classrooms, and this funding will allow us to provide service packages for another two years, as well as several iPads, which will make a significant impact on our families. In these challenging economic times, this support from Lifelites is essential to ensuring the continued success of this vital project.”
EJ Trivett, CEO of OmniMusic, said:
“OmniMusic are delighted to receive this fantastic support of assistive music technology from Lifelites. These specialist instruments will enable us to reach more children and young people with profound disabilities and life-limiting conditions across Greater Manchester; ensuring that they too get to make their mark on Manchester’s music legacy.”
Lyndsay Fahey, CEO of Rainbow Hub, one of the community projects who won the most public votes, said:
“We are all absolutely over the moon at Rainbow Hub, to be receiving £25,000 worth of inclusive technology for our children and young people with significant additional needs. We are so very grateful to everyone who took the time to vote for Rainbow Hub, and to Lifelites for making this incredible support possible!”
Rhonda Nicklin, CEO of Swings and Smiles, said:
“Swings & Smiles is thrilled to have been successful with the Lifelites funding, helping us create more inclusive, accessible play opportunities for disabled and life-limited children and young people. This support means more laughter, friendship, and moments of joy for the families we support.”
Carly-Anne Whyman, Team Leader at Ryegate House, said:
“We’re thrilled to have been chosen as a recipient for the Lifelites Community Project Grant. This funding means that the team at Ryegate House can continue to offer outstanding care to the patients and families that we see, and supports our goal of delivering a healthier future for children and young people.”
About Lifelites: Lifelites provides specialist assistive technology to children and young people with life-limiting conditions, enabling them to communicate, play, and express themselves. Through partnerships with children’s hospices and palliative care providers, Lifelites ensures that every child has the opportunity to experience joy, inclusion, and connection.
The connection between The Remington Club and Lifelites is truly inspiring. Thanks to their member Alan Burnip, who has been a true advocate of our mission across the years.
Winner of this year’s Jewson Crawley annual raffle, Grahame Fox, nominated Lifelites as the charity to be supported by the funds raised in the raffle.
We are looking to appoint a trustee join our Board at a very exciting time of growth and change,