We are delighted to announce that Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice has been shortlisted in four categories for the prestigious 2023 Third Sector Awards.
The categories include Charity Chief Executive, Best Charity Film, Fundraising Campaign and Rising Star.
The highly competitive Third Sector Awards recognises and celebrates the exceptional contributions made by individuals, organisations, and initiatives within the Third Sector.
Chief Executive Sophie Andrews OBE, who has been shortlisted for Charity CEO, said:
“We are honoured to have been recognised by the prestigious Third Sector Awards and are incredibly proud to celebrate the success of Noah’s Ark’s From That Moment campaign and our wonderful team. To be shortlisted in not one but four categories is a testament to the work being carried out by the charity for children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions and their families. We couldn’t have done this without the incredible support from Rankin Creative and The 10 Group – this is an amazing example of how much you can achieve when thinking big and having ambition.”
Winners will be announced on Friday 22nd September.
Read more about the Third Sector Excellence Awards 2023 at
https://www.thirdsectorawards.com/
Shortlist 2023 – Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice
Excellence Awards
Best Charity Film – From That Moment
From That Moment, a campaign film by Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice in partnership with world-renowned photographer, Rankin, shows the individuality of the families we support, whilst uniting them under one moment they have all experienced – that moment they were first told that their child was seriously unwell. The moment everything changed.
Throughout the film we see families having their portraits captured by Rankin. Every family is different, with their individuality shining through in the final shots. The closing ask is a call to arms, asking our community to give what they can to allow us to be there for more children and families. The campaign film was instrumental to the success of our fundraising campaign, which raised over £1.28m in just 36-hours – significantly exceeding the fundraising target. Whilst most families do not have a child who is seriously unwell, most will have experienced a moment in their lives where everything changed. By zooming in on these universal experiences, the film made the experience of having a child who is seriously unwell relatable to the masses. This drove a more meaningful connection to the cause, with many of those who donated going on to become established friends of the charity.
Excellence Awards
Fundraising Campaign – From That Moment
Born out of an urgent need for income to keep the charity afloat when COVID struck, the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice 36-hour matched fundraising initiative has become a true sector leader. Taking what they had learned from an exceptional major donor program and numerous gala dinners, Noah’s Ark utilised the friend-get-friend model of fundraising in order to raise millions in a short period of time.
Now in its third year, the 36-hour campaign, ‘From That Moment’, has gone from strength to strength. The campaign film, created in partnership with world-renowned photographer Rankin, made a compelling case for support whilst increasing awareness and understanding of children’s palliative care – the latter achievement being an imperative for the charity in order to increase referrals. The campaign, run in October 2022 against a backdrop of the rising energy prices and the cost-of-living crisis, raised over £1.2million in just 36 hours – substantially exceeding the original fundraising target set. The funds raised will allow the charity to continue to grow the size of the their care team, enabling them to care for more babies, children, and young people who are seriously unwell – helping them and their families make the most of every day.
Excellence Awards
Charity Chief Executive – Sophie Andrews OBE
Sophie Andrews OBE joined Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice as CEO in January 2020. The charity had recently opened its hospice building, The Ark. Two months on and the country was under lockdown, with families Noah’s Ark supports amongst those impacted most by the pandemic. Sophie’s brave decision to open the acute care wing early expedited care delivery for children at the end of their lives.
Under Sophie’s leadership the experience and aspirations of children and families has remained central. Sophie has promoted a truly holistic approach to care, with equal focus on clinical and non-clinical support resulting in the widest breadth of care of any children’s hospice. The charity’s latest CQC inspection took place recently, achieving an Outstanding rating. Sophie’s commitment to quality and her exacting professional standards contributed significantly to this accolade. For those who know Sophie, her tenacity and bravery is no surprise. As former National Chair of Samaritans, 28 years as a Listening Volunteer, and co-founder of The Silver Line Helpline, Sophie knows the importance of human connection. Motivated by what is right, Sophie has won the hearts and minds of Trustees, staff and families, all of whom believe her wholly worthy of this award.
Talent Awards
Rising Star – Natasha Davis Whitehead
Natasha Davis Whitehead joined Noah’s Ark in 2021. Since then, she has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of Noah’s Ark and the importance of good palliative care. Natasha’s achievements include:
Transforming our brand Natasha led the project to create a new tone of voice, visual identity and marketing strategy. By putting the families we support at the heart of our brand, Natasha has changed the way we talk about our work, enabling us to reach more local families. Recruiting nurses Thanks to Natasha’s leadership, our award-winning nurse recruitment campaign doubled the number of Noah’s Ark nurses, allowing us to increase the number of children cared for by 24%. Raising £1.2 million Natasha created and led our awareness campaign, From That Moment. Featuring six of the families we support and photos by Rankin, the campaign was integral to our fundraising push which raised £1.2m. Changing the conversation alongside her day job, Natasha works with organisations such as Heard, Grief Case and The Global Treehouse Foundation to change the way society views death. Natasha does everything she can help children who are seriously unwell live a happy life and die a good death.