The best UK children's hospital charities
Behind every brave smile on the ward and every parent who gets to stay close is someone who cares: the nurses, researchers, play specialists and volunteers who make hospital a little less scary. It's kind, joyful work, and it means more children get to just be children.
Four charities, each brilliant at a different part of the job.
Rather than a ranked list, we've picked a range of charities, so together they cover more than any one could alone.
Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity
- Research
- Children's Cancer Centre
- Family Support
Great Ormond Street Hospital opened on Valentine's Day 1852 with just 20 beds, the first hospital in the UK dedicated solely to children. In 1929, JM Barrie donated the rights to Peter Pan, which still help sick children today. The charity funds research, equipment, play and family support, and its Build it. Beat it. appeal is building a new Children's Cancer Centre. Its therapy dogs bring plenty of joy too, and we love that.
Key stats
- Research grants funded this year
- 55
- Visits from its therapy dogs
- 11,500+
- Raised and pledged for its Children's Cancer Centre
- £184m+
- Family members helped by Citizens Advice
- 400+
Why we've included them
GOSH Charity funds research grants and a new Children's Cancer Centre at the UK's first children's hospital. Its therapy dogs and the money advice it funds for families ease the strain while the science moves forward.
Registered Charity: 1160024
Visit Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity
Make-A-Wish UK
- Granting Wishes
- Disney Wishes
- Volunteers
Six volunteers founded Make-A-Wish UK in 1986, and its very first wish took Anthony from Liverpool to meet the Disney characters in Florida. Today it grants life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses, from feeding tigers to meeting a celebrity hero. A wish brings respite and something to look forward to during tough times, for the child and their family alike. It believes childhood should be about wonder, joy and hope, and so do we.
Key stats
- Wishes granted for children with critical illnesses
- 1,200
- Of surveyed families reported an improvement after a wish
- 77%
- Volunteers who helped make wishes happen
- 674
- Medical professionals who referred children for a wish
- 523
Why we've included them
Make-A-Wish creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Where the others care for children and families around treatment, a wish is a joyful escape from it, and something to look forward to.
Registered Charity: 295672
Visit Make-A-Wish UK
The Sick Children's Trust
- Homes from Home
- Keeping Families Together
Dr Jon Pritchard and Professor James Malpas founded The Sick Children's Trust in 1982, after seeing parents sleep on mattresses or in chairs because there was nowhere to stay near their sick child. Its 'Homes from Home' let families stay together, free of charge, just minutes from their child's bedside. Parents can cook, rest and shower, so they can face the day ahead. Its homes sit near major hospitals across England, keeping families close when it matters most.
Key stats
- Families kept together this year
- 3,218
- Nights in a Home from Home
- 49,041
- Of surveyed families said it helped them cope
- 100%
- Average minutes from home to hospital for families
- 86
Why we've included them
The Sick Children's Trust keeps families together, with free Homes from Home near major hospitals across England. It looks after the parents, so they can rest, cook and shower just minutes from their child's bedside.
Registered Charity: 284416
Visit The Sick Children's Trust
Starlight Children's Foundation
- Play in Healthcare
- Play Toolkits
- Virtual Reality Headsets
Emma Samms and Peter Samuelson founded Starlight in 1986, after Emma raised money to take her young friend Sean, who had a brain tumour, to Disneyland. Today it's the UK's leading charity for children's play in healthcare. Its boxes of toys, play toolkits and virtual reality headsets help children feel less anxious in hospitals and hospices across the UK. Its vision is a time when no child experiences trauma in healthcare, a goal worth playing for.
Key stats
- Health play services delivered across the UK
- 3,371
- Healthcare settings receiving its toys and toolkits
- 900+
- Of health professionals said it made treatment easier
- 86%
- Of health professionals said it reduced distress
- 80%
Source: Starlight Impact Report 2025
Why we've included them
Starlight is the playful part of the portfolio, putting toys, play toolkits and virtual reality headsets into hospitals and hospices across the UK. Its focus is how care feels, so children are less anxious while they're treated.
Registered Charity: 296058
Visit Starlight Children's Foundation
Four amazing children's hospital charities. Why choose just one?
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