Accepting the Charity of the Year award alongside members of the team, Director of Communications & Impact Paul White said:
“When I first got into this sector, I thought ‘If we get this right, we can change the world’ and 20-odd years later I am in absolutely no doubt that we genuinely do change the world. Whether that’s by improving an individual’s experience of a day in hospital or creating a new cure for a disease that impacts people all over the world, we all play a part in making this world a better place.
“Our charity, Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust, has been around for 30 years and in that time we’ve stood with researchers, clinicians, nurses, midwives, volunteers, supporters, fundraisers. Together we share this relentless drive to push what’s possible in healthcare for the ones we love.”
Funding cutting-edge equipment, specialist staff, extra comforts and pioneering research that helps change and save lives, above and beyond what the NHS can provide, ACT has been supporting innovation in patient care at Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie hospitals in Cambridge for three decades. Over that period, supporters have raised more than £150 million to fund everything from cancer research and a robotic surgeon to children’s laughter and play specialists. The charity is now supporting the development of two new hospitals, both set to revolutionise care in the East of England: Cambridge Children’s Hospital and Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital.
Added Paul: “Thanks to the extraordinary commitment of people like Sally who volunteers for us, or Jack who runs marathons for us, or Alfred’s parents who do amazing fundraising for us, we get to make projects happen that give women with ovarian cancer more time to spend with their families; give patients who’ve got incurable kidney cancer hope of a long, healthy future; create spaces that remove the fear and anxiety that children go through when they come into hospital; and bring hope that conditions like Parkinson’s might one day be cured.
“We do an extraordinary range of brilliant things and it never, ever – not in the eight years I’ve worked for the charity – fails to stop me in my tracks and think ‘This is incredible’. I feel slightly fraudulent standing here and accepting this award, as I know it wouldn’t have happened without all the brilliant people we work with: the lovely people who work for the charity and the amazing people who give up their time, sometimes because of really challenging circumstances, to give back. So thank you to all of them. And thank you to the awards team too: this is really special for us.”
Winner of the People's Choice Award, which was decided by a public vote, was Alfred's Potato Day. Inspired by their 5-year-old son Alfred and the random ‘pet potato’ he found in hospital grounds during his 19-month treatment for neuroblastoma, parents Carla and Dave Johnson, from Tiptree, launched the fundraiser in his memory last November. Inviting supporters to place potatoes anywhere and everywhere – from skyscrapers to dance studios – the event invited donations from participants and captured imaginations the world over.
Crediting ACT-funded services such as play and laughter specialists with helping Alfred ‘smile through it all’, right up until his death shortly before his 6th birthday, the Johnsons hope Alfred’s Potato Day, which takes place on November 21 this year, will become an annual fixture.
Taking a potato on stage with them to accept the award – complete with stick-on googly eyes, something else Alfred loved to play with while undergoing treatment – Carla and Dave also sneakily placed a spud on every table ahead of the ceremony. Sparking conversations around the room, it wasn’t until the People’s Choice category was announced that guests realised their significance.
Said Carla: “Thank you so much everyone who voted. And also thank you very much to Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust, because our son Alfred – we have him represented here with his cuddly toy and a potato – had treatment at Addenbrooke’s for 19 months for a really rare and aggressive cancer. Sadly, he didn’t make it, but we fundraised in his memory by fulfilling a promise that we made to him to replace a potato we found on the grounds of Addenbrooke’s.
“While we had our 19 months of treatment at Addenbrooke’s, every step along the way, we came across staff, services, equipment, medical trials, wonderful people, all who wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust. They fund so many incredible things, from play workers through to special scanning machines; just so many things you don’t really think about, but they make the journey an awful lot better.
“You might notice on the tables there are potatoes – you have probably all been wondering ‘Why is there a potato on the table?’ The idea of Alfred’s Potato Day is that on November 21 this year, we are going to leave a potato in an unexpected place and encourage everyone else to do the same, and to raise money on our Just Giving page for Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust. And now that you all have a potato, I’m afraid you are all in on it as well – if you do want to take part, you can google Alfred’s Potato Day 2026 and find all the details.”
Colchester’s Jack Sibbons – who ran the 2026 London Marathon for twin sister Amy De Silva and baby nephew Chester, whose lives were both saved by Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie Hospitals – won Fundraiser of the Year. When Amy was diagnosed with leukaemia at 10 weeks pregnant, doctors told her she may not be able to keep her son, yet despite going through four rounds of chemo and recurrent sepsis, both mum and baby made it. Through sponsorship and events, Jack raised a staggering £43,000 in a matter of months for the charity.
Speaking after the ceremony, Jack said: “I am just delighted to give some form of payback to the hospital that saved my sister’s life and baby Chester’s as well. You are the reason I ran the marathon, Sis – I’ve done it for you and am so happy, obviously, that you and Chester are here to see it. For ACT to win Charity of the Year just topped it off – it’s been a brilliant day.”
Cambridge’s Sally Laight was highly commended in the Volunteer of the Year category. Sally credits the NHS with saving her life ‘20 times over’ during a four-year battle with colon cancer, which saw her undergo multiple surgeries, chemotherapy and emergency care for septic shock. Based in Cambridge, she started volunteering to give something back to Addenbrooke’s, where she was treated, and within a year became ACT’s most prolific volunteer. Her voluntary work sees her support people waiting in Oncology, including fellow cancer patients. Accepting her trophy, Sally said: “Addenbrooke’s has been amazing: thank you for the opportunity, thank you for everything.”
Comprising just six staff members, ACT’s communications team was also highly commended in the PR Team of the Year category. Between them, they operate multiple campaigns annually across all platforms, reaching millions through print and digital press coverage alone. A focus on finding and sharing human-interest stories drives this engagement, with ACT’s Amazing People, the team’s own flagship show on Cambridge Radio, developed and presented by PR and Communications Lead Danni Smith.
Speaking at the ceremony, Danni said: “At the heart of everything we do, it’s all about the people: the clinicians, the researchers, the volunteers, the fundraisers. We’ve got some very special fundraisers with us today, who’ve let us into their lives at really hard times, and we really appreciate that. So this for all of you – thank you.”
The gala final of the 2026 National Charity Today Awards was held at Holiday Inn Peterborough West. With a blue and gold theme, which extended to the dress code, the daytime ceremony had all the glamour of an evening event, complete with celebratory balloon décor, a sit-down dinner and live entertainment between the presentations. A raffle was held in aid of the Charity of the Year, with £300 therefore going to ACT at the end of the day.
Created to celebrate “organisations and individuals who demonstrate exceptional impact, innovation and dedication to making communities better”, the National Charity Today Awards are sponsored by Sinclair Method UK and feature a rigorous judging process led by industry experts and sector leaders.
To donate to Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust go to: https://act4addenbrookes.org.uk/donate
