The impact of our current services and future ambitions has been recognised by us being selected as a 2021 Weston Charity Awards winner. 

The award gives the charity the chance to invest in its future with a core grant of £6,500 from the Garfield Weston Foundation and ten months of strategic planning support from a team of four business and charity leaders, thanks to the leadership charity Pilotlight. 

The Centre was chosen from 150 applicants, all of whom are frontline charities delivering youth, welfare or community services in the North of England, the Midlands and Wales. 

Jane Johnston-Cree is delighted that the Centre was chosen as a winner following what has been a challenging year for the charity: “We’re thrilled that our ambition to continue developing our work to support people with neurological conditions has been recognised. People are at the heart of our services, and it is our aim to make our support accessible and relevant at all stages of diagnosis and progression. We’ll seize this amazing opportunity to demonstrate our impact and embed new ways of working to create a sustainable future.” 

In congratulating the Neuro Therapy Centre, Philippa Charles, director of the Garfield Weston Foundation said: “As the pandemic shifts, we are seeing an altered landscape for small charities. Our selected charities have shown courage and resilience this year in delivering vital services in the face of uncertainty and growing need. This year, more than ever, the Foundation is helping charities shift gear by providing dedicated support for long-term planning.” 

Ed Mayo, chief executive of Pilotlight, the charity which is connecting the Neuro Therapy Centre with a team of coaches drawn from a range of businesses and other organisations said: “The Neuro Therapy Centre has been selected as a Weston Charity Award recipient on the strength of its ambitions and the openness of the leadership team to external perspectives. When we asked small charity leaders in the midst of a pandemic what help they needed from local people and business, two thirds said they were actively seeking skilled pro bono support. Pilotlight’s skilled volunteers have a proud record of helping Weston Charity Award winners to adapt services, diversify income and thrive into the future.”

This will be the first group of Weston Charity Award winners to embark upon a virtual-led model that includes a series of virtual coaching sessions over ten months with a hand-picked team of senior business and charity leaders along with some face-to-face meetings. Pilotlight’s experience of moving online during the pandemic showed benefits including a reduced call on charity leaders’ time. Pilotlight also hopes the virtual model will attract a bigger and more diverse group of business leaders to join as skilled volunteer coaches.