These are the UK’s only annual disability sports awards, designed to celebrate the achievements of disabled UK athletes of all ages.
What are the categories?
There are nine categories, including a Champion for Change Award, an Unsung Hero Award, and the Sports Icon Award.
As a bonus, Britain’s best-known paralympian, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, will be presenting a tenth Special Achievement Award on the night.
Adam Hills MBE who also hosts The Last Leg on Channel 4, said: ”I am passionate about making the sporting world an inclusive place for everyone, and these awards are very important for recognising the achievements of people with disabilities. It’s fantastic to see such a step forward towards inclusivity.”
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Sense. Sense helps thousands of people who have complex disabilities to communicate, experience the world and fulfil their potential.Learn more here.
Scope. Scope is the disability equality charity in England and Wales, providing practical information and emotional support when it’s most needed, campaigning to create a fairer society.Support them here.
Disability Rights UK. Disability Rights UK is the UK’s leading organisation led by, run by, and working for disabled people.Find out more.
A 102-year-old WWII veteran has abseiled 280 feet for charity.
That’s incredible! What’s the story?
Former Flight Lieutenant Colin Bell was a Mosquito bomb pilot in the RAF during WWII. Now aged 102, on 14th September 2023, Colin took on the 280-foot abseil down the Royal London Hospital to raise money for charity.
He is also taking on a sponsored walk, visiting places significant to his wartime journey, in aid of the three charities.
What are the stats?
So far, Colin has raised over £7,000 for the London Air Ambulance, over £7,300 for the RAF Benevolent Fund, and more than £5,000 for the RCN Foundation. This brings his total up to an incredible £19,527.
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
London’s Air Ambulance. This charity delivers medics to the scene of accidents all around London to provide life-saving surgery and transportation. Learn more here.
Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund. For more than 100 years, the RAF Benevolent Fund has supported RAF family members, providing practical, emotional, and financial support. Support them here.
Royal College of Nursing Foundation. The RCN Foundation provides grants for hardship, education and research, to support and strengthen nursing and midwifery and to improve the health and wellbeing of the public. Find out more.
Most struggles across the globe center on one thing: money. People fight over it, people rely on it for their needs and many people around the world lack it, meaning that they miss out on food, shelter, medicine, and much more. This type of existence can lead to the radicalization of people just looking for options to survive – something Peace Through Prosperity hopes to address.
Peace Through Prosperity is a not-for-profit organization that enables people from marginalized communities in Pakistan, Yemen, and Egypt to work their way out of poverty. It was founded by Kubair Shirazee following the death of his brother at the hands of extremists in Karachi.
That tragedy reframed Kubair’s life, and he decided to make a difference in the world. He sold his business and used his professional expertise and experience to create a new startup based on a collaborative project management approach called agile methodology. Through success in that field, he was able to start and fund Peace Through Prosperity.
“We consider ourselves an innovation lab that looks at big transformational societal issues. Then we design experiments around these issues and validate our hypotheses,” Kubair tells Smiley News. “If we have an experiment that works, we open our source it and we say, ‘Hello World, here’s an experiment we ran, it works and this is our gift to you. Take it and use it in your own communities.’”
True to their word, they have a tab on their website labeled ‘Steal Our Stuff.’ The entire goal of Peace Through Prosperity is to get helpful information as far and wide as possible. They only have two rules: don’t sell their findings because it’s meant to be free and helpful; and send any new data you might discover back their way.
These experiments come in many forms. The most successful is a mini-Master of Business Administration (MBA), a crash course in MBA principals.
“You could say at one level we try and inject what’s human into transactional relationships,” Kubair says.
The idea is that many people are already struggling within the same community, so a small smile can go a long way.
They distribute free advice to help people run better businesses. They aim for that knowledge to then spread throughout the community.
“We enable them to get to a place where they can address their limiting beliefs,” Kubair says. “And then they can say, ‘You know what, the change I want to see in my world is all down to me because it’s my world.’ And those are the things we try and tell them – that in your world there’s only one superhero and that is you, because this is your world.”
Peace Through Prosperity’s impact expands well beyond business successes, as thriving local economies help uplift entire communities. Since their founding in 2011, they’ve helped 3,000 people directly, 18,000 indirectly, and created around 300 jobs.
“We want those people, the vulnerable people, to not be vulnerable,” Kubair says. “We want them to have the ability to create their own narrative of change.”
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
A Tribe Called Queer. This is a non-profit that helps support the queer community with workshops, events, and low cost clothing. Find out more and support them here.
Cultural Survival. They are an indigenous-led nonprofit focused on empowering indigenous Americans and helping the planet. Find out more. American Forests. A conservation organization focused on preserving and protecting American forests. Support them here.
Young people have limitless potential. There is nothing that isn’t achievable for them – with the right help.
The truth is, everyone needs a helping hand sometimes – especially when you are from a minority group and face the judgements, stigma and trials that come along with that. It can be harder to get started in work or higher education, and those barriers need breaking down – from the inside out.
Young Enterprise is a charity that does just that; it helps to build the skills and confidence of young people, enabling them succeed in whatever they choose to do.
Though they help all young people, no matter their background, where they live, their race or sexuality or any of the other myriad factors that can prevent a young person from receiving assistance, Young Enterprise is particularly focused on extending their reach into some of the UK’s most deprived areas.
CEO Sharon Davies has had her own experience of being helped by a youth worker, in a similar way to those who benefit from Young Enterprise today. It is what inspired her to get involved with young people herself and what brought her to Young Enterprise.
“I was brought up in a very rural part of the world, left home about 16 and … went off to essentially seek my fame and fortune,” explains Sharon. “I ended up working in a QuickSave … and then by luck met a youth worker, who saw me working with a group of young lads who used to come into the supermarket.”
From here, Sharon attended youth group sessions and fell in love with engaging young people and meeting them where they are at in their lives.
“I never forgot that firsthand experience of what support and opportunity can bring you and I’ve always felt enormously grateful [for] that one person who believed in me and came back a couple of times just to kind of check-in – and for no other reason that he felt I had potential.”
Sharon’s experience is what helps her drive Young Enterprise to support as many young people as possible, because she knows what it can mean to a young person to have someone in their corner.
Today, as the CEO of Young Enterprise, she oversees all its projects – making sure that young people are benefiting from interactions and encouragement in the way that she did when she was young.
“It’s the best job in the world,” admits Sharon. “It’s providing young people with fantastic opportunities. We work very closely with volunteers and educators, providing enterprise and financial education. And those two things in parallel [with] support and opportunity are powerful enablers … because not everybody’s got that at home.”
Ultimately, the goal of Young Enterprise is to meet young people where they’re at – to help them find their passions and their successes, no matter their circumstances. There’s no judgement in Young Enterprise – only mentorship, understanding, and a solid, unshakeable belief that young people can change the world, if only someone believes in them.
“Youth work isn’t given the credit it deserves as education…” says Sharon. “Not everybody has successful learning experiences in formal education…youth work very often is a place where young people can go [and] there are people who will meet them on their terms, provide opportunities for them, where they are.”
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Create. Create is the UK’s leading charity empowering lives, reducing isolation and enhancing wellbeing through the creative arts.Support them here.
Save The Children UK. Save the Children is a UK charity for children that works in over 100 countries to make sure children are fed, learning and treated fairly. Learn more here.
Barnardo’s. This is a children’scharity that protects and supports children and young people in the UK who need them.Find out more here.
In response to the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Morocco on Friday, there are several ways you can help from abroad. Rather than travelling there yourself, the best way to make a difference is to respond to the appeals from the charities working on the frontline.
Aid organisations around the world are being called on to send more support, to rescue people and animals trapped under the rubble and provide essentials to those who have escaped. Here are five organisations working on the ground to reduce the damage as swiftly and effectively as possible.
Donate to the Red Cross to support the local Moroccan Red Crescent workers, who are on the ground, providing first aid to people, tending to injuries and offering emotional support.
Women and girls suffer most in humanitarian emergencies. ActionAid is offering specialist support to them, providing shelter, food, water, medical aid, supplies and psychological support. Donate here.
It’s not only people who have been affected. Many hundreds of animals are trapped and injured as a result. Support Network for Animals to ensure they are rescued and get the veterinary care they need.
Human Appeal’s local partners are working on the ground to distribute emergency kits that include food, clean water, medical aid, and basic essentials. Donate to help distribute more kits.
TRANSFORM, an impact acceleration project, has announced that they have helped 10 million lives so far, across Africa and Asia.
The project unites corporations, donors, investors and academics, helping them to back projects that encourage social change, and improve the lives of local people.
It is led by Unilever, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and EY leaders.
What’s next?
The next milestone is to help 15 million people – something TRANSFORM is well on the way to doing.
The project is combining grant funding, business insight, practical experience, resources and networks, encouraging start-ups and new enterprises and helping them to tackle global challenges.
“We’re thrilled to have reached such an important milestone at TRANSFORM. Some of the best new ideas and groundbreaking solutions are coming from entrepreneurs and start-ups,” said Rebecca Marmot, Unilever’s Chief Sustainability Officer.
“By blending local innovation with the resources of large organisations, TRANSFORM is unlocking these opportunities, helping to scale workable solutions and drive progress. It’s also helping us to expand our own networks. We look forward to supporting more enterprises in the future and being part of this dynamic eco-system.”
To learn more about TRANSFORM and how they’re changing millions of lives for the better, you can visit their website.
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Working Chance. This is a charity that helps women offenders make the transition into employment, helping them find paid work and offering voluntary placements. Find out more.
National AIDs Trust. This charity works to stop HIV from standing in the way of health, dignity and equality, and to end new HIV transmissions. Learn more here.
Save The Children UK. Save the Children is a UK charity for children that works in over 100 countries to make sure children are fed, learning and treated fairly. Learn more here.
‘Lady Liberty’ underwater photographer raises money for charity.
Amazing! Tell me more.
Christy Lee Rogers is a Sony World Open Photography Award Winner, and has just released a new, limited edition piece titled ‘Lady Liberty’.
The image is taken from one of her first underwater photography shoots, kept private for over 10 years. It is finally being released this Labor Day, with $200 from each sale going to Save the Children.
That’s great!
“The children are our future, and we need to safeguard them and their freedoms and rights to be anything they want to be,” said Christy of her decision to donate. “They should live in a safe world and be nurtured and protected from harm. All people, no matter what race or creed are born free and with human rights. This image stands for freedom in all forms.”
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Create. Create is the UK’s leading charity empowering lives, reducing isolation and enhancing wellbeing through the creative arts.Support them here.
Save The Children UK. Save the Children is a UK charity for children that works in over 100 countries to make sure children are fed, learning and treated fairly. Learn more here.
Barnardo’s. This is a children’scharity that protects and supports children and young people in the UK who need them.Find out more here.
Art mirrors life – or maybe it’s the other way around?
Actor Luke Dejahang has always had an interest in roles with purpose – using art, and acting, as a way to draw attention to social issues – as well as what needs to be done to correct them.
“Ever since I was younger I have always been interested and fascinated by stories with social issues,” explains Luke. “I’m a massive fan of … the directors and filmmakers out there that [are] really telling a story that is bigger than them. [It’s] just a piece of entertainment, but it’s actually making a statement.”
That’s why Luke tries to take roles that highlight these issues, helping to draw them into the public eye.
“Inclusivity, diversity, racism, these are all current issues. They’re issues that have been around forever and they won’t go away and they need to be talked about,” says Luke. “We need to have open dialogue and communication.”
“I’m not a politician. When I approach any subject, it’s always from a point of humanity – it’s from a point of love. For me, human beings, we’re all the same.”
“I think [the entertainment industry is] a place where you could hold up a mirror to society – whether it’s through your music, or whether it’s through your art, … whether it’s through visual arts or film and television, you can hold up a mirror to society … put a story out there, it connects with people.”
Luke is passionate about highlighting the issues within our society through his acting – as well as through his production company Rockwood Films, which aims to delve into difficult subject matter, highlight diversity, and inspire watchers to develop a deeper, more compassionate understanding of others.
“I always say that you and I aren’t so different,” says Luke. “I’ve been fortunate enough to travel a lot. There’s very little that separates us. There might be cultural differences, but all have families; we love our families, [and] we want to protect our families. We want to do the best for the people that we love, regardless of where you’re from, what your religion or background is.”
Though he took a break from acting to found and run a successful business, Luke didn’t stop prioritising social issues. Sadly, his family was affected by suicide, and Luke supported his son when he decided to fundraise for Young Minds – a mental health charity for children, young people and their parents, making sure all young people can get the mental health support they need.
“As a family, like many families out there, we’ve been touched by suicide,” says Luke. “Somebody close to my son took their own life and it was a tragic time for all of us, [including] this person’s family, of course.”
“That propelled my son to swim the channel and raise money for Young Minds – [he was] only 16. And he raised close to £10,000. I was driving down with my wife every week to do the training in Dover, and he swam the channel to raise money for mental health in young people.”
Thanks to his son’s dedication, Luke has become even more passionate about young people’s mental health, and the work we need to put in to protect it – as well as the incredible work that charities like Young Minds do.
“When I was young, [mental health] wasn’t even talked about, but now there’s a lot more awareness through these charities and through young people talking about it. It never ceases to amaze me when I see teenagers open now … listening into their conversations is quite inspirational because it gives me hope for the future,” says Luke. “They seem so much more advanced and they talk about these issues and they talk about mental health. It’s going in the right direction, but still more needs to be done to support young people especially.”
Luke always hopes he can make a positive impact with his work – and in his real life, too. For him, it’s simple.
“It always starts with the smallest of things. The smallest of things. The next person you meet, smile. Be kind. Be less judgmental.”
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Samaritans. Samaritans works to make sure there’s always someone there for anyone who needs someone. Find out more here.
Ripple Suicide Prevention. R;pple exists to ensure immediate mental health support is presented to individuals following a harmful online search. Learn more here.
Papyrus. This is the leading suicide prevention charity for young people, working with under 35s. Find out more.
Sigrid is a remarkable cat who rode (literally) to fame, when her owner, Travis, started taking her on bike rides. Unlike other cats, Sigrid loves getting out and about on the bike. Travis filmed their adventures and the cat-owner duo quickly went viral before publishing their own book.
Internet attention is easy enough for cats to gain. But it’s less available to organisations doing vital charitable work. So, to share Sigrid’s fame with those who need it more, the series, Travis & Sigrid’s Charity Rides, unites the cat with charities.
In each episode, a charity ambassador joins the cat and her human for a pivotal cycle ride in which they chat about the importance of charity work.
From a famous cricketer who delivers food to Londoners in need, to a supermodel promoting mental wellbeing, they meet a great variety of charity ambassadors to talk about their work.
The series kicks off on International Day of Charity, Tuesday 5th September, featuring an incredible food distribution charity. Food is essential to human survival and many people are struggling to access this necessity. Watch the first episode to learn how you can take action against hunger.
In later episodes, the guests share insights into a radical cycling campaign, an organisation for children with disabilities and charities improving health and wellbeing.
In line with Smiley News’ mission to promote the UN goals, the series sheds light on important work to promote good health and wellbeing, sustainable cities and communities and reduced inequalities.
Riding in her basket at the front of the bike, Sigrid admires the view. She enjoys much petting and draws in the attention that charities so desperately need, particularly in light of recent societal issues.
Covid-19 dealt a difficult blow to charities, with 90% saying they experienced negative impacts of the pandemic, 60% saying they lost income and a third saying they lost volunteers.
When the cost of living crisis hit, nine in ten charities became worried about an increase in demand for their services alongside falling donations and rising energy bills.
So to offer charities well-needed support, we’re excited to launch a series that draws charities into the spotlight of an internet sensation, the much-loved Sigrid accompanied by her socially-conscious owner, Travis.
Watch out for the episodes, coming out every Tuesday at 12pm from 5th September to 10th October.
Apple is endorsing the public’s ‘right to repair’.
Great! Tell me more.
Apple has told a Californian legislator that they will back a bill enabling the public to repair their electronics – and to be provided with the means to do so at a fair price.
If the bill goes through successfully, Apple will have to give the public access to the same equipment their employees use to diagnose problems with their tech, and repair it.
This would have an incredible impact on everything from climate change, by preventing tech waste; to the cost of living crisis, by making it easier and more affordable for people to repair their own technology.
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
We Are Cast. This is a charity helping organisations use digital technology for social good. Learn more here.
Tech4All. Using communication, internet and other emerging technologies, Tech4All aims to help those in poverty. Find out more.
Computers4Charity. C4C recycle old and unwanted technology for the benefit of the climate and communities. Support their work.
