Starlight Children's Foundation, a charity transforming children's health through play, has been awarded £86,000 (€100,000) after winning the F1 Allwyn Global Community Award at the British Grand Prix. The donation from multinational entertainment company Allwyn will fund a new 'Health Play Practice Educator' role and train up to 1,000 professionals in specialised care.
Award Presented at Silverstone
Representatives from Starlight collected a trophy crafted by Czech glassworks Moser at Silverstone alongside the cash prize. The charity was one of the winners during the race weekend, which saw Ferrari's Charles Leclerc triumph over Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton.
Starlight puts play at the heart of healthcare, creating moments of escapism from the trauma of illness and medical care through expert health play professionals. The group notes that as many as 1.4 million children are vulnerable to healthcare-related trauma, which can feel overwhelming and lead to deep distress that may carry over into adult life.
Judges Praise Innovation and Scalability
The charity was commended by judges for its spirit of innovation, as well as the project's scalability and potential for other organisations to replicate. Starlight was invited to apply for the award and had to put together a proposal, with the team left stunned upon learning they had won.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Jonny Wright, director of income generation and engagement at Starlight, said: “We were given a couple of weeks [to apply] and then it was only a few weeks later that we found out. That usually doesn't happen in fundraising. Fundraising can often take a long time and fundraising is really hard at the moment.
“Times are really tough, everything is quite turbulent. So to be given €100,000 fairly quickly off the back of what we think is a really good proposal that we can talk about was just super exciting. €100,000 for a fairly small charity like Starlight is a lot of money.”
Allwyn and F1 Partnership
Allwyn, a leading multinational lottery and gaming entertainment company and a partner of F1, launched the Award to recognise community-focused initiatives. Prizes are handed out at seven F1 events this season, with a focus on groups that have a positive impact on society.
Starlight plans to use the money for a new 'Health Play Practice Educator' role to embed play-informed care across the NHS through activities and experiences. The cash will also be used to train up to 1,000 professionals in specialised care.
Jonny told Express.co.uk: “What charities always have to do is innovate. The NHS is increasingly moving into communities to try and ease the pressure on hospitals. They are trying to put healthcare closer to where patients are, whether that’s GP surgeries, health centres or even in homes. That makes sense from a patient's perspective to be treated closer to home.
“But also that adds some risk for children because it means children aren't necessarily going into a children's ward, they're not going into a hospital where there are paediatric specialists, they are going to a GP or they are even being treated at home. What this award is helping us do is introducing a new role called a Practice Educator and they are going to work across different hospitals within a region adding training.”
Judges' Comments
Alastair Ruxton, Chief Impact Officer at Allwyn UK and F1 Allwyn Global Community Award judge, stressed that the panel was impressed by the charity's spirit of innovation and their pioneering approach to tackling healthcare-related trauma.
Ellen Jones, Head of ESG at Formula 1 and F1 Allwyn Global Community Award judge, added: “At Formula 1, we are committed to leveraging our platform to drive transformative change within our local communities.
“The Starlight Children’s Foundation aligns closely with our broader social impact priorities, especially our commitment to using bold, innovative approaches to solve complex challenges in areas such as healthcare. Its new 'Health Play Practice Educator' role offers a scalable model for long-term impact.”
