Lifelites wins Breakthrough of the Year at the Third Sector Awards 2026

Lifelites has won Breakthrough of the Year at the Third Sector Awards 2026, recognising the impact and innovation of our Lifelites 25 programme.

The award celebrates Lifelites 25 as a new, scalable approach to reaching children with life-limiting conditions beyond the charity’s traditional hospice network.

Lifelites 25 recognised for its impact and innovation

For 25 years, Lifelites has provided specialist assistive and sensory technology, training and support to children’s hospices across the UK. Lifelites 25 builds on this expertise by extending the model into specialist schools, health and care services, helping more children access technology that can support communication, independence, wellbeing and connection.

Through a national application and selection process, 14 new partners have now received bespoke technology alongside specialist training, online learning, technical support and ongoing evaluation. This combination of technology and expertise enables organisations to confidently adopt, embed and sustain new approaches in their work.

In its first year, Lifelites 25 reached 1,100 more children living with serious illnesses, increased Lifelites’ organisational reach by 15% and more than doubled training delivery. A further 800 children are expected to benefit in Year 2.

The programme has also generated significant wider impact, including an 817% increase in website traffic, more than 5,000 public votes and a 31% uplift in fundraising.

Rob Lightfoot, Chief Executive of Lifelites, said:

“I’m incredibly proud that Lifelites has won Breakthrough of the Year at the Third Sector Awards.

Lifelites 25 is a genuine team effort. It started as an ambitious idea and has been turned into reality by a team who have worked tirelessly, creatively and collaboratively to make it happen.

I’m hugely grateful to our Board for having the confidence to back the idea, to our new partners for trusting us to deliver it, and to our existing partners, supporters and funders who continue to invest in what Lifelites can achieve. This award is recognition of what we can achieve when we bring our collective expertise, energy and ambition together.”

Lifelites recognised for its 2025 Christmas Appeal

Lifelites was also a finalist for Communications Campaign of the Year for its 2025 Christmas Appeal, delivered in partnership with the Daily Mirror. The campaign sought to shift perceptions of children’s palliative care and tell a different story about the lives, experiences and possibilities of children and families living with life-limiting conditions.

The Third Sector Awards celebrate outstanding achievement across the UK charity sector. Lifelites was recognised alongside organisations and individuals making a significant contribution to communities across the country.

Rob added:

“Being in a room with so many extraordinary charities and people changing lives across the UK was a humbling experience. For Lifelites to be recognised by the judges was a huge achievement, and to actually win is a very proud moment for everyone involved.”

Lifelites 25 is now providing a platform for Lifelites to build on 25 years of experience and explore new ways of using assistive technology to reach more children and young people wherever they access care, education and support.