Create named finalist for Disability Impact Award at National Charity Today Awards 2026
We are delighted to announce that Create has been named as a finalist for the Disability Impact Award at the National Charity Today Awards™ 2026.
The Disability Impact Award celebrates organisations and projects that have empowered individuals with disabilities, promoting accessibility, independence and inclusivity.
CREATIVE ARTS PROGRAMMES SUPPORTING DISABLED CHILDREN AND ADULTS
Our nomination recognises Create’s work with disabled children, young people and adults through four of our programmes: creative:connection; creative:tandem; environment:matters; and our:stories.
During 2025/26, we designed and delivered 280 high-quality, tailored, inclusive creative arts workshops with 555 participants through these programmes, creating opportunities for the participants to explore their creativity, develop skills and confidence, connect with others and express themselves, reducing isolation and enhancing wellbeing.
CELEBRATING DISABLED PARTICIPANTS’ CREATIVITY AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Central to our work is ensuring that participants not only have opportunities to be creative, but that their ideas, talents and achievements are seen, heard and celebrated.
In 2025, this included a creative:connection showcase at Manchester Central Library, where 53 disabled and non-disabled students from four schools in Manchester and Salford shared original music that they created with our professional musicians during a week-long residency.
In Lewisham, participants on another creative:connection project contributed artwork to a bespoke smart car vehicle wrap. Their designs were displayed at CarFest South in August 2025 before touring London in November.
Meanwhile, 36 disabled students taking part in our environment:matters programme in Liverpool had the opportunity to showcase their climate crisis-inspired visual artwork at a special red-carpet private view hosted by funder Barnett Waddingham at its office.
These moments provide valuable opportunities for participants to take pride in what they have achieved and for wider audiences to experience and celebrate their creativity and talents.
MAKING THE CREATIVE ARTS ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE
At Create, we believe that everyone should have access to high-quality creative experiences.
Our projects are carefully designed in partnership with the participants, organisations and settings we work with, carefully tailored to the needs and interests of each participant group. Through professional artist-led workshops, participants are given opportunities to experiment with different artforms, express themselves, work collaboratively and discover what they can achieve.
Nicky Goulder MBE, Create’s Founding Chief Executive, said:
“I’m thrilled that Create has been shortlisted for the Disability Impact Award. This recognition celebrates something that is fundamental to our work: ensuring disabled children and adults have access to high-quality creative experiences and opportunities for their creativity to be seen, heard and celebrated. I’m incredibly proud of our participants and everything they have achieved, and hugely grateful to our professional artists, staff, partners and funders who make this work possible.”
We look forward to joining other charities and organisations from across the UK at the National Charity Today Awards Gala Lunch this October. The awards’ finalist communications highlight the event as an opportunity to celebrate work taking place across the UK charity sector.
Congratulations to all this year’s finalists!
Nicky Goulder MBE, Founding Chief Executive
With thanks to Barnett Waddingham, Bruce Wake Charitable Trust, Charles S French Charitable Trust, John Horniman’s Children’s Trust, London Freemasons’ Charity, Merchant Taylors’ Foundation, Octopus Energy Generation, The Simon Rivett-Carnac Trust, smart and The St Paul’s Schools Foundation [via Mercers’ Company] for funding these programmes.
