Create receives Highly Commended Disability Impact Award at National Charity Today Awards 2026
We are delighted to announce that Create has received a Highly Commended Award in the Disability Impact Award category at the National Charity Today Awards 2026, recognising our work to make the creative arts accessible and inclusive for disabled children and adults.
The Disability Impact Award celebrates organisations and projects that empower disabled people, promoting accessibility, independence and inclusion. This recognition reflects the achievements of participants across four of Create’s programmes and the commitment of our professional artists, partners and funders who help make these opportunities possible.
CREATIVE ARTS PROGRAMMES SUPPORTING DISABLED CHILDREN AND ADULTS
Create was highly commended for our work across four programmes: creative:connection; creative:tandem; environment:matters; and our:stories.
During 2025/26, Create delivered 280 tailored, inclusive creative arts workshops with 555 participants through these programmes.
Working alongside our professional artists, participants explored different artforms, developed skills and confidence, expressed themselves and connected with others. Each project was designed around the needs and interests of the people taking part, ensuring they could participate in ways that worked for them.
Celebrating disabled participants’ creativity and achievements
An important part of Create’s work is providing opportunities for participants to share their creativity with wider audiences and take pride in what they have achieved.
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 performed original music created alongside Create’s 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, bringing their creativity to audiences beyond the workshop setting.
Meanwhile, 36 disabled students taking part in our environment:matters programme in Liverpool explored the climate crisis through visual art. Their finished pieces were celebrated at a special red-carpet private view hosted by project funder Barnett Waddingham at its office.
These experiences offer participants opportunities not only to develop their creative skills, but also to see their work recognised and appreciated by others.
Making creativity accessible to everyone
At Create, we believe that everyone should have access to high-quality creative experiences, regardless of their circumstances or abilities.
Our programmes are developed in partnership with the organisations and settings we work with and tailored to participants’ individual needs and interests. Through activities including music, visual art, drama and other artforms, our professional artists create welcoming environments where participants can experiment, collaborate and express themselves.
Nicky Goulder MBE, Create’s Founding Chief Executive, said:
“Receiving a Highly Commended Award for the Disability Impact Award is a wonderful recognition of the work taking place across Create’s programmes. What makes this particularly meaningful is the incredible creativity, imagination and individuality we see from our participants every day. From performing original music to exhibiting artwork in public spaces, our participants are showing what can happen when barriers to participation are removed and everyone is given the opportunity to explore their potential. We’re delighted that their achievements have been recognised on a national stage.”
We are proud to receive this recognition alongside the many charities and organisations making a difference across the UK and extend our congratulations to all the winners at this year’s National Charity Today Awards.
People Need To Create.
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.
