Tag: Big Give

Create shortlisted for Business Charity Award for smart partnership

We’re delighted to share that Create has been shortlisted for the Business Charity Awards “Marketing Partnership of the Year”, recognising our innovative partnership with smart UK. This collaboration demonstrates the powerful impact of bringing business and creativity together for social good.

A partnership driven by creativity and impact

In 2025, Create partnered with smart UK to deliver a nationwide creative programme exploring the theme “Open Your Mind”. At the heart of the partnership was a shared ambition: to create something bold, meaningful and genuinely impactful, both for participants and wider audiences.

Working with our professional artists, participants from across our programmes – including young and adult carers, mainstream children working with those with special needs, and isolated older people – took part in visual art workshops designed to spark imagination, self-expression and connection.

Each participant created their own artwork in response to the theme, using painting, drawing and collage to explore what “Open Your Mind” meant to them. These individual pieces were then brought together into a vibrant, large-scale collage. The final artwork was transformed into bespoke vehicle wraps for the award-winning smart #1 and #3 electric vehicles, turning participants’ voices into a striking, highly visible creative output.

From workshops to national showcase

The campaign was designed to deliver meaningful creative experiences and to amplify participants’ voices on a national stage.

The ‘art cars’ were showcased across the UK, including at CarFest South in August 2025, and gained significant international media and social media coverage. Through this, the campaign amplified voices that are too often underrepresented, while aligning smart’s brand with creativity, inclusion and community impact.

To bring the celebration directly to the participants, the car was driven to the three projects in London on a single, impactful day, giving them the opportunity to see their work displayed in an exciting and original way. At every stage, the project placed participants at its heart, from the initial workshops through to the final public showcase.

The impact for participants

For participants, the partnership provided more than a creative experience. It offered a chance to be seen, to contribute to something larger, and to have their creativity celebrated on a national stage.

Participants were given the tools, time and encouragement to create freely, knowing their work would contribute to a shared outcome with real visibility and recognition. The resulting artworks reflect individuality, imagination and lived experience – a powerful reminder of what can happen when creativity is made accessible to everyone.

Creativity as a catalyst for change

This partnership highlights what is possible when businesses and charities work together in a collaborative and innovative way.

By combining smart UK’s platform and reach with Create’s expertise in delivering high-quality, participant-led creative programmes, the partnership achieved both meaningful social impact and strong public engagement.

It demonstrates how corporate partnerships can go beyond traditional sponsorship, creating authentic, creative campaigns that engage audiences while delivering real benefits for communities.

Celebrating success

We are delighted that this partnership has been shortlisted by Business Charity Awards. This is a celebration of the creativity of the participants who made this project so powerful, and the partnership with smart UK that enabled their voices to be seen and heard.

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR BIG GIVE “ARTS FOR IMPACT” CAMPAIGN

Earlier this month, Create took part in the Big Give’s “Arts for Impact” campaign – a national match-funding initiative supporting arts charities to reach more people through creativity. For one week, every donation made was doubled, making your generosity have twice the impact.

Thanks to the incredible support of the 78 donors who contributed to the campaign, we’re delighted to share that we exceeded – our £13,500 fundraising target, raising £14,507 to support our work with young and adult carers (£16,117 including gift aid).

Caring for a loved one can be isolating, exhausting and emotionally overwhelming. Across the UK, 90% of unpaid carers report feeling lonely, and more than half say they feel anxious or depressed. Many have little time for themselves, often missing out on the simple activities that support wellbeing and bring joy. 68% of carers say they are less able to take part in activities that improve their mood, like hobbies and interests, volunteering, or activities in their community.

That’s why your support matters so much.

Through our programmes with young and adult carers, we bring carers together in creative workshops that offer something rare: space to breathe; space to step away from responsibility, connect with others who understand, and rediscover a sense of self beyond caring.

As one participant shared:

The project made me feel like I had a superpower. It was great for my mental health.

These moments of creativity are powerful. They reduce isolation, build confidence and remind carers that they are seen, valued and supported.

“We are truly grateful for the support for this campaign. Every donation represents a belief in the power of creativity to support those who so often put themselves last. Young and adult carers give so much of themselves every day, often with little time for their own wellbeing. Thanks to your generosity, more carers will have the opportunity to step away from their responsibilities, rediscover a sense of themselves beyond caring, and experience the joy, confidence and connection that creativity can bring.”

Nicky Goulder MBE, Founding CEO, Create

We were delighted to have the support of actor, writer, comedian and Create Patron Isy Suttie, who kindly lent her time and voice to the campaign. We are incredibly grateful for her support of our work.

It has been incredibly moving to see so many people come together to support this work. Every donation, every share and every message of encouragement has helped make this campaign a success – and will help ensure that more carers can access the life-enhancing power of the creative arts.

Thanks to you, we can continue to create spaces where carers feel connected, supported and inspired.