Bright Futures UK

07/10/2026

💫 Mentoring Success: Finding the “perfect fit.”

After spending a year out of education due to Long Covid, 18-year-old James was working hard to catch up on his GCSEs and thinking about his future in science. His ambition? A PhD in physics.

Through our Mentoring Programme, we paired James with Sebastian, a lead data scientist with a background in theoretical physics. Together, they explored science careers, university options and practical steps towards James’s goals, while recognising the challenges of managing his health.

James described the experience as a “perfect fit”. When their mentoring programme ended, both wanted to keep the connection going. Together, they continued their sessions through our Befriending Programme, discussing physics, reading together and exploring James’s future opportunities. Sebastian has also helped James prepare to take part in a hospital panel where young people answer questions from doctors.

Their story shows what the right support can mean: space to explore, encouragement to take on new challenges, and growing confidence in what comes next.

🔗 Read the full blog here: https://brightfuturesuk.org/mentoring-case-study-james-sebastian

05/10/2026

💙 More than 450 learning packs, career inspiration and a brilliant team effort!

We were delighted to welcome the Fortura Financial Partners Ltd team to our office last week to learn more about our mission and help support young people whose education is disrupted by serious illness.

The Fortura team packed 450+ packs that will enable young people to continue learning from their hospital beds!

Alongside this, they also provided meaningful advice to young people about their own career journeys by answering questions on our Mentoring Cards, highlighting that careers aren't linear and that there is a wide range of career options out there.

Here’s what some of the Fortura team had to say:

💬 “The team were amazing. I enjoyed learning about the charity in more depth.”

💬 “I enjoyed working on creating the packs.”

💬 “I enjoyed having team bonding and making a difference.”

Thank you to the whole Fortura team for your hard work, enthusiasm and impressive efficiency! Your time and energy will make a difference to young people in our partner hospitals. 💙

29/09/2026

We're helping young people to Reach for the Sky! 🚀💫

Our Reach for the Sky workshops, funded by the UK Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Transport, have continued over the past few months. Through VR, coding, robotics, and aerospace activities, young people have been discovering exciting STEM careers while having fun.

Sessions aim to:

🔸Gain access to virtual reality experiences and hands-on STEM learning.
🔸Learn about aviation and aerospace and careers in the sector.
🔸Work in virtual reality to draw their own aircraft using 3D software.
🔸Learn to code Sphero BOLT+ robots, just as drones or the Mars rover are instructed.
🔸Discover that a future career within aerospace and technology is within reach.

We've had some wonderful feedback on the sessions so far:

💭 One member of hospital staff shared: "Seeing the children laughing and completely immersed in the experience was incredibly special. For those moments, they seemed to forget they were in hospital."

💭 Another staff member said: "These children would be missing lots of the end of year “fun” activities in their own schools, so to take part in something exciting and wonderful as VR and all the other related activities was so much appreciated by parents, staff and of course the children."

💭 One young person said: “Yesterday, I played on the VR. I liked the 3D drawing of the plane and I also liked the part where I made the paper plane and threw it across the room!”

To find out more about our programmes, please visit our website: www.brightfuturesuk.org

25/09/2026

Our volunteer community is now on

Everything you need to manage your volunteering, stay up to date and keep connected with the Bright Futures UK team, all in one place. 💙

Already volunteering with us? Download the app and log in to get started.

Interested in joining our community? We’d love to have you! ✨

25/09/2026

⭐ WE’RE NOW ON VOLUNTEERO ⭐

You may have already seen the news in our volunteer community emails, but if you haven’t yet, we’re excited to share that Bright Futures UK is now using Volunteero 🙌

As our volunteer community continues to grow, we want to make sure we’re providing the best possible experience for everyone who gives their time to support children and young people affected by serious illness.

Volunteero will give our volunteers a simpler, more joined-up way to manage their volunteering, stay connected with our team and keep up to date with everything they need in one place.

If you’re already a Bright Futures UK volunteer, please download the Volunteero app and follow the instructions we’ve shared with you to access your account.

We’re really excited about this next step and about continuing to improve the experience of volunteering with Bright Futures UK.

If you have any questions, need help getting set up or would like any additional information, please get in touch with our volunteer team.

24/09/2026

🏆 WE WON: Charity Times Awards 2026

We are delighted to announce that Bright Futures UK has won two Charity Times Awards: Charity of the Year (income under £1 million) for the second year in a row, and Digital Transformation of the Year.

These awards belong to the people who make our work possible: our volunteers, supporters, partners and team. Together, we’re helping children and young people stay connected to education when serious illness disrupts their lives.

Thank you to Charity Times for this recognition, and congratulations to everyone celebrated last night. 💙

Full Winners List 🔗 https://www.charitytimes.com/awards/winners26.php

18/09/2026

⭐ Alchemy Partners raised over £35,000! ⭐

We'd like to say a huge thank you to the incredible team at Alchemy Partners, who have raised more than £35,000 for Bright Futures UK after taking on the National Three Peaks Challenge.

The team climbed Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) within 24 hours, an enormous challenge that has resulted in an incredible fundraising total.

Every pound raised will help us continue supporting children and young people whose education has been disrupted by serious illness through our tutoring, mentoring, befriending and skills-based programmes.

We are so grateful to the Alchemy team, everyone who donated and everyone who supported them along the way.

Congratulations on an amazing achievement, and thank you for helping us make sure no child or young person misses out on education because of serious illness.

11/09/2026

We'd like to say a huge thank you to The Vintners’ Company & Foundation for funding our recent creative workshops! 🎨✨

Our young people had great fun painting birdhouses and getting competitive over a game of Birds Top Trumps; they absolutely loved guessing how many of each species live in the UK! 🦢

Workshops like these give children and young people in hospital a chance to build confidence, connect with peers, and have creative fun.

Swipe through to see some of the incredible masterpieces created in our sessions!

Thank you, Vintners' Foundation, for supporting our work and making these moments possible. 💙

10/09/2026

We'd like to wish good luck to the amazing team at Alchemy Partners who are taking on the National Three Peaks Challenge to raise funds for our charity! 🏔️

11 brave team members are scaling Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Snowdon (the highest peaks in Scotland, England, and Wales) all within 24 hours. That’s 25 miles of trekking, over 3,000 metres of ascent, and non-stop travel against the clock.

The Alchemy Team have already smashed their original £25,000 fundraising target. The funds raised from this challenge will allow us to support more children and young people facing long-term health conditions with their education. 💙

You can support their incredible effort and donate via their JustGiving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/alchemythreepeaks?utm_medium=FA&utm_source=CL

Help Alchemy Partners raise money to support Bright Futures UK

04/09/2026

BFUK Guitar Lessons 🎸

We've been busy at UCLH - University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust where our guitar workshops have been bringing music, creativity, and confidence to young people in hospital!

Our sessions have given children and young people the chance to learn new chords, build their musical skills, and enjoy expressing themselves through music. Whether they were picking up a guitar for the first time or developing existing skills, it has been wonderful to see everyone grow in confidence, connect with others, and have fun along the way.

A huge thank you to The Finzi Trust for generously funding acoustic guitars for our workshops. Your support is helping us provide meaningful creative opportunities for young people whose education has been disrupted by serious illness, and we are so grateful for your generosity. 💙

We can't wait to see many more young people discover a love of music through these sessions!