Bright Futures UK

Bright Futures UK We support young people aged 5-24 suffering from an mental health or physical illnesses. We want to make sure illness doesn’t steal young people’s potential.

Bright Futures UK is the first UK charity to support children and young people back into education after taking time out from education due to long term illness. Bright Futures UK supports young individuals through a period of illness by providing educational, social and professional support. We provide bespoke tuition, mentoring and workshops to increase young people’s confidence and help find th

em a new normal, while resuming their education at a pace that suits them. We’ve partnered with 11 NHS hospital locations and are building relationships all over the country, and we support on average nearly 1,000 young people a year. We are creating a culture that promotes a diverse use of skills and backgrounds in volunteering. Since launching we've recruited 340 volunteers, from all backgrounds and age ranges 17-60. Want to find out more?: https://www.brightfuturesuk.org/run-a-programme

We are excited to have launched a new Activity Packs initiative last month at UCLH - University College London Hospitals...
19/06/2026

We are excited to have launched a new Activity Packs initiative last month at UCLH - University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 🙌

The packs contain creative and educational activities designed to provide more children and young people with meaningful engagement during their hospital stays, while also supporting play and youth support staff to facilitate bedside and group activities when we are not on the ward. 🎨🌟

With the help of generous volunteers, we packed an incredible 520 activity packs, which are being delivered across the wards throughout the summer. Last month also marked an exciting milestone for the project as we delivered the very first packs.

A huge thank you to everyone who has supported the initiative so far. We are looking forward to seeing the positive impact these activities will continue to have for children, young people, and families across the hospital.

Get your running shoes on for Bright Futures UK! 👟💫We have limited places remaining for the Royal Parks Half Marathon, t...
18/06/2026

Get your running shoes on for Bright Futures UK! 👟💫

We have limited places remaining for the Royal Parks Half Marathon, taking place this October.

This is your chance to raise vital funds for our charity while taking part in one of London's most iconic races. Last year, our runners raised over £2,600, helping us provide educational support to children and young people facing serious, long-term physical and mental illnesses.

Whether you’re chasing a personal best or ticking your first half marathon off your bucket list, we’d love to have you on the team.

📆 Sunday, 11th October 2026

Please complete our online form to register your interest:
➡️ https://6ds8zj68dqd.typeform.com/Fundraise

Or get in touch with [email protected] to find out more.

📸 Check out some of our pictures from last year!

Volunteering Opportunity: Key Stage 3 German Tutor"My student's confidence has grown significantly since we first met. O...
03/06/2026

Volunteering Opportunity: Key Stage 3 German Tutor

"My student's confidence has grown significantly since we first met. Our journey together has been fabulous, with plenty of laughter alongside the hard work." – BFUK Volunteer speaking about their student

📍 Location: Remote (UK)
⏳ Time Commitment: 1hr Weekly
🗓️ Duration: From 14 Weeks

Bright Futures UK is looking for a passionate and knowledgeable Key Stage 3 German tutor to provide educational support and a fun, safe learning environment for a young person living with serious illnesses.

What you’ll do:

🔹 Run online tutoring sessions (1hr/week)
🔹 Offer subject knowledge and expertise related to KS3 German
🔹 Help to combat social isolation through fun and engaging tutoring sessions
🔹 Follow safeguarding policies and report any concerns to BFUK

We’re looking for someone with:

🔹 Strong understanding of KS3 German concepts and specifications
🔹 Teaching skills to explain complex ideas in clear and engaging ways
🔹 Kindness and an understanding nature towards those facing health challenges
🔹 Reliability to attend sessions at agreed times
🔹 Must be 18+ with a UK address

The difference you’ll make:

Your support will help a young person stay on track academically, build their confidence, and develop the skills they need to succeed despite the challenges they face.

What you'll gain:

🔹 Enhanced DBS will be provided
🔹 Safeguarding Level One Training
🔹 Skill Development opportunities
🔹 Direct experience working with children and young people

How to apply 👇

If you're interested, please apply via our online volunteering portal, and a member of our team will be in touch:

🔗 https://brightfuturesuk.org/volunteering

Another amazing month of workshops at Bright Futures UK! 💙🌈 We kicked things off at The Royal Marsden NHS with colourful...
02/06/2026

Another amazing month of workshops at Bright Futures UK! 💙

🌈 We kicked things off at The Royal Marsden NHS with colourful suncatchers, where our CYPs learned all about rainbows and refraction. This activity was a huge hit, and everyone got to take home their own sparkling keepsake!

♻️ At Great Ormond Street Hospital and Charity, reusable cups made a return this month. As always, CYPs loved getting creative, with lots of parents and siblings joining in too! Alongside decorating, we shared fun Earth Day facts and explored the importance of the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

➕ Also at GOSH, pebble painting quickly transformed into an unexpected maths lesson thanks to our incredible volunteers who support us weekly. During , we’re especially grateful for the time, care, and creativity they bring to every session. Special shout out to Nicolas and Aneta, who consistently show up each week and make such a positive difference to the young people we work with.

🐝To round off the month, we celebrated World Bee Day at RMH by creating bee watering stations The children learned why bees are so important, the threats they face, and simple ways we can all help protect them. One young person even gifted the BFUK team a handmade crochet macaron plushie which was definitely the highlight our week.

That's a wrap for May! We’re so excited for an even bigger summer ahead, filled with more creative activities, learning, and smiles across our hospital workshops 💙

We’re delighted to announce that we’ve been shortlisted for the National Fundraising Awards 2026, in the category Fundra...
01/06/2026

We’re delighted to announce that we’ve been shortlisted for the National Fundraising Awards 2026, in the category Fundraising Charity of the Year (Small)! 🙌

This recognition is a testament to the dedication of our team and donors. Every effort and act of kindness has fuelled our journey, and we are incredibly grateful for the community that made this milestone possible.

We look forward to celebrating with all the nominees this Thursday, 4th June.

Take a look at the full shortlist here: https://ciof.org.uk/national-fundraising-awards/shortlist/

Chartered Institute of Fundraising

This Volunteers' Week, we would like to say a massive THANK YOU to our incredible community of volunteers! 💙Last year at...
01/06/2026

This Volunteers' Week, we would like to say a massive THANK YOU to our incredible community of volunteers! 💙

Last year at Bright Futures UK, our volunteers dedicated over 4,000 hours across our programmes, providing vital support to children and young people when they needed it most.

To every single person who has given their time, energy, and support to BFUK: thank you. Your dedication transforms lives, and we couldn't do this work without you.

Want to join this amazing community? Head to our website to learn how you can get involved!

👉 https://brightfuturesuk.org/volunteering

April Workshop Recap 🔁Here’s a look back at some of the highlights from our recent workshops taking place at Great Ormon...
01/05/2026

April Workshop Recap 🔁

Here’s a look back at some of the highlights from our recent workshops taking place at Great Ormond Street Hospital and Charity and UCLH - University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 🎨💙

Over the past few weeks, young people across our programmes have been getting stuck into a range of hands-on activities:

🌍 For Earth Day, we painted reusable water cups, a small but powerful step, especially when you consider that 2.5 billion disposable cups are thrown away every year!

🐧 To celebrate World Penguin Day, we got creative with pebble painting. Fun fact: penguins gift pebbles to those they love, a lovely reminder of care and connection.

🖌️ At GOSH, we explored relief printing with ink and pottery painting, giving everyone the chance to express themselves and try something new.

🧶 And a big shoutout to our team member Brittany, who led a brilliant crochet workshop, sharing new skills and sparking creativity!

These workshops are all about building confidence, encouraging self-expression and creating moments of joy.

Volunteering Opportunity: Key Stage 3 German Tutor"My student's confidence has grown significantly since we first met. O...
24/04/2026

Volunteering Opportunity: Key Stage 3 German Tutor

"My student's confidence has grown significantly since we first met. Our journey together has been fabulous, with plenty of laughter alongside the hard work." – BFUK Volunteer speaking about their student

📍 Location: Remote (UK)
⏳ Time Commitment: 1hr Weekly
🗓️ Duration: From 14 Weeks

Bright Futures UK is looking for a passionate and knowledgeable Key Stage 3 German tutor to provide educational support and a fun, safe learning environment for a young person living with serious illnesses.

What you’ll do:

🔹 Run online tutoring sessions (1hr/week)
🔹 Offer subject knowledge and expertise related to KS3 German
🔹 Help to combat social isolation through fun and engaging tutoring sessions
🔹 Follow safeguarding policies and report any concerns to BFUK

We’re looking for someone with:

🔹 Strong understanding of KS3 German concepts and specifications
🔹 Teaching skills to explain complex ideas in clear and engaging ways
🔹 Kindness and an understanding nature towards those facing health challenges
🔹 Reliability to attend sessions at agreed times
🔹 Must be 18+ with a UK address

The difference you’ll make:

Your support will help a young person stay on track academically, build their confidence, and develop the skills they need to succeed despite the challenges they face.

What you'll gain:

🔹 Enhanced DBS will be provided
🔹 Safeguarding Level One Training
🔹 Skill Development opportunities
🔹 Direct experience working with children and young people

How to apply 👇

If you're interested, please apply via our online volunteering portal, and a member of our team will be in touch:

🔗 https://app.betterimpact.com/PublicOrganization/e1d5093a-b5b9-41b8-b40f-4fd5ececa1d0/1

We have been delighted by the response to our first national research report on The Impact of Long-Term Illness on Child...
17/04/2026

We have been delighted by the response to our first national research report on The Impact of Long-Term Illness on Children & Young People’s Education in the UK, and by the important discussion it has started.

It’s encouraging to see so many policymakers, educators, healthcare professionals, and supporters engaging with the findings and helping to shine a light on an issue that has for too long been overlooked.

This conversation matters because behind every statistic is a child or young person whose education, wellbeing, and future opportunities are being affected by serious long-term illness.

Some of our key findings:

🔹 279,000 young people missed more than 20% of their education due to long-term illness in 2024, an increase from 169,000 in 2018.

🔹The government spends an additional £2.7bn per year educating children with long-term illness.

🔹Families face £20,500 per child per year in indirect costs when illness leads to sustained absence, leading to financial strain.

If you haven’t yet read the report, we encourage you to download it from our website.

📄 Download the report here: https://brightfuturesuk.org/report-the-impact-of-illness-on-children-young-peoples-education

Together, we can keep this momentum going and work towards a future where no child’s education is limited by long-term illness.

Bright Futures UK is delighted to be taking part in A Million Acts of Hope, a national campaign to celebrate the everyda...
15/04/2026

Bright Futures UK is delighted to be taking part in A Million Acts of Hope, a national campaign to celebrate the everyday acts of kindness, care and connection happening across the UK.

Each day, we see acts of kindness within our community and the amazing impact that this has on the children and young people we support.

From 13th - 20th May, we'll be joining hundreds of other charities, community groups and individuals, to highlight the hopeful things that happen around us every day. We'll be sharing messages from our community of volunteers and young people about things that bring them hope.

If you'd like to find out more about the campaign, including ways to get involved, head over to the A Million Acts of Hope website: https://millionactsofhope.org/

Address

X+why Fivefields, 8-10 Grosvenor Gardens
London
SW1W0DH

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 5pm
Thursday 9:30am - 5pm
Friday 9:30am - 3pm

Telephone

+442030515822

Website

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