The Welsh Charity Awards winners have been announced, take a look at our amazing winners and finalists for this year.
The Welsh Charity Awards celebrate the positive impact and outstanding contributions made by charities, community organisations, not-for-profits, and volunteers across Wales.
At our awards ceremony on 16 October 2025 at the Principality Stadium we celebrated all the amazing finalists and announced this year’s winners. The journalist and BBC presenter Jennifer Jones hosted the ceremony.
Read on to find out about the winners and finalists for the 2025 Welsh Charity Awards.
2025 WINNERS & FINALISTS
Volunteer of the year (volunteers aged 26 or over) – sponsored by Hedyn
Winner: Mojisola Olateju
Mojisola Olateju is a dedicated Swansea-based volunteer for several organisations who is nominated by the African Community Centre for her role supporting women from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.
Mojisola’s transformative women-only Zumba class supports 40 women who face cultural barriers. She coordinates a food bank for 500+ families, and also provides weekly childcare to allow 50+ mothers to attend English classes, which ultimately improves their confidence and integration.
Finalists:
Dr Justin Griffiths
‘Unstoppable force’ Justin has transformed wheelchair rugby opportunities across Wales and internationally. Despite his health challenges, in just 18 months, he’s secured World Wheelchair Rugby recognition for Wales 5s and established the club for Vale of Glamorgan.
Fiona Stevens
Fiona has shown exceptional dedication to The Birth Partner Project by providing comprehensive birth support to women seeking sanctuary in Cardiff, ensuring they never face pregnancy, labour, and early motherhood alone.
Young volunteer of the year (volunteers aged 25 or under) – sponsored by The National Lottery Community Fund
Winner: Francesco Lanzi
Francesco Lanzi volunteers for many organisations including Dyfed Drug and Alcohol Service, St John Ambulance, and Cymru Sport.
Francesco is most notably a lead volunteer with the Undeb Aberystwyth A-Team helping new students settle into university life. He is also an academic representative and student democracy chair, where he amplifies the voices of underrepresented students.
Finalists:
David Uche Iyamu
David (17) makes a daily 24-mile round trip to volunteer at Swansea’s African Community Centre, welcoming newcomers (often asylum seekers and refugees) and initiating youth support services, including counselling and a mental health app.
Mia Harris-Jones
Mia is a 17-year-old volunteer ambassador at Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital whose contribution is vast. This includes raising £13,000, being a ‘big sister’ to younger patients, raising awareness online, inspiring fundraising events and influencing healthcare policy, all while receiving leukaemia treatment.
Fundraiser of the year – sponsored by Utility Aid
Winner: The Parish Trust
The Parish Trust transformed potential crisis into remarkable fundraising success, after raising over £300,000 to renovate a new donated home, The Bryn Hall.
This included securing major grants from The National Lottery and others, partnerships with private companies, and local community fundraising and donated services.
Finalists:
Faith in Families
Faith in Families has transformed its community fundraising through dignity-focused campaigns. From one charity ball alone, they raised an incredible £40,000 to provide over 3,000 school backpacks and £50 vouchers to those who need them most.
Stephens and George Centenary Charitable Trust
The Stephens and George Centenary Charitable Trust, led by Helen Hughes, has raised millions of pounds to transform services in Merthyr Tydfil, including counselling for over 350 young people.
Champion of diversity – sponsored by Bute Energy
Winner: KIRAN Cymru
KIRAN Cymru is a small but influential Welsh grassroots community organisation fighting racism through a variety of projects.
A finalist in two categories this year, KIRAN Cymru has a range of programmes include ‘Walk in My Shoes’ and ‘South Asia Cymru Heritage’, many of which have been adopted by major Welsh institutions. Over 1,200 people have participated in the organisation’s anti-racist workshops, reducing tensions across Wales.
Finalists:
Redberth Croft CIC
Redberth Croft CIC is a rural community farm that is led by people with lived experience and places equality, diversity, and inclusion at the centre of its work – empowering people with additional learning needs, mental health challenges, or social disadvantage.
Thriving Communities & Aneurin Bevan Health Board
Thriving Communities CIC, led by Dr Manmeet Kaur and her team, champions diversity through its award-winning Mind & Body Wellness Programme, with 85% of participants reporting improved well-being.
Use of the Welsh language – sponsored by Darwin Gray
Winner: GISDA
GISDA has gone above and beyond their core aims to promote the Welsh language this year, and has already been chosen by the Welsh Language Commissioner as the organisation for the Cynnig Cymraeg Week (Welsh Offer Week).
The Welsh language is central to all of GISDA’S services, with more than 50 staff working through the medium of Welsh to create stronger communities for vulnerable young people. For example, completely Welsh hubs were developed across Gwynedd with young people boards and creative partnerships.
Finalists:
Stroke Association
The Stroke Association is recognised for embedding the Welsh language throughout its services, and instigating pioneering research with Cardiff Metropolitan University to proactively influence systemic change in stroke care for Welsh speakers.
NSPCC Cymru – Local Campaigns Team
NSPCC Local Campaigns team in partnership with S4C launched the first Talk PANTS Cymru Week, enabling Welsh-speaking children, professionals and families to Talk PANTS and learn how to stay safe in their mother tongue for the very first time.
Most influential small organisation – sponsored by Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales
Winner: BulliesOut
With just two part-time staff, two trainers, and 15 volunteers, BulliesOut has been ‘a beacon of hope’ to 19,000 children across 155 schools in 2024.
BulliesOut proves small teams can create a big change. Training 772 peer mentors and 516 playground pals, plus delivering anti-bullying sessions to 9,990 children, the charity has inspired a movement for kindness that can create lasting change.
Finalists:
KIRAN Cymru
KIRAN Cymru, twice nominated this year, has transformed local community work into national influence by creating Wales’ first community-led Anti-Racism Toolbox and inspiring 1,200 beneficiaries to become changemakers, influencing policy and shifting societal discourse.
Megan’s Starr
Born from tragedy and founded by 2023 Volunteer of the Year winner Nicola Harteveld, Pembrokeshire’s Megan’s Starr Foundation delivers massive impact, including 2,000+ counselling hours, seven youth jobs, 25,000+ volunteer hours, and 5,000+ meals.
Health and wellbeing – sponsored by Geldards
Winner: Brynawel House
Brynawel House in Rhondda Cynon Taff is a specialist addiction recovery charity that supported 190 people this past year through residential treatment and aftercare.
The charity is the only Welsh not-for-profit ARBD (Alcohol Related Brain Damage) service, and achieves 75% recovery rates versus 38-48% nationally. A unique service in Wales, it often supports individuals considered ‘too complex’ elsewhere.
Finalists:
Area 43
UK-wide youth mental health charity, Area 43, which is based in mid and west Wales, is a groundbreaking organisation that delivers exceptional results in empowering young people through a truly youth-led approach and popular youth cafe, Depot.
Therapeutic Activities Group CIC
The Baxter Project, as part of the Therapeutic Activities Group CIC, uses wellbeing dogs as part of its trauma-informed approach to early intervention for vulnerable children across Wales, and has delivered over 9,000 hours of support in over 30 schools.
Organisation of the year – sponsored by The Open University in Wales
Winner: ScoutsCymru
ScoutsCymru is nominated for its modern leadership and innovative governance.
Half of ScoutsCymru’s trustee positions are reserved for 18-24 year-olds who work as equals to senior leaders. The organisation supports 14,000+ young people with the help of its 4,600+ volunteers. It led the UK’s most extensive youth-led research, involving over 500 young people, and also campaigned successfully for changes to the Visitor Levy Bill proposals, protecting affordable experiences for under-18s.
Finalists:
Megan’s Starr
Founded by 2023 Volunteer of the Year winner, Nicola Harteveld, Megan’s Starr Foundation has transformed family grief into exemplary organisational leadership and exceptional governance through trustee expertise, which has delivered a range of support for young people.
Domestic Abuse Safety Unit
DASU North Wales has supported domestic abuse survivors for 35 years, and now runs the entire IDVA (Independent Domestic Violence Advocate) service across all six counties, to support over 6,500 survivors annually.
Age Connects Cardiff and the Vale
Age Connects Cardiff and the Vale is an impressive organisation that has supported vulnerable and isolated older people through 23 staff and 180+ volunteers delivering 18,000+ hours across 5,000+ referrals.
Kidney Wales
Kidney Wales has made a deep and lasting difference across Wales, increasing its direct spend by 46% to £316,597, providing almost £60,000 in financial assistance and investing £80,000 in research and medical equipment.
A BIG THANK YOU
Thank you to each and every person that got involved in this year’s Welsh Charity Awards. The work volunteers and voluntary organisations in Wales do is incredible and it’s an absolute privilege to celebrate it.
A big congratulations to all our nominees, finalists and winners. We’re looking forward to next year’s ceremony already!