Charlie Waller Trust named University's Charity of the Year

The Charlie Waller Trust has been selected as the University of Reading's next Charity of the Year for 2026/27, following a vote by University staff.

The Charlie Waller Trust is a children and young people's mental health charity. It works with young people, and those who support them, to manage their mental health and wellbeing, providing parents, carers, teachers, employers and community organisations with free training and resources to break down the stigma surrounding mental health problems.

The charity’s work is based on the best available evidence, including research developed at the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences at the University of Reading. Its work is driven by a commitment to prevent families from experiencing the suicide of a loved one due to depression.

The Charlie Waller Trust will engage with the University in a variety of ways throughout the next academic year, starting in September. The University will begin conversations with the charity over the summer period, in order to start mapping out what activity will take place throughout the year.

Dr Hannah Vickery, CEO at The Charlie Waller Trust, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been chosen as the University of Reading Charity of the Year for 2026/2027. It means so much to us that this partnership was decided by a staff vote, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who chose to support us.

“This partnership is a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of youth mental health and to help more people support the children and young people in their lives.”

A total of 37 applications were received for this year's Charity of the Year scheme. University staff had the opportunity to vote on a shortlist of five charities that are active and supporting people and communities in the Thames Valley area.

The criteria for shortlisting included: the charity's alignment to the University's charitable objectives of advancing education, learning and research for public benefit; the benefits to the charity, its beneficiaries and the local community; the benefit to the University; and the overall quality of the application.

Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, said: "Congratulations to the Charlie Waller Trust on being chosen by our staff as Charity of the Year. Mental health support for children and young people matters to our community, and I look forward to seeing what we can achieve together over the coming year, from fundraising to sharing the charity's training and resources across our campus."

The Charlie Waller Trust succeeds Daisy's Dream, which was the University's Charity of the Year for 2025/26. Daisy’s Dream supports children, young people and their families in Berkshire who have experienced bereavement or are preparing for loss. 

Some of the activities with Daisy’s Dream included:

• Community bookshelves were set up around campus, with a suggested donation of £2 per book
• Staff members donated arts and crafts items to support bereavement sessions
• Two staff members ran the Reading Half Marathon in aid of Daisy’s Dream, raising almost £3,000
• Training sessions for staff, to help support students and colleagues experiencing bereavement
• A cream tea fundraising event was held at the University.