News & Stories

On 4th April 2022, we launched an ambitious new fundraising campaign to help grant every single wish that is still waiting across the UK by World Wish Day on 29th April 2022. Read more

Two years on from the first lockdown, Make-A-Wish UK's CEO, Jason Suckley reflects on how we've had to learn and adapt as an organisation, in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Read more

Anthony has turned his extraordinary near-death experience into an opportunity to inspire others. As such, he was kind enough to give us a rare in-person motivational talk at our Reading Hub. Read more

You’ve heard of the phrase ‘walking encyclopaedia’? Well Lindsey Thurlow is a running one! There’s not much she doesn’t know about choosing a challenge, maximising fundraising, and staying nourished. Read more

On 20th November 2021, STARboard, our Children and Young People's Board, met for the first time in person at our Hub in Reading after working together virtually for 18 months. It was a jam-packed day. Read more

Zahra, sister of wish child Sophia, tells us about the impact of her sister's wish and how creative writing has helped her cope with the pressures that serious illness can place on the whole family. Read more

Our new #LightUpTheDarkness advert is the first time we've tried to visually represent the challenges faced by those we support. Read about how the creative team at Bubble TV brought it to life. Read more

Make-A-Wish UK launches moving new campaign film in bid to grant thousands more wishes. Read more

Disney have launched a magical festive campaign sequel, 'From Our Family To Yours', in support of Make-A-Wish. "The Stepdad" is an animated tale about the power of family togetherness and storytelling Read more

Make-A-Wish UK is once again one of the beneficiary charities of Next’s range of gorgeous charity cards. Available in store and on-line, there's a fantastic choice of charity cards to choose from. Read more

eBay for Charity and Make-A-Wish UK have teamed up this October to raise vital funds to bring the sunshine to seriously ill children by encouraging their customers to sell pre-loved tech. Read more

The Art of Wishes 2021 Gala surpassed all expectations to become Make-A-Wish UK's biggest ever fundraiser. Read more

We're delighted that our partnership with Poundland, Tommy's and Whizz-Kidz under the Poundland Foundation has again been shortlisted in the Corporate Engagement Awards. Read more

This World Teacher’s Day, we’d like to highlight just one brilliant school of many which have raised funds to grant life-changing wishes to children who have critical conditions. Read more

Make-A-Wish introduces #FairyWorldOfWishes with Fairy and Fairy Non Bio. Read more

We’re back to witnessing children’s smiling faces in person! We’re back to granting Disney character wishes! And we’re back to being able to show you the impact of wishes again! Read more

July 2021 saw the first ever #Wish100Week, bringing together the gaming community with one goal - to grant 100 life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Read more

The latest update, as at July 2021, on the impact of the last 16 months on the charity and our ability to continue granting wishes. Read more

We're delighted to announce that our very special partnership with The Walt Disney Company last Christmas #FromOurFamilyToYours has won, not one, but two awards at The Drum Digital Advertising Awards. Read more

Like many other charities, Make-A-Wish is indebted to its incredible fundraisers for the gargantuan efforts they go to, to help us grant wishes. We couldn’t do it without our #WishHeroes. Read more

The latest update, as March 2021, from Make-A-Wish UK CEO, Jason Suckley on the impact of the last 12 months on the charity and our ability to continue granting wishes. Read more

Last December, we granted Bluebelle’s wish ‘to have a laptop’ because she loves writing stories. Blue, now seven, has kindly shared one of her tall tales especially for #WorldBookDay. Read more

Hey! My name’s Amelia and my wish is to give a TEDx talk about the language we use when we talk about a cancer diagnosis. In particular, the words ‘fighting’ and ‘battle’. Read more

2020 was certainly a year like no other! In difficult and uncertain times, it's more important than ever that we take a moment to reflect on the positive things we've achieved. Read more

Give back when you do your Christmas shopping this year by using Savoo's Christmas gift guide. For every purchase made from the gift guide, a donation will be made to Make-A-Wish UK. Read more

Next Retail are supporting Make-A-Wish again this year through the sale of their Xmas charity cards. We are one of 5 charities who receive an equal share of 15% of the full retail price of the cards. Read more

Our four-way partnership with retailer Poundland and two other children’s charities has been recognised at Communicate magazine’s annual Corporate Engagement Awards. Read more

We are delighted to announce that Oliver Cookson, entrepreneur and founder of Myprotein, has joined us as a patron of Make-A-Wish UK. Read more

Eszter tells us all about her role as a Wishgranter at Make-A-Wish UK. Read more

One of the first steps in a child's wish journey is their wish visit, where our team of dedicated volunteer Wish Visitors capture their wish. Make-A-Wish UK CEO, Jason is one of those volunteers. Read more

Amy tells us all about her role as a Wishgranter at Make-A-Wish UK. Read more

Charities rely on trust and goodwill. Sadly, some people try to exploit this. We explain how you can be sure that the money you're donating is definitely going towards granting wishes. Read more

We exist to grant the wishes of children with critical illnesses. That is why it is so important that every child has equal access to a wish. Read more

Former rugby player, Jasper Gordon, from Nottingham, has cycled 1000km in 36 days to raise money for Make-A-Wish UK - and lost a few pounds in the process. Read more

Nine-year-old Chloe has cerebral palsy; however, she doesn't let this hold her back and recently completed her latest challenge - running 20k in 20 days, to raise money for Make-A-Wish UK. Read more

Last week the STARboard members were given the opportunity to grill Make-A-Wish UK CEO, Jason Suckley. Find out what questions they had in store for him. Read more

The latest update, as at 1st July 2020, from Make-A-Wish UK CEO, Jason Suckley on the impact of the virus on the charity and our ability to continue granting wishes. Read more

We’re absolutely delighted to have partnered with The Luna Drive In Cinema, the UK’s leading open-air cinema, offering film fans the opportunity to watch new and classic movies in a drive-in setting. Read more

Sign up to fundraise with GameStars for Father’s Day today and spend some quality time gaming as a family whilst raising money to grant life-changing wishes. Read more

Volunteers’ Week is an annual celebration of the contribution millions of people make across the UK through volunteering and we just wanted to say a huge thanks to our amazing volunteers. Read more

Around 1700 seriously ill children, whose wishes are on hold due to the coronavirus, have received surprise goody bags thanks to our partnership with the supermarket Morrisons. Read more

The latest update, as at 26th May 2020, from Make-A-Wish UK CEO, Jason Suckley on the impact of the virus on the charity and our ability to continue granting wishes. Read more

Fairy and Make-A-Wish have been working together for 14 years and this year is no exception. Fairy invited wish children to design a limited edition bottle to bring their own wish to life. Read more

During these difficult times, Ant and Dec would like to send a message of hope to the 2,000 children whose #WishesAreWaiting. Read more

The latest update, as at 3rd April 2020, from Make-A-Wish UK CEO, Jason Suckley on the impact of the virus on the charity and our ability to continue granting wishes. Read more

Make-A-Wish volunteer and former wish child, Mark has first-hand knowledge of the positive impact that a wish can have on a child and their family. Read more

An update from Make-A-Wish UK CEO, Jason Suckley on the impact of the virus on the charity and our ability to continue granting wishes. Read more

Wish child and Make-A-Wish volunteer, Imi shares her story, highlighting just how powerful a wish can be and how they can give a child the strength they need to keep going when things seem hopeless. Read more

Wish mum, Natalie shares the story of her family's journey and how her daughter's wish has had a long-lasting, positive effect on their whole family. Read more

On Tuesday 18th February, YouTuber Syndicate – also known as Tom Cassell - supported us in launching our new fundraising initiative, GameStars, at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester. Read more

Make-A-Wish PR & Influencer Engagement Manager, Jo is running the London Landmarks Half Marathon in support of the charity. Jo has several very good reasons to take part and she tells us more here. Read more

We're delighted to announce that we've launched STARboard, our very own Children and Young People’s Board! Read more

Padraig, whose brother Tony was referred to Make-A-Wish when he was living with retinoblastoma, shares his story and tells us why he's supporting Make-A-Wish in the London Landmarks Half Marathon. Read more

Dawn, shares her experience as a Paediatric Oncology Nurse and tells us why she's supporting Make-A-Wish in the London Landmarks Half Marathon. Read more

Lucy, who had her wish to meet the GB hockey team granted when she was 14 years old, shares her story and tells us why she's supporting Make-A-Wish in this year's London Landmarks Half Marathon. Read more

Episode two of Make a Wish for Christmas, the Channel 5 documentary about Make-A-Wish, aired at 8pm on 18th December. Read more

Episode one of Make a Wish for Christmas, the Channel 5 documentary about Make-A-Wish, aired at 9pm on 12th December. Read more

Meet one of our Wishgranters, Nicola! Read more

Tom tells us all about his role as a Wishgranter at Make-A-Wish UK. Read more

Vicky tells us all about her role as a Wishgranter at Make-A-Wish UK. Read more

Michaela (aka. Micky!) tells us all about her role as a Wishgranter at Make-A-Wish UK. Read more

Find out all about the work we do in this Channel 5 documentary. The first episode airs at 9pm on Thursday 12th December, 2019. Read more

We've picked our favourite 2019 Christmas gifts in aid of Make-A-Wish. Make a real difference this Christmas and help us to grant a seriously ill child's One True Wish. Read more

Khayyam, who's wish it was to have his own YouTube Channel when he was six has now, at age ten, gone on to become our Showbiz Correspondent for Big The Musical. Read more

It's that time of the year again...our Christmas Cards are here! Get ahead of the December rush AND help grant wishes this Christmas by grabbing a pack or 2 of our new 2019 xmas cards! Read more

We caught up with Make-A-Wish UK CEO, Jason Suckley to find out a little more about who he is and what working for Make-A-Wish means to him. Read more

We’d like to give a hat-tip to chauffeur Edmund De Souza – one of our unsung Wish Heroes! Read more

Make-A-Wish Regional Fundraising Manager, Nikki is celebrating 20 years in remissions from leukaemia. She tells us what this means to her and her family. Read more

Make-A-Wish team member, Tequilla tells us all about what it's like to be a Wishgranter. Read more

Experience this exciting new musical, based on the movie starring Tom Hanks, and a pound from every show ticket sold will go towards granting more life-changing wishes. Read more

A look back at some of the wishes granted over the last few years Read more

Volunteer Wish Visitor Alli tells us all about why she's chosen to give a gift in her Will to help life-changing wishes to more children. Read more

Wish child Khayyam has now become our Entertainment Correspondent for BIG The Musical - keeping you updated on everything that's going on behind the scenes! Read more

Nikki is the Regional Fundraising Manager for Central England and former wish child. Find out more about how she is helping grant wishes in her community. Read more

Make-A-Wish UK and Disney store joins forces to unlock wishes when wish child Jasmine meets her favourite princess, Jasmine, from Aladdin. Read more

Ten-year-old fundraiser Emily from Maguiresbridge in Northern Ireland has received a huge Disney-shaped thank you from Make-A-Wish after she raised more than £20,000 for us. Read more

Grace is Regional Fundraising Manager for Northern England, find out more about Grace and her role in changing lives. Read more

We receive no government funding so we rely on partnerships to keep delivering life-changing wishes to children with critical illnesses. Read more

This month, Make-A-Wish® UK celebrated a year since moving to new offices - our Community Hub halfway up Thames Tower in Reading. Read more

Four-year-old Daniel from Cairneyhill in Scotland was born with renal failure and became Scotland’s youngest dialysis patient when he was just 10 months old. Read more

You’ve applied for a wish for your child and found out you’re eligible. Welcome to a world of possibility! So, what do you do now? Read more

Wishgranter Hollie tells us all about what it's like to be a Wishgranter Read more

Vicky's worked as a Wishgranter for two years, read all about Vicky's role in helping create life-changing wishes. Read more

Erica tells us all about her role as a Wishgranter at Make-A-Wish UK. Read more

These are the volunteers who have been recognised by their colleagues for their contribution to Make-A-Wish and outstanding attitude in all they do. Read more

They say not all heroes wear capes. But there’s a hidden army of volunteers who make wishes happen and some of them do wear a superhero cape sometimes! One of those people is Paul Blakebrough. Read more

Christmas is a magical time for any child so it’s no surprise that, when asked “what would your One True Wish be?”, many of our wish children would like nothing more than to meet Father Christmas. Read more

On Saturday 11th May, Make-A-Wish UK held our annual Spring Ball at The Landmark Hotel and it truly was one for the books raising over £300,000 gross to help us grant life-changing wishes! Read more

Disney and Will Smith surprise wish children at singing lesson in London Read more

The story behind Miles for Wishes - Guy's challenge Read more

In March 2019, Adnan’s wish to have The Lion King perform at his fifth birthday came true. Read more

Nikki's family has felt the impact of a wish. Now in her thirties, Nikki works at Make-A-Wish as a Regional Fundraising Manager - a role that she describes as her "dream job"! Read more

Wishes bring hope, strength and resilience to the seriously ill children who turn to us. Throughout April, on #WishWednesday, we shared stories of wish children who we'd caught up. Read more

Spa pool wishes have a life-changing impact on the seriously ill children who wish for them. We've put together this blog of feedback from families who've seen the impact first-hand. Read more

Good deeds come in all shapes and sizes. Last week we received a very heart-warming letter from nine-year-old Luke who did his own good deed to help seriously ill children. Read more

The Kentown Wizard Foundation has supported Make-A-Wish UK for three years now, helping to grant life-changing wishes to children living in the North of the UK. Read more

We’re excited to share that in 2018, for the first time in Make-A-Wish UK history, we changed the lives of more than 1,000 children by granting more wishes than ever before. Read more

In November, we kicked off the Christmas season with our annual Winter Ball at The Dorchester and it truly was a night to remember! Read more

In October 2018, hJoshua's wish to visit LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort was granted. Afterwards, wish mum, Sarah, wrote in to Wishgranter Becky to tell us all about his wish! Read more

Summer’s a busy time for us here at Make-A-Wish UK, so we wanted to give you a snippet of some of the life-changing wishes we've granted this summer. Read more

Wish mum, Alison, tells us all about her daughter, Poppy's wish to go to Disneyland. Read more

This Sunday, more than 40,000 people will take on the world-famous 26.2 mile route of the London Marathon 2018, and 300 of those will be running for Make-A-Wish. Read more

Carys’ wish to go to Iceland and visit the Blue Lagoon was granted in October last year. She wrote to us afterwards to tell us all about her wish – and we wanted to share it with you all! Read more

Wishgranter, Steph, went on a trip to Lapland before Christmas to experience first-hand the magical Lapland wishes that we grant and to see the wish through the eyes of our wish families... Read more

Lizelle is one of our amazing supporters, who has raised £4,700 to go towards Rebekah's wish to own a special buggy! Read more

We've rounded up some amazing accessible family days out with the kids. We've got lots of ideas: from outdoor activities, theme parks and even winter sports - check out our advice. Read more

Since 1986 we've granted the wishes of 10,000 children and young people living with life-threatening conditions. Read more