The Sick Children's Trust

What The Sick Children's Trust does

The Sick Children's Trust is a UK-registered charity (No. 284416, Company reg 1618435) founded in 1982 and headquartered in London. It operates a network of free, self-contained 'Homes from Home' accommodation facilities located within minutes of the wards of major NHS children's hospitals, enabling parents and siblings to remain close to a seriously ill child during extended treatment. The portfolio comprises ten operational houses across Cambridge, Newcastle, Sheffield, Leeds, and London, with an eleventh (Bradford House) under construction at Bradford Royal Infirmary's neonatal intensive care unit and expected to open in Spring 2027. Each house provides private bedrooms, shared kitchens, lounges, playrooms, and laundry facilities; all services are provided at zero cost to families, with an internal cost benchmark of approximately £40 per family per night.

The charity is funded entirely through voluntary donations and receives no government support. Revenue streams include individual giving, monthly 'Friends of the Sick Children's Trust' recurring donations, legacy gifts, corporate partnerships, challenge and running events (Great North Run, London Marathon, and others), a charity lottery, and an online merchandise shop. Major institutional funders include the Harry and Mary Foundation, the Garfield Weston Foundation, and NHS-linked hospital charities. Access to services is routed exclusively through NHS clinical staff referrals (nurses, social workers, family liaison), making the charity operationally a B2B2C non-profit with deeply embedded hospital partnerships rather than a consumer-marketed service.

Since 1982, the organization has supported over 80,000 families and currently serves approximately 3,500 families per year. GTM is community- and event-led, relying on family storytelling, grassroots fundraising, school programs, and corporate partnerships. There are no proprietary technology platforms; the digital footprint comprises a WordPress website, Shopify-based shop, email newsletter, and standard social media channels.

Name

The Sick Children's Trust

Legal name

The Sick Children's Trust

Website

https://sickchildrenstrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Sick Children's Trust is a UK charity founded in 1982 that operates ten free 'Homes from Home' accommodation facilities near major NHS children's hospitals, serving approximately 3,500 families with seriously ill children annually through hospital staff referrals and voluntary donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Family Accommodation Services

NAICS

Other Residential Care Facilities (62399), Other Residential Care Facilities (6239)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Overnight Sick Child Care (Emergency Overnight Coverage) (HSAAAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

On-Demand Sick Child In-Home Care (HSAAAJAA)

Keywords

• Charitable family accommodation
• Pediatric hospital housing
• Neonatal family support
• Voluntary sector services
• Non-profit healthcare support

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The charity relies entirely on voluntary donations from individuals, corporations, and charitable foundations to cover the £2.2 million annual cost of running its ten 'Homes from Home'. No government funding is received.
2. Charity Lottery: The charity operates a lottery program as a fundraising mechanism.
3. Online Shop: The charity runs an online shop selling merchandise, event tickets, and virtual gifts. Revenue from shop sales supports the running costs of 'Homes from Home'.
4. Regular Giving: Monthly giving programs such as 'Friends of the Sick Children's Trust' provide recurring donations.
5. Legacy Giving: The charity receives gifts in wills as part of planned giving programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Sick Children's Trust provides free 'Home from Home' accommodation to families with seriously ill children receiving hospital treatment across England. Ten operational facilities located minutes from partner children's hospitals offer private bedrooms, shared kitchens, lounges, playrooms, and laundry facilities, enabling families to remain together during extended hospital stays including neonatal intensive care, pediatric ICU, and complex surgical treatment.

Product overview

The Sick Children's Trust operates a portfolio of 'Homes from Home' — free accommodation facilities located minutes from hospitals treating seriously ill children. The core offering consists of ten existing houses (Acorn House, Chestnut House, Crawford House, Eckersley House, Guilford Street House, Magnolia House, Rainbow House, Scott House, Stevenson House, and Treetop House) plus one under construction (Bradford House). Each house provides en-suite bedrooms, shared living areas, kitchens, and laundry facilities for families. The organization also provides support services including family stories sharing, feedback collection, an online shop for merchandise and virtual gifts, email newsletters, and various fundraising campaigns such as the 'Keep Families Together' Bradford Appeal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Homes from Home: The charity's core service model - providing free accommodation for families with seriously ill children in hospital, located minutes from hospital wards

Products and services

• Homes from Home Free accommodation service for families with seriously ill children in hospital, providing a place to stay within minutes of the hospital bedside. The core offering encompasses ten operational facilities plus one under construction, each offering private bedrooms, shared kitchens, lounges, playrooms, and laundry facilities.
• Online Shop

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported over 80,000 families since 1982
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bradford Hospitals CharitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Bradford Hospitals Charity to jointly raise £3 million for the new 'Home from Home' at Bradford Royal Infirmary. Both organizations are working together with clinical staff and families to create a true refuge for families during neonatal care.
• Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe NHS trust operating Bradford Royal Infirmary's neonatal unit, which is one of only four Level 3 NICUs in Yorkshire and the Humber. The trust's clinical staff work closely with the charity to identify and support families in need.
• Michael Crawford CBEminorOthersCelebrity supporter who participated in groundbreaking ceremony for new Bradford 'Home from Home' in May 2026. Provides public profile support and advocacy for the charity.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Ronald McDonald House Charities (Global): Global parent organisation of Ronald McDonald House Charities UK. The original architect of the 'home away from home' model for families of sick children, providing the conceptual and operational template The Sick Children's Trust follows. Useful as a broader-incumbent benchmark for scale and brand reach.
• Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity: UK's largest children's hospital charity, raising funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital. Two Sick Children's Trust homes (Guilford Street House, Rainbow House) sit adjacent to GOSH, making this a structural partner-as-peer: both serve the same hospital catchment and donor base, but GOSH Charity is a broader hospital-funding remit versus the lodging-only model.

Regional players

• SickKids Foundation (Canada): Fundraising vehicle for The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Shares the Sick Children's naming convention and serves a parallel pediatric hospital population, but operates in a different geography and integrates funding for clinical research and hospital capital rather than family lodging as a standalone service.

Emerging players

• Together for Short Lives: UK charity for children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions and their families, providing hospice and palliative care support. Comparable hospital-adjacent family support mission and donor audience, though focused on palliative rather than acute treatment pathways.
• WellChild: UK charity supporting seriously ill children and their families, including practical home-from-hospital support. Comparable beneficiary population and corporate/NHS referral channels, but the dominant service is home nursing rather than residential lodging.
• Young Lives vs Cancer (formerly CLIC Sargent): UK charity supporting children and young people with cancer and their families, including accommodation grants and social work support during treatment. Comparable donor base, hospital referral model, and beneficiary population, but narrower (cancer-only) and different service mix.

Direct peers

• Rainbow Trust Children's Charity: UK charity supporting families with a seriously ill child, including emotional and practical support during hospital stays. While delivery model differs (family support workers rather than physical lodging), the target beneficiary and referral channel (NHS pediatric staff) are highly aligned with The Sick Children's Trust.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities UK: UK charity providing free 'home away from home' accommodation for families with sick children in hospital, directly adjacent to specialist pediatric hospitals. Operates a near-identical model to The Sick Children's Trust: families referred by NHS staff, free lodging, charity-funded. The most direct comparable in the UK.

Others

• Make-A-Wish UK: UK charity granting wishes to children with critical illnesses. Different service model (wish granting vs. accommodation) but highly comparable fundraising channels (challenge events, monthly giving, corporate partnerships) and a shared brand of family-centric pediatric charity.
• Children's Hospital Foundations (US): US network of children's hospital foundations. While not a single comparable charity, the US children's hospital foundation ecosystem offers relevant peer benchmarks for capital campaign fundraising, family housing programs, and hospital co-location models that mirror The Sick Children's Trust's NHS hospital-adjacent footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thesct
• Facebookfacebook.com/thesickchildrenstrust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Sick Children's Trust