Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity

What Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity does

Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity is a UK-registered non-profit (Charity No. 1170973, Company No. 10394287) founded in 1974 and headquartered in Bristol. Operating as the official charity partner of Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, it channels philanthropic donations into 13 NHS hospitals across Bristol, Weston, and South Gloucestershire, reaching over 1.75 million patients annually and engaging 28,000 NHS staff. In 2024, the charity merged with Southmead Hospital Charity to form a single unified entity supporting every hospital in the region.

The organisation operates a multi-channel fundraising platform centred on an SSL-encrypted online donations portal, supplemented by a hospital lottery, legacy giving programme, St Mike's Home personalised donor wall, online and physical charity shop (Fundraising Hub), corporate partnership programme, and a portfolio of challenge events (Great Bristol Run, London Marathon, London Landmarks Half Marathon, Tough Mudder, skydives, abseils). Its product stack is a standard web-based charity platform with Direct Debit infrastructure, cookie-based user tracking, and GDPR-compliant data handling; there is no proprietary technology layer or AI/ML capability disclosed. The technology is functional rather than differentiating, with customisable products such as the Snowdrop Appeal campaign site and St Mike's Home plaque system representing the most notable bespoke components.

Revenue is generated through diversified voluntary income streams: one-off and recurring donations, lottery subscriptions, legacies, charity shop sales, corporate partnerships, and event participation fees. The charity raised £2.4 million in 2024/25 and has invested over £112 million into local NHS care across its 50-year history. GTM is community-led and event-driven, targeting individual supporters, NHS staff Charity Champions, corporate partners, and event participants across South West England, with multi-channel marketing spanning organic social, email (REACH newsletter), content storytelling, events, paid digital, and direct community outreach.

Name

Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity

Legal name

University Hospitals Bristol & Weston Charity

Website

https://bwhospitalscharity.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity is the official NHS charity partner for 13 hospitals across Bristol, Weston, and South Gloucestershire, raising £2.4 million in 2024/25 through donations, events, lottery, legacies, and corporate partnerships to fund equipment, environments, and research beyond NHS budgets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospital Charity and Healthcare Fundraising

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Hospitals (8060)

akta.pro primary industry

Hospitals, Clinics & Charitable Healthcare Providers (BPAGACAB)

Keywords

• Hospital charity fundraising
• NHS grant funding
• Community event fundraising
• Corporate philanthropy partnerships
• Legacy giving programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: One-off and regular donations from individual supporters, fundraised amounts from events, community fundraising, corporate fundraising, and NHS staff fundraising. Core revenue stream generating £2.4 million in 2024/25.
2. Lottery: Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity lottery offering participants the chance to win prizes, generating ongoing recurring revenue from regular players.
3. Legacies and Gifts in Wills: Legacy donations and gifts left by supporters in their wills, providing significant long-term capital for hospital projects.
4. Charity Shop and Retail: Physical charity shop (Fundraising Hub) and online shop selling merchandise and supporter items.
5. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate partnerships including event sponsorship, fundraising events at work, and Charity Champions programmes within companies.
6. St Mike's Home Donor Wall Sales: Sale of personalised house plaques on the St Mike's Home donor wall at St Michael's Hospital.
7. Events Participation Fees: Reduced charity place fees for events such as Tough Mudder (£25 vs usual £105), London Marathon (£100 reg fee), and London Landmarks Half Marathon (£30 vs usual £167.50), with fundraising targets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity is the official NHS hospital charity for University Hospitals Bristol & Weston NHS Foundation Trust. It raises philanthropic funds through donations, lottery, legacy gifts, charity retail, corporate partnerships, and community fundraising events, then grants those funds to support medical equipment, healing environments, staff training, and patient care across 13 NHS hospitals in Bristol, Weston, and South Gloucestershire.

Product overview

Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity is a hospital charity that functions as a fundraising platform supporting 13 NHS hospitals in Bristol, Weston, and South Gloucestershire. The organization operates a unified donations platform enabling one-off and regular giving, alongside a diverse portfolio of fundraising events (running, challenge, and thrill-seeking events), a hospital lottery, corporate partnership programs, and NHS staff grant application services. The charity also runs specific campaigns including the Snowdrop Appeal for bereavement spaces and St Mike's Home donor wall program. Following a 2024 merger with Southmead Hospital Charity, the organization expanded to support all hospitals across the region with a combined community of supporters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• £2.4 million raised in 2024/25 for local hospitals
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bristol NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial charity partner of Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. BWHC works in partnership with the NHS trust to identify where funding is needed most across all 13 hospitals, from equipment to environment improvements to staff training. The charity is aligned with the formation of the new Bristol NHS Foundation Trust following its merger.
• Southmead Hospital CharitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthmead Hospital Charity has merged with Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity to form one unified charity supporting all hospitals across Bristol, Weston, and South Gloucestershire. The merger aligns with the Bristol NHS Foundation Trust formation and enables greater collective impact.
• Tommy's (organiser of London Landmarks Half Marathon)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTommy's is the organiser and official charity partner of the London Landmarks Half Marathon. BWHC participates as a charity partner offering discounted entry places to runners who fundraise for the charity. Tommy's funds vital research into miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, and pregnancy complications.
• Sands (baby loss charity)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBWHC is working with Sands, the UK's leading baby loss charity, to improve a small side room on the Lavender Suite at St Michael's Hospital to create a memory-making space for parents who have experienced pregnancy and baby loss.
• Kate Bond (Artist)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist Kate Bond created biophilic nature-themed artwork for the Snowdrop Appeal bereavement spaces, including lightboxes, murals, and bespoke wall pieces designed to create calming, comforting environments for grieving families. She previously worked on similar projects at Royal United Hospital Bath and Severn Hospice.
• Eleanor Shipman (Artist)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist Eleanor Shipman collaborated with the BFT Arts and Culture Team on the Ward 76 refurbishment at St Michael's Hospital to create a calmer, more comforting environment with artwork for families on the transitional care ward.
• Run for CharityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party event registration platform used for charity place bookings for events including Tough Mudder, London Landmarks Half Marathon, Great Bristol Run 10K and half marathon. BWHC charity places are listed and sold through this platform.
• JCDecauxminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJCDecaux provided digital advertising screens in Bristol for the Wave of Light during Baby Loss Awareness Week 2024, displaying candlelight imagery to encourage community reflection and support for families who have experienced pregnancy and baby loss.
• Great Run (event organiser)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial event organiser for Great Bristol Run, Great Bristol Family Run, and related running events. BWHC partners as a charity with discounted place allocations for its supporters to participate.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Imperial Health Charity: Charity partner of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, supporting five hospitals in North West London. Directly comparable NHS-hospital fundraising charity with grants, arts programmes, volunteering, and event-led fundraising.
• Barts Charity: NHS hospital charity supporting Barts Health NHS Trust across multiple East London hospitals. Directly comparable in mission, NHS trust affiliation, multi-hospital support model, and fundraising portfolio (donations, events, lottery, corporate partnerships).
• King's College Hospital Charity: Official charity of King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, supporting multiple hospital sites across London. Closely analogous in being a hospital-charity serving a major NHS trust with multi-site reach, grants, events, and donor programmes.
• University Hospitals Birmingham Charity: Charity for University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, one of the largest hospital trusts in England. Comparable in scale of beneficiary population, NHS trust partnership model, and equipment/research funding focus.
• Manchester Foundation Trust Charity: Charity supporting Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, one of the UK's largest NHS trusts. Comparable as a multi-hospital NHS charity with consolidated fundraising, grants, and corporate partnerships post-trust merger.
• Newcastle Hospitals Charity: Official charity of Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Direct peer as a regional NHS hospital charity running grants, events, lottery, and donor programmes for a major teaching hospital trust.
• Royal Free Charity: NHS hospital charity supporting the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. Comparable as a multi-hospital NHS-affiliated charity delivering grants, capital projects, and patient/staff welfare programmes.
• Guy's & St Thomas' Charity: The official NHS-affiliated charity supporting Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals in London. Directly comparable as a hospital-focused fundraising charity that channels philanthropic donations into patient care, equipment, and research at major NHS teaching hospitals.
• UCLH Charity: Charity partner of University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Comparable NHS teaching-hospital charity operating grants, arts and environment programmes, and donor-led fundraising.

Broad incumbents

• Sands (Stillbirth & Neonatal Death Charity): UK-wide charity focused on pregnancy and baby loss, including bereavement care at NHS hospitals. Comparable in that BWHC partners with Sands on bereavement spaces and shares an overlapping mission around pregnancy/baby loss support.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bwhospcharity
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdko_0GICEA9kbvcjV4kydg
• Facebookfacebook.com/bwhospitalscharity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bwhospitalscharity
• Instagraminstagram.com/bwhospcharity

Compliance2 records

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 Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity