A DORSET organisation has been crowned charity of the year at a recent national awards.

Julia’s House, based in Corfe Mullen, was given the accolade in the national Great British Business and Community Awards.

The organisation, which also has a site in Devizes, cares for the most seriously ill children and their families across Dorset and Wiltshire.

Julia's House was awarded the national title in response to the charity’s vital and responsive work during the pandemic.

The charity’s chief executive, Martin Edwards, said: “We’re thrilled to accept the Charity of the Year award on behalf of our amazing nurses, carers and other dedicated colleagues.

“They are a lifeline to families struggling with the day to day exhaustion of caring for a child with a life-shortening condition.

“Winning this award will help us shine a spotlight on the needs of such families not just in Dorset and Wiltshire but all around the country.

“It is vital that they receive the regular respite they need to help them to carry on.”

This year the Great British Business and Community Awards received a record-breaking amount of nominations.

Around 1600 national suggestions were received across all categories, voting for 127 entries in the Charity of the Year category.

The award judges said: “Julia's House is an incredible and vital charity that has adapted during Covid-19. Keep up the amazing work that you are all doing.”

Julia’s House, whose services have been rated ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, receives just eight per cent of ongoing government funding to provide its work across both Dorset and Wiltshire and relies almost entirely on the generosity of its supporters to fund the cost of the charity’s essential work.

Currently nearly 80% of the children supported by the charity need two care team members present during their community sessions due to the complexity of their condition.

As more life-limited children are living for longer and with increasingly more complex care needs, demand for the specialist care that Julia’s House provides is expected to rise in the coming years.

To find out more about the organisation or to make a donation visit www.juliashouse.org