CarFest was created in 2012 by Chris Evans with the sole purpose of raising money for our charity partners. Over the past 12 years, we’ve raised millions of pounds for UK charities and with your incredible support we are well on the way to raising even more this year!
Remember, 10% of the ticket price, along with money raised through on-site fundraising initiatives such as The Festival Dash, Sporting Bears Dream Rides and the charity raffle, plus additional donations and all CarFest profits are donated to our charity partners.
In 2025, we will be raising funds for:
BBC Children in Need, Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity, Starlight Children’s Foundation, Teenage Cancer Trust and Young Epilepsy. We will also be supporting local Hampshire based hospice Naomi House & Jacksplace as well as a number of other hugely deserving charities…
Will go to
BBC Children in Need*
Will go to each of the following:
Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity, Starlight Children’s Foundation, Teenage Cancer Trust and Young Epilepsy
Will go to
Naomi House & Jacksplace
Will be distributed to a further 10 local Hampshire charities (yet to be announced)
Will be distributed to other charities to be announced
You can also donate by clicking on our ‘Donate Now’ button to make a contribution to our partner charities today.
Keep an eye out for more news about how you can get involved by signing up to our newsletter.
For more information on the Solicitation Statement, please click here.
Click the logo to find out more about the charity.
BBC Children in Need’s mission is to help ensure every child in the UK should have the opportunity to thrive and be the best they can be.
Our ambition is to create positive and lasting change across the UK for the children and young people who need us most. We raise money both throughout the year and in our annual November appeal and we fund local charities and projects who help remove the barriers that are facing children and young people, so that they can thrive. We do this by investing in positive relationships that strengthen children’s wellbeing and help them navigate the challenges in their lives.
We fund 1,800 local charities and projects which directly support children and young people in communities right across the UK. We support children and young people affected by a whole range of disadvantages such as poverty, disability, illness, distress or trauma. Together with the BBC and our partners we tackle some of the most pressing issues facing the UK’s children and young people today, including: mental health and wellbeing, violence impacting young people, child sexual exploitation, holiday hunger; access to employment, and social injustice.
As a baby, Joey was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, a group of neurological conditions that affects muscle movement and control. His family was told he would never walk or talk, and that he would have a poor quality of life. But Joey found support from a BBC Children in Need project at Steps Conductive Education Centre. The project helps children with motor conditions to improve their mobility by learning functional skills through fun, play and everyday activities. After pioneering surgery to improve the mobility of his legs, Steps worked intensively with Joey and his physiotherapist to help him walk independently for the first time. Now with more confidence and independence, Joey is looking forward to a much brighter future.
The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust uses sailing and outdoor adventures to inspire young people aged 8-24 living through and beyond cancer to believe in a brighter future. For many young people, simply picking up where they left off before their diagnosis just isn’t possible. So, when treatment ends, the Trust’s work begins.
The friendships they make, the acceptance they find, boundaries they push, independence they gain, and the skills they learn help every young person discover what they are capable of again and stop feeling like ‘the only one’. Any young person who has been treated for cancer from across the UK can join the Trust for a transformational four-day sailing experience from Cowes on the Isle of Wight or Largs on Scotland’s West Coast. Many young people need support over time too, so once a young person has been sailing with the charity, they can return for more sailing or outdoor adventures.
Because of the Trust, young people start to re-establish their purpose and place in the world, they feel their mental wellbeing improve, and they are inspired to believe in a brighter future.
Grace, from Paignton in Devon, was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive type of cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma at the age of six. Her carefree childhood was abruptly replaced by hospital visits for intensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy, causing her to miss school and sports while enduring distressing side effects, leaving her anxious about the future.
Sailing with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust played a vital role in Grace’s recovery. The trips offered a supportive community of peers who shared similar challenges, providing a secure environment for her to gain independence and form meaningful friendships. This not only benefited Grace but also allowed her parents to release the protective cocoon she had been wrapped in, letting her rediscover the joys of childhood.
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My Black Dog is a peer to peer support service for people struggling with their mental health. All of our volunteers have had their own battles with mental health and understand what you are going through. We are online every day and you can talk with our volunteers through our chat function.
Talking about your mental health is hard. Perhaps you think “it’s not that serious” or “I’m fine”, perhaps seeing a GP or counsellor feels too overwhelming. Some people can’t open up to friends and family because they are worried about hurting them, or burdening them, sometimes they are scared of being judged.
Every person involved in our charity has been through debilitating mental health and have managed to find the light at the end of the tunnel. Empathy is incredibly powerful, for those people who feel alone and unable to reach out, talking with someone who understands can be a huge relief, and knowing you are not alone, that it’s ok to talk, is the first step in finding a path through the darkness. Real people. Real experiences. Zero judgement.
My Black Dog: When you don’t know who to talk to, talk to someone who gets it
Dom is a married 53-year-old with four children, two dogs, and, apparently, a kitten on the way. He has grappled with his mental health for numerous years.
In 2017, Dom sought professional help and was diagnosed with depression. Although there was some improvement initially, his progress was hindered by daily drinking over the Christmas of 2017, which nullified the effects of his medication.
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Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity supports families caring for a seriously ill child. Rainbow Trust pairs each family with an expert Family Support Worker who enables them to make the most of their time together, providing them with practical and emotional support whenever they need it, for as long as is needed. We support the whole family and support is hugely varied, depending on the needs of each family. Our nine Care Teams of Family Support Workers provide a lifeline to families caring for a child with a life-threating or terminal illness.
Ellie’s older brother William was diagnosed with a severe kidney disease, which meant that at just two and a half years old his own father donated a kidney. However, shortly after William’s body began to reject the donor, even with the support of immunosuppressants. Their mother and father Nancy and James, aware of their need for help, not just for William but for Ellie and brother Arthur, referred themselves to Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity after a friend recommended them, which proved to be a life-changing service.
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Starlight is the UK’s leading charity for children’s play in hospitals and hospices. Evidence shows that play has the power to reduce fear, pain and trauma during treatment and recovery from illness – boosting mental and physical health and resilience. We work to ensure every child has the opportunity, space and time to experience play. We also undertake research and campaign to ensure children’s right to play is protected and provided for. This means campaigning for more and better, fully funded play services and play practitioners to be recognised and embedded within the NHS.
When just a young child, Sfiyah developed a debilitating knee inflammation, limiting her ability to walk. The family were referred to Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital, where they learned that she had Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. The constant physical pain and time spent in hospital became emotionally draining for Sfiyah, taking away the normalcy and innocence of her childhood.
It was only once she was referred to John, the hospital’s Play Therapist, that Sfiyah’s family saw her behaving like her old self again. With the support of distraction boxes provided by Starlight Children’s Foundation, John was able to provide some much-needed comfort.
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Every day, seven young people aged 13-24 hear the words “you have cancer”. Teenage Cancer Trust is the only UK charity dedicated to providing the specialised nursing care and support they need to get through it. Cancer doesn’t just devastate a young person’s health. It threatens to take away everything they care about – their identity, their independence, and their dreams. Teenage Cancer Trust makes sure young people have someone in their corner right from the start. We fund specialist nurses, youth support teams and hospital units within the NHS to provide the very best care and support during treatment and beyond, making sure cancer doesn’t stop young people living their lives.
Please visit www.teenagecancertrust.org to find out more or to donate please visit donate.teenagecancertrust.org
Teenage Cancer Trust is a registered charity: 1062559 (England & Wales), SC039757 (Scotland). www.teenagecancertrust.org
When Odille was 16, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma after finding a lump in her neck. She was treated in the Teenage Cancer Trust Unit at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and had chemotherapy for four months.
Throughout this time, Odille was provided with a Youth Support Coordinator, Lara. She became a friend to Odille during this hard time, putting on events and even attended the Teenage Cancer Trust’s Find Your Sense of Tumour event (FYSOT) with Odille, where Odille was also able to make new friends going through the same things as her.
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Epilepsy in childhood can be frightening, isolating and is often misunderstood. We stand up for children and young people with epilepsy. We campaign for children’s rights. We provide innovative tools, information, and practical support for living everyday life. We coordinate world renowned research into the causes and treatments of epilepsy and deliver cutting edge health services. You can help create a society in which children and young people with epilepsy thrive.
Together we create possible.
Siblings Cash and Darla, both diagnosed with epilepsy, are sharing their stories to raise awareness of the condition and to encourage people to understand their epilepsy.
Cash had his first seizure in 2016 at just five years old. It took three years for the family to receive a diagnosis of focal epilepsy, which means Cash’s seizures can appear differently to what is commonly thought of as an epileptic seizure, as people mistakenly assume all seizures look the same. Cash lives with weekly seizures that leave him exhausted, and the family are still searching for the right medication to bring them under control.
READ MOREYounger sister, Darla’s first seizure was in 2022, when she was just seven. Thanks to mum Kelly’s quick thinking, and her familiarity with the lesser-known symptoms of focal epilepsy, Darla was diagnosed with the condition much faster than her brother.
“Darla has unfortunately experienced a lot of the difficult sides of epilepsy already with her brother Cash. Since she was five, she’s had to help usher ambulance crew and keep her baby sister safe while I have tended to Cash. This in turn has caused her a lot of trauma and anxiety so we had to tread carefully when explaining to Darla that she too has been given a diagnosis and now a care plan for school.”, Darla’s mother said. “Cash instantly told Darla not to worry, so it was really lovely in a strange way for her to have Cash to comfort her.”
Naomi House & Jacksplace are hospices providing vital respite, end of life care and bereavement support to life-limited and life-threatened children, young adults and families from across central southern England, Naomi House’s care team provides specialist care that helps to enhance short lives and allows over 550 families to make the most of their precious time with their children.
Jacksplace is the only hospice in the south of England that offers care, support, independence, empowerment and dignity for life limited and life threatened young adults. Naomi House & Jacksplace are there for families on good days, difficult days and last days.
Josh is 29 and lives in Southampton. He has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which is a muscle wasting condition affecting every muscle in his body, including his heart. Josh’s condition means he has lost the ability to walk, and as time goes on, he will get weaker and need more support.
Josh has been visiting Naomi House & Jacksplace near Winchester, since Naomi House opened in 1997.
Now, he regularly visits Jacksplace, the hospice for young adults. At Jacksplace, he enjoys spending time with his friends, relaxing, swimming in the hydrotherapy pool, playing games and going on trips out. “I don’t really know what I’d do without Jacksplace. It’s a good place to come just to keep my head clear and my family also get support if they need it.”
Ebony is 25 years old and lives in Bournemouth. Ebony loves coming to Jacksplace as she enjoys spending time with her friends and the carers there. The young adults’ hospice gives Ebony and her family respite. She likes cooking at Jacksplace, and one of her favourite memories is cooking a roast dinner for everyone at the hospice. She also enjoys trips out to the pub and socialising.
Ebony has Ataxia Telangiectasia (AT) which is a neurological disorder that affects the parts of the brain that control motor skills and speech, and it means Ebony needs to use a wheelchair. It is a life limiting condition. “Jacksplace is basically a home from home.”
Jamie is 28 years old and lives in Gosport. Jamie regularly visits Jacksplace as it gives him and his family a break, and he loves coming to the hospice as he can see the staff and his friends.
Jamie has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which is a muscle wasting condition affecting every muscle in his body. This means he needs to use an electric wheelchair and needs ventilation support.
“I love Jacksplace because of the amazing support and my brilliant friends.”
Funds raised by CarFest in 2025, as well as a guaranteed percentage of the price of each ticket will be donated to our charity partners:
BBC Children in Need (a charity registered in England and Wales under number 802052 and in Scotland under number SC039557) will receive 50% of the total funds raised.
The following five charities will each receive 7% of the total funds raised:
Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust (Registered Charity No.1096491 in England & Wales and. SCO44013 in Scotland)
Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity (Registered Charity No.1070532)
Starlight Children’s Foundation (Registered Charity No.296058 in England & Wales and SC047600 in Scotland)
Teenage Cancer Trust (Registered Charity No.1062559 in England & Wales and SC039757 in Scotland)
Young Epilepsy (Registered Charity No. 311877 (England and Wales)
2% will be donated to Hampshire hospice Naomi House & Jacksplace (Registered Charity No. 1002832)
10% will be distributed to a further 10 local Hampshire charities (yet to be announced)
3% will be distributed to other charities to be announced
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