WHISH Wins High Sheriff’s Award

We are beyond proud to share some incredible news: WHISH (Whitby Hidden Impairments Support & Help) has been named one of just seven winners of a High Sheriff’s Award, chosen from a longlist of 80 inspirational charities across North Yorkshire! 

 

The High Sheriff’s Awards evening at Allerton Castle was a powerful celebration of the remarkable work being done by organisations supporting children throughout the region. We were deeply honoured to be recognised for our strategic direction and commitment to meeting the future needs of the children and families we support. 

 

To be selected alongside six other outstanding charities—each doing vital work in their communities—means the world to us. The winners on the night included: 

 

Autism Angels in Nidderdale: for their resilience-based work using equine therapy. 

 

Just B in Harrogate: for trauma-informed leadership, helping children develop healthy coping strategies. 

 

The Wave Project in Scarborough: for their innovative, therapeutic surf sessions. 

 

The Island in York: for reflective mentoring practices led by young people’s needs. 

 

Gallows Close Centre in Scarborough: for centring children’s voices in all they do. 

 

New Beginnings Peer Support in Harrogate: for empowering young people affected by domestic abuse. 

 

The evening also featured a deeply moving talk by Diana Parkes CBE from the Joanna Simpson Foundation, who shared her powerful story of loss through domestic violence and highlighted the urgent need to protect and support children impacted by trauma. 

 

For us at WHISH, this award recognises what we've built together. Since 2008, when six mums came together in Whitby to support each other and their autistic children, we’ve grown into a vital network that now supports over 110 families and 225 children with more than 40 different disabilities—ranging from autism and epilepsy to sensory impairments, chronic pain, learning disabilities, and life-limiting conditions. 

 

We live in a beautiful but challenging place—rural, isolated, and often overlooked. Families here face a triple disadvantage: poverty, rurality, and disability. That’s why WHISH exists. We believe in the power of parents supporting parents. We believe in Parent Power. 

 

And we’re not just about talking—we’re about doing. We’re open six days a week, offering: 

 

After-school and holiday clubs 

 

Multi-sensory room and inclusive sports 

 

Swimming lessons adapted for all needs 

 

Healthy eating, cookery, and food bank support 

 

Family outings, peer support groups, and vital training like sign language and first aid 

 

Our goal is simple but powerful: to make sure children with disabilities and impairments can enjoy the same opportunities as their peers—to play, learn, laugh, and feel included. 

 

Winning this award—and the £1,000 that comes with it—will help us reach even more children. It will help us keep doing what we do best, and do it even better. 

 

And we couldn’t have done it without: 

 

Our 40 amazing volunteers 

 

Everyone who’s ever supported us with their time, donations, and heart 

 

Our friends at 2Ridings, who help us grow stronger every year 

 

And most of all, the families and children who are at the heart of everything we do 

 

Thank you for believing in WHISH. Thank you for believing in Parent Power. This award is for you—and because of you.