Formula 1, Allwyn Award €100,000 to Starlight Children’s Foundation at British Grand Prix

Formula 1 and official partner Allwyn are putting the spotlight on children’s healthcare, naming Starlight Children’s Foundation as the latest winner of the F1 Allwyn Global Community Award.

The UK charity was recognized at the Formula 1 Pirelli British Grand Prix 2026 and will receive a €100,000 donation from Allwyn AG to support its work helping seriously ill children cope with hospital treatment through play.

Starlight works with children in hospital to reduce fear, distress and healthcare-related trauma by bringing moments of play, distraction and comfort into medical settings. The new funding will back a pilot project introducing a “Health Play Practice Educator” role, aimed at embedding play-informed care more consistently across the NHS.

The donation will also help train up to 1,000 healthcare professionals, expanding access to specialized play-based support for children and families navigating difficult medical experiences.

According to the announcement, around 1.4 million children across the UK are vulnerable to healthcare-related trauma. For many young patients, hospital visits and medical procedures can be frightening and deeply stressful, with long-term effects on how they experience healthcare.

Starlight’s approach is designed to make that experience less intimidating — helping children understand what is happening, cope with treatment and find moments of joy during care.

The F1 Allwyn Global Community Award judging panel praised Starlight’s innovative approach, scalability and potential to create lasting change across healthcare systems.

“At Formula 1, we are committed to using our platform to drive transformative change within our local communities,” said Ellen Jones, Head of ESG at Formula 1 and an award judge. “The Starlight Children’s Foundation aligns closely with our broader social impact priorities, especially our commitment to using bold, innovative approaches to solve complex challenges in areas such as healthcare.”

Alastair Ruxton, Chief Impact Officer at Allwyn UK and an award judge, said the panel was impressed by Starlight’s “spirit of innovation” and its work addressing healthcare-related trauma among children.

“Allwyn is proud to champion this kind of bold, systemic change, demonstrating how the impact of Allwyn’s global programme extends far beyond the racetrack,” Ruxton said.

Starlight CEO Cathy Gilman called the award “deeply honoured” and said the funding will directly support efforts to make hospital stays less frightening for children and their families.

“Hospitals and medical procedures can be incredibly scary and traumatising for children, but our new role will help hospitalised children understand, cope, and heal,” Gilman said.

Starlight is the third nonprofit to receive the F1 Allwyn Global Community Award in 2026, following Canadian charity La Tablée des Chefs at the Canadian Grand Prix and Austrian nonprofit Sindbad Mentoring at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Additional nonprofits are expected to be recognized later this season at race locations including the Netherlands, Austin, Mexico City and Las Vegas. Formula 1 fans will also get the chance to vote for their favorite winning initiatives later this year.