Dorset young carers charity wins national Charity of the Year award

A Dorset charity supporting children and young people with caring responsibilities has been named Charity of the Year at the Great British Business Awards 2026.

MYTIME Young Carers received the award at a ceremony at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Marlow on Friday 25 September. Tim Sills, MYTIME’s Director of Fundraising, accepted it on behalf of the charity.

“We had been informed that we had already been awarded a bronze award in the Charity of the Year category but better was still to come as we were announced as the winners of Charity of the Year,” he said.

“In such a strong category and surrounded by so many successful people in business and charity, it was an honour to receive such a prestigious award to recognise the work MYTIME do in supporting young carers in Dorset and beyond.

“This will create so much awareness and even more credibility for the work that we are doing in trying to change the futures of young carers all over the country.”

MYTIME supports young carers in Dorset and works with schools and partners across the country to help ensure caring responsibilities do not limit children’s opportunities. Its work includes giving young carers a break from their caring role, helping schools recognise and support them, and creating routes into employment.

On 4 November, the charity will bring more than 200 Dorset young carers to Bournemouth University for an Employability Summit, where young people and employers will explore practical ways to make work experience and early careers more accessible.

Young carers are children and young people who help care for a family member or loved one. MYTIME hopes the award will help more families recognise the support available and encourage more organisations to create opportunities for young carers.

For more information, visit www.mytimeyoungcarers.org.