Angels’ Den Sussex 2026 Awards £182,000 to 10 Extraordinary Grassroots Charities
November 12, 2026
On the afternoon of Monday 9th November, our ten charity finalists took to the stage at Brighton Dome’s Corn Exchange to rehearse the pitches they’d spent weeks preparing. By 7:00pm, more than 400 people had gathered to hear them. When the finalists returned to the stage, each had three minutes to tell us why their charity exists, what challenges they’re facing and what they could do next with generous funding and a room full of supporters behind them.
Three minutes was enough to make you think about how long a week might feel if you had nobody to talk to, and what it would mean to know someone was coming back to see you. We thought about the courage it can take for a young person to ask for help when struggling with their mental health, and the difference it makes when they can speak to a professional within days, not months. And we heard how a refrigerated van could carry food that would otherwise go to waste, to a family wondering how they would put dinner on the table that night. In three minutes, each finalist helped us picture what their work could change for someone.
By the end of Angels’ Den Sussex 2026, all ten finalists had received a share of £182,000, with the audience helping to decide where some of that funding would go. In their own words, the finalists showed us what it takes to show up for a community, week after week, and what becomes possible when more people lend a hand.
The Pitches and Awards
Focus Foundation Co-Founder Chris Goodman opened the evening by taking us back to why we started Angels’ Den.
A small grassroots charity can spend years becoming a source of support that local people know and trust, while someone a few streets away may never have heard of it.
Through Angels’ Den, we wanted to give these incredible charities, who are often the glue holding their communities together, a platform to share the challenges they see every day and show more of us where we might be able to help.
Then it was over to our finalists. One by one, they stepped up to the podium in front of our six Angels, Sarah Willingham, Rob Starr, Sir Rod Aldridge, Chris Godsmark, Sarah Leslie and James Bicknell. The results were as follows:
Old Boat Corner Community Association: Winner of the Headline Award | £35,000
Represented by Reyna Kothari & Kane Louis.
Old Boat Corner Community Association was awarded £35,000 for their project, ‘Real Skills For Real Life’.
How do you manage your money? What do you do when something breaks? Where do you start when you’re applying for a job? These were some of the questions young people at the Old Boat community Association clubs and drop-ins had been asking. Reyna and Kane took these questions onto the stage when they pitched Real Skills For Real Life.
The £35,000 headline award will help Old Boat run practical sessions designed with the young people themselves. With support from Reyna and Kane, they will be able to build life skills, from cooking and repairs to planning a journey and learning to code, in a place they already know and with adults they trust.
Learn more about Old Boat Corner Community Association here.
The Running Charity and FMG Project: Winners of the Audience Vote | £17,000
Represented by Libby Marsh & Sam Crocker-Green.
The Running Charity and FMG Project Collaboration were awarded £17,000 for their project, ‘Strength in Motion’.
When Sam and Libby pitched Strength in Motion, they asked us to picture a group of young people working towards the Brighton 10K together. The finish line gives them something to aim for, and the ten weeks leading up to it gives them time to get to know one another, gradually building a support system and the confidence to see what they are capable of at their own pace.
The two charities will combine gym sessions, personal development workshops and a weekly run for young people aged 18 to 25 who face barriers to getting active and accessing support. They received £17,000 in total, including the £7,000 Audience Vote award.
Learn more about The Running Charity here and FMG Project here.
Stop.Breathe.Think | £30,000
Represented by Dan Charlish.
Stop.Breathe.Think was awarded £30,000 for their project, ‘Help Can’t Wait.’
When a young person finds the courage to ask for help, the time between asking and speaking to someone matters. In his pitch, Dan shared how the Sussex campaign aims to offer online counselling within a week of referral, with routes in through schools, parents and young people themselves. The project also includes welfare check-ins and a confidential text service.
Dan, who represented the charity shared: “What an evening. Feeling very grateful and even a bit emotional about all the positive feedback Stop.Breathe.Think received – and of course the amazing funding with which we can support so many young people. Thank you.”
Learn more about Stop.Breathe.Think here.
Time to Talk Befriending | £27,500
Represented by Emily Kenward.
Time to Talk Befriending was awarded £27,500 for their project, ‘Valued, Heard & Connected in Later Life’.
In her pitch, Emily spoke about older people who can go weeks without a conversation, particularly when poor health or reduced mobility makes it difficult to leave home. The project aims to deliver 2,500 dementia-friendly befriending visits.
Volunteers are matched with someone based on their interests and circumstances, giving both people the chance to get to know each other over time.
Emily, who represented the charity shared: “Thank you doesn’t quite cut it! I am still blown away by the whole experience to be honest. And £27,500. Incredible!”
Learn more about Time to Talk Befriending here.
The Friends of Woodlands Meed | £22,500
Represented by Anna Hull & Nola Bennett.
The Friends of Woodlands Meed were awarded £22,500 for their mobile coffee van project.
Anna and Nola, who represented the charity on stage, want to take the school’s café out into the community so students with special educational needs and disabilities can gain work experience with real customers. A shift might involve making coffee, handling payments or working out who does what when things get busy. With staff and volunteers alongside them, students can build confidence and develop vital skills they can take into future work and life.
Learn more about The Friends of Woodlands Meed here.
Figment Arts | £12,500
Represented by David Parker.
Figment Arts were awarded £12,500 for their Port Studio Young Creatives’ project.’
At Figment Arts’ studio in Shoreham Port, young people with learning disabilities and neurodivergent adults will learn how to plan and run creative sessions. David, who was representing the charity described how participants will start by shadowing experienced facilitators, then help lead sessions before taking the lead themselves. Those who complete the programme will be offered paid sessional work with Figment Arts.
Learn more about Figment Arts here.
StrongMen | £12,500
Represented by Efrem Brynin.
StrongMen were awarded £12,500 for their ‘Man2Man Extra Time’ project.
Efrem, who was representing the charity, shared why it matters that bereaved men have somewhere to turn when grief becomes hard to manage.
The project offers 12 weeks of one-to-one online counselling, making it easier to take part from home. Men can continue to access peer support and activities through the wider StrongMen community after their counselling ends.
Learn more about StrongMen here.
FareShare Sussex & Surrey | £10,000
Represented by Dan & Steve.
FareShare Sussex & Surrey were awarded £10,000 to add a new refrigerated vehicle to their fleet.
Steve and Dan, who represented the charity on stage, made the case for something easy to overlook when a meal reaches someone who needs it: the vehicle that got the food there.
Refrigerated deliveries keep surplus food moving to food banks, hostels, family hubs and other local organisations. Replacing a vehicle helps keep those deliveries going and means good food can reach people instead of going to waste.
Learn more about FareShare Sussex & Surrey here.
Breadwinners | £7,500
Represented by Shraddha Verma.
Breadwinners were awarded £7,500 to expand their Brighton Programme.
Representing the charity, Shraddha asked us to think about the people who helped us get our first job. Perhaps someone put in a good word, gave us a reference, helped us prepare for an interview or reviewed our CV. When you’re new to the UK, those connections can take time to build, and when doors don’t open, it can be isolating. Breadwinners helps young refugees and people seeking asylum gain market-stall experience, training and one-to-one mentoring, with paid roles as part of the wider programme. Selling bread gives participants a chance to build the experience and connections that can help with their next step.
Learn more about Breadwinners here.
Stay Up Late | £7,500
Represented by Katie Windsor & Bex MacDonald-Taylor.
Stay Up Late were awarded £7,500 to support their Gig Buddies programme.
Representing the charity, Katie and Bex spoke about how inflexible support schedules can mean autistic people and people with learning disabilities have to leave a night out earlier than they would like. A detail often overlooked when being able to decide when to head home is something many of us take for granted. Gig Buddies matches people with volunteers who share their interests, giving them someone to go to a gig, a match or a night out with and the chance to build a friendship along the way.
Learn more about Stay Up Late here.
Each of our six Angels, Sarah Willingham, Sir Rod Aldridge, Rob Starr, Chris Godsmark, Sarah Leslie and James Bicknell, committed £12,500, and Focus Foundation matched their combined £75,000.
Further donations from Baron Homes and The Cullem Family Trust, together with the Audience Vote award, brought the total funding pot to an amazing £182,000.
Behind the Three Minute Pitch
Focus Foundation received more than 100 applications for Angels’ Den Sussex 2026 and shortlisted 20 before choosing the final 10 projects. In late October, our finalists came together for pitch and speaker training, led by Marcus Thomlinson.
When you spend every day doing the work, where do you begin telling someone about it? When you have so much passion and knowledge to share? There’s the person who first made you realise a service was needed, the people who keep it going and all the developments that take place over time. Deciding what to share in three minutes takes real thought.
Marcus gave the finalists space and support to try things out, hear how their stories landed and learn from one another.
Marcus gave the finalists the space and support to try things out, hear how one another’s pitches landed and work out what they most wanted people to understand.
One of the things we hope our finalists take away from Angels’ Den is the confidence to continue sharing their stories and aspirations about the work they believe in. The next time they meet a potential funder or sit down with someone who could help, they can draw on the experience of standing in front of a full room and explaining, in their own words, what they want to do and the difference it could make in their communities.
One Year on With Brighton Table Tennis Club
Last year’s finalists, known as the ‘Class of ’25’, came back to meet this year’s group and cheer them on. They knew exactly what it felt like to step onto the stage and tell a room full of people why their work mattered – and the nerves and excitement that comes with it. It was fantastic to have them in the audience this time, supporting the next group of finalists and seeing the event from a new point of view.
Among them were Tim Holtam and Harry Fairchild from Brighton Table Tennis Club, our Angels’ Den Sussex 2025 headline winner. They returned to the stage to share how their grant had helped expand and sustain the club’s Junior Coaching Programme and community outreach.
The junior coaches are aged 14 to 21, and every one of them started at the club as a complete beginner. Each grew up receiving free school meals, is care experienced or has a disability. With the grant, the club has been able to give these young coaches more responsibility. Now, when someone picks up a table tennis paddle for the first time, they can learn from someone who understands what it is like being in their shoes.
A year ago, the club was asking for help to give young coaches a bigger role. This time, they could tell us what that support had helped them do.
Thank you to Tim and Harry for returning to inspire us with their story and growth.
Thank You for Being a Part of It
Thank you to everyone who bought a ticket, cast their vote and joined us in supporting the small grassroots charities that are doing incredibly important work, right on our doorstep. We are immensely grateful to our six Angels, Sarah Willingham, Sir Rod Aldridge, Rob Starr, Chris Godsmark, Sarah Leslie and James Bicknell, and to David Hill for hosting and Marcus Thomlinson for helping our finalists share their stories.
Thank you to our sponsors Baron Homes, Cognitive Law, Wingstop, Focus Group and E3 Events, to The Cullem Family Trust for its generous donation and to Nostos Hove for supplying wonderful food.
And to our finalists, thank you for trusting us with your stories. It was a privilege to hear you talk about the people your work is dedicated to and how you plan to continue supporting them.
For press and media enquiries, please email Alixzandra Burchell at [email protected].
To find out more about Angels’ Den London 2027 and other Angels’ Den events, please visit angelsden.org.uk.
See Where Angels’ Den Sussex Began
Missed the evening and curious what it’s like to be in the room?
Our Angels’ Den Sussex 2026 highlights reel is on its way, but, in the meantime, why not take a look back at our very first Angels’ Den Sussex event in 2025.
Rewind time to when ten extraordinary local grassroots charities stepped onto the stage at Brighton’s iconic i360, and shared the stories that started it all.