Variety, the Children's Charity

We improve the lives of children and young people throughout the UK who are sick, disabled or disadvantaged. We provide practical, tangible help that makes an immediate difference to those children and their families. Variety provides coaches and bespoke wheelchairs, specialist, sensory and recreational equipment for use in the home, school, children’s hospitals and youth centres and creates memorable experiences through “Variety Great Days Out”.

Brought here by movie moguls from the USA and inaugurated in the UK in 1949 (as The Variety Club of Great Britain), Variety was one of the UK’s first charities to be founded especially for children and young people.

We believe that all children should have an equal opportunity to reach their potential, regardless of their circumstances. All our programmes are designed to help less fortunate children to achieve precisely that.

We improve those young lives by providing practical help (such as Sunshine Coaches, wheelchairs and specialist equipment) and memorable childhood experiences.

Our practical help makes an immediate difference. It means that children have fewer bad days and more great days. With independence, freedom and dignity they are able to make the most of their childhood.

We play a key role in building the self-esteem of children who are disadvantaged and in making them the people who they become.