Shining a Light on Long Covid in Children: One Workplace’s Incredible Support

At Long Covid Kids, we’re driven by the voices and stories of families navigating life with Long Covid—and we’re constantly inspired by those who turn personal experience into powerful action. One such champion is Jana, who nominated us as Charity of the Year at her workplace, Gravita, after facing the realities of Long Covid in children first-hand.

“It feels like it’s our duty to spread awareness about Long Covid in children, many of us have faced disbelief or misunderstanding from friends and family, which only made things harder. That’s why awareness isn’t just helpful—it’s urgent.”

Thanks to her nomination and the incredible commitment of her colleagues, we were selected as Charity of the Year—and over the course of just 12 months, this brilliant team raised £14,259. From cake sales to running challenges, quizzes to football tournaments, and even a festive Wimbledon celebration with strawberries and cream, their creativity knew no bounds. A Christmas jumper day added some seasonal sparkle, and they even cheered on a London Marathon runner in support of our cause.

London Marathon runner for Long Covid Kids

Funds like these directly fuel our mission to ensure that every child affected by Long Covid has the opportunity to thrive and looks forward to a brighter future. With the help of incredible supporters like Jans and Gravita, we’re able to continue to:

• Raise awareness of Long Covid symptoms in children, promoting early diagnosis and better intervention strategies

• Support thousands of families through peer networks, educational resources, and advocacy — now directly representing over 11,000 families

• Support and participate in global research helping to shape clinical understanding and improve recovery outcomes

• Advocate for change in schools, healthcare, and government — from expert forums to parliamentary groups — ensuring children’s voices are heard and their needs addressed

The events Jana organised bought people together, raised awareness, sparked conversations, and helped build understanding in the workplace about how Long Covid is impacting children across the UK and beyond. Every opportunity to raise awareness is an opportunity to reduce stigma and improve the experiences of affected children.

“We are all truly indebted to Long Covid Kids for their tireless advocacy and support, I’m grateful for the support and proud to help shine a light on an issue that deeply affects so many families.”

Gravita quiz for Long Covid Kids

We are incredibly grateful—not only for the funds raised, but for the solidarity and platform this workplace gave us. These kinds of partnerships fuel our work: from delivering family support and creating educational resources, to representing families at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry this autumn.

But we can’t do it alone. We rely on the compassion of individuals and organisations who believe in what we do.

“If your company gives you the chance to nominate a charity… don’t scroll past it, take that first step today. Nominate a cause close to your heart. Nominate Long Covid Kids.”

If you’re inspired and would like to nominate Long Covid Kids as your workplace charity— want to learn more about LCK or simply get involved—we’d love to hear from you.

A huge thank you to Jana for working so hard to get Long Covid Kids as charity of the year and for arranging and helping with the fundraising events throughout the year.

Together, we can make children with Long Covid visible, valued, and supported.