FAQs

The NHS Big Tea is a chance for people up and down the country to come together over a cup of tea, celebrate their NHS whilst raising some money for one of over 130 NHS Charities. NHS charities give over £1 million every day for the NHS so that people can stay well for longer and get better faster. Sign up to learn more about how you can support your favourite NHS Charity at www.nhsbigtea.org.uk.​

NHS charities are charities that are dedicated to supporting the NHS. They exist for the benefit of current and future NHS patients. There are over 250 of them across the UK. NHS Charities Together is the national association that individual charities belong to.

NHS Charities Together supports and campions its members and is the ‘trading name’ or ‘known as name’ of the Association of NHS Charities. Founded in 2000, the Association began as an informal group of the largest NHS Charities which came together to provide mutual support. In 2008 in the Association become a registered charity and invited all NHS Charities to share the benefits of membership.

Most of them focus on helping hospitals to do more. From supporting research and development, to brightening up hospital environments, to donating state-of-the-art technologies and equipment, the charities raise funds and mobilise volunteers, touching lives and making a huge difference to millions of people when they are at their most vulnerable. Other NHS charities support mental health trusts, community health trusts and ambulance trusts. 

No, but they do help the NHS do much more than they otherwise could. People have been giving money to NHS hospitals since well before the NHS was created. They help the health service provide treatments and services they would not otherwise be able to fund. These help improve the wellbeing of patients and save lives. They also support NHS staff.

There are lots of charities in the UK focused on healthcare, but The Big Tea is being organised specifically by NHS charities. NHS Charities have a legal or formal agreement with their NHS Trust and therefore have a particular focus whereby they specifically fund activity that supports NHS patients directly. They might work with a particular hospital or NHS trust – either way you know your donations are going to help the NHS patients.

101 NHS charities have already signed up to be part of the Big Tea. If the NHS charity you want to support is not listed why not get in touch with them directly and encourage them to take part? We would love to hear from them and they can email us at nhsbigtea@anhsc.org.uk to get involved.

Want to support an NHS charity? Great! Search through our list of charities. You can search for a particular charity name, the name of the hospital you want to support, or by region.

The Big Tea is open to all members of NHS Charities Together. If the charity that you want to support is not listed, why not get in touch with them directly and encourage them to join and take part? We would love to hear from them at nhsbigtea@anhsc.org.uk

Yes they can. Anyone can host a Big Tea. It might be a few friends getting together, or you might want to plan something bigger in your community or workplace. It is totally up to you.

It’s easy. First decide which NHS charity you want to support. Find them by searching here and download their Big Tea pack. Decide where and when you want to hold your tea party and invite your friends or colleagues. Enjoy the party, collect your donations and then simply pay them in here to your chosen charity

Not necessarily. Although Friday 5th July is the actual Birthday of the NHS, so ideally your party will take place on or around that day, but you can hold your Big Tea on the date that works best for you and your guests.

You can do it online. The Big Tea kit contains bundles of stuff to help you organise your event. Simply search for the charity you want to support and download their Big Tea pack. If you aren’t at a computer don’t worry - when you register for your pack you will be sent a link so that you can get straight back to the download page when you are ready.

There are many ways. Perhaps the easiest thing is to ask your guests for a donation. You could also hold a raffle, a competition or something else – it's entirely up to you but the more fun the better.

It is up to you. You can either collect the money yourself and pay it in one go to your chosen charity by finding it here or your guests can pay in themselves. And don’t forget that some employers offer to match funding that their employees raise for charity so it is always worth asking.

That's fine, it is totally up to you whether you want to collect donations or not at your Big Tea. You can still celebrate the NHS and join in by sharing your stories on social media. Don’t forget to use the hashtags #nhscharities #nhsbigtea

It’s simple. You can pay in here using a debit card or a credit card. You will be asked to choose the NHS charity that you want to support and you will be redirected to their fundraising page to make the donation. If you are hosting a tea party and collecting cash donations on the day, you can pay the money into your personal account and then transfer it all to the charity here

Yes. You can donate here using a debit or credit card. All donations made to NHS Charities Together will be shared with or invested in NHS Charities Together members to further support and benefit NHS patients.

All donations made to NHS Charities Together will be shared with or invested in NHS Charities Together members to further support and benefit NHS patients. NHS Charities Together is the ‘known as name’ or ‘trading name’ of the Association of NHS Charities, a registered charity since 2008, registered charity No. 1125687

If you would like to pay by cheque please email us at nhsbigtea@anhsc.org.uk for more information.

If you have any questions you can contact us at nhsbigtea@anhsc.org.uk