Sign in here for Giving Week 2015: nominate your favourite organisation, charity or worthy cause

I'd like to add www.avuk.org a UK charity that helps deaf babies and child learn to listen and speak. Their work raises expectations and supports families in their choices for their profoundly deaf children.

I'll switch my WA vote to Rape Crisis then.

It might be a good idea to keep a list of all of these charities mentioned somewhere near at hand even if they don't make the final cut? I hadn't come across many of them and a little bit of publicity for each would likely be no bad thing.

BTW, huge to Knotty and Pistey on being fabulous as always

Could I clarify that if we have nominated a charity, are we also allowed to vote for others, because then as well as my nomination for MB, could I also second ILikeYouToo's nomination for Reuben's Retreat.

I would like to nominate The Hypermobility Syndrome Association.
They do a fantastic job providing advice and support for people with a range of syndromes that cause hypermobility. They also raise awareness in both the public and medical professionals about these little understood conditions.

My votes go to Refuge, Rape Crisis, Young Minds, the Abortion Support Network and another abortion charity which is amazing and people may not be aware of, which is :Women on Waves This marvellous organisation takes a boat out to countries where safe abortion is banned and stays in international waters to provide safe, legal early abortions to women who are denied that right by their own state.

I'd like to vote for The Sick Children's Trust as well please. Their home from home accommodation at various hospitals for the families of seriously ill children is just amazing, and it's completely free. It costs them just £30 a night to give families a safe haven that's minutes away from their child's bedside - it would be wonderful if they were picked this year.

I would like to nominate www.ashleysbirthdaybank.org

A Bournemouth charity set up to give child a birthday or Christmas or just because present.

It has now become a place where children / Baby stuff is handout to families starting over.
They work with local agency's and other charity's to get their referrals.

I'd like to nominate Team Jo Epilepsy Foundation www.teamjo-epilepsy.org
It's a very small charity run by one of the most inspirational women I've ever met. She had to give up her career as a nurse, along with everything we all take for granted like independence and freedom, due to unstable epilepsy, and moved back in with her mum. Despite her life-threatening condition she refuses to sit around feeling sorry for herself and instead works tirelessly to raise awareness of epilepsy and even turned a local landmark purple for a national epilepsy day. Jo is raising money for specialist equipment locally so people don't have to travel to London and makes fantastic bath products and crafts to sell as part of her fundraising. It's still a very misunderstood condition, with some people believing it's catching, and jo faces battles every day but keeps on going, usually with added glitter. Please take a look at what she does x

I second niddy's nomination. I was going to post CLAPA too. They have been vital in supporting parents and their child in dealing with complex needs. My youngest was born with a cleft palate and their support was incredible. Lots of money goes into research. These children often have failure to thrive because of feeding difficulties and without them we wouldn't be where we are.

I'd like to nominate Martineau Gardens a small charity in Birmingham which provides therapeutic horticulture for the mentally ill and recovering addicts.

Reuben's Retreat - it's been set up by a mummy who lost her little boy at 23 months and now they're building a retreat to help families who have lost a child, or who have a child with a life threatening or limiting illness, helping create special memories.
They're mid-renovation of the property at the moment and it's a huge task which will take 3-5 years so any help would be much appreciated I'm sure

I second niddy's nomination. The cleft lip and palate association. Providing vital support to parents and their child. It's a personal nomination as my youngest child was born with a cleft palate. Feeding difficulties in these children often leads to failure to thrive. I couldn't have done it without their support.

I'd like to nominate Rape Crisis - their amazing and vital work is constantly under threat from Government cuts.

Brunswick Organic Nursery in York.

It's a sheltered workplace for adults with learning difficulties, a tiny but brilliant charity.

www.brunswickyork.org.uk/index.php

I would like to nominate Afrikids, they are a charity child rights organisation working in northern Ghana to alleviate child suffering and poverty. My brother's girlfriend works for them and is trying to raise funds and awareness of the amazing and vital work they do.

www.afrikids.org/

OK so I've been back through and read every post and this is my list of votes. I missed that we were allowed to vote for as many as we want. Don't worry, I haven't duplicated :) I don't know who is new and who isn't, so just scratch if I've voted for one which hasn't actually been entered.

Mummy's star
Freedom from Fistula
Fawcett Society
Winston's Wish
CoolTan
Comas
Art and Soul
Sick Children's Trust
Child Aid
MASH
SWAN UK
Camp Mohawk
Women for Refugee Women
IPSEA
Abortion Support Network
Off the Record
Reach
Hope House (this seemed like a wider reaching hospice one)
Horton Women's Holiday Centre
Newcastle Toy and Leisure Library
Water for Africa
Assist Trust
The who cares trust
Homestart

If this is too many (27 so far...) please tell me what the limit is and I'll pare down the list, but you did say as many votes as we like... (Thanks for earlier clarification, BTW :))

I'd like to nominate Homestart (www.home-start.org.uk) - a charity that provides support to families with children under 5 years old. They helped me by providing home visits and friendship from a volunteer when I had PND and I don't know what I would have done without her.

I would like to nominate a mental health charity for teenagers and young people called STEM4.

www.stem4.org.uk

We as parents work so hard to bring up our children to lead happy fulfilling lives, so it is destroying for families when these children grow up and suffer mental illness. The funding for mental health services is not as great as the need and services such as this fill the gap. This charity educates in schools and helps support in the areas of eating disorders, self harm, depression and anxiety and addiction.

52 Lives - an organisation that changes someone's life every week of the year, using the kindness of thousands of strangers. www.52-lives.org

Then I shall also switch my Women's Aid vote to Rape Crisis.

I do want to vote for almost every charity mentioned though!

Thewhocarestrust.org.uk. A voice and champion on behalf of young people in care. This group of children have a tough start in life and a tough road ahead, with much poorer prospects that children not raised in care. The whocarestrust gives support to young people leaving care and makes sure these young people's voices are heard in developing national policy and legislation. As well as doing other stuff too. A great cause.

apologies for saying 'seriously impressed' - have annoyed myself