We are delighted to reveal that we have been named Charity of the Year: with an income of under £1 million in the Charity Times Awards!

It was an amazing night and although you are always hopeful of going home with a trophy - nothing is for certain especially when you are going up against so many other high-calibre organisations.

Ava said afterwards:

We are proud to be the global encephalitis experts and this recognition by the Charity Times means the world to our passionate team who go the extra mile to help people affected every day. We are grateful for the backing of our supporters, especially our Ambassador Rebecca Adlington who has championed our work for several years, and our friends at Bolt Burdon Kemp and Clarke Willmott whose generous donations enabled us to attend the ceremony itself.”

Click on the image to see more photos from the evening

We were represented at the Park Plaza Hotel, London, by Dr Ava Easton, Julia Clark and Phillippa Chapman as well as our wonderful Ambassador Rebecca Adlington, Trustee Dr Fiona Twycross, Vice President Tiggy Sutton, Andrew Roe, Deputy Assistant Commissioner at London Fire Brigade, The Lord Kennedy of Southwark, Phillip Gill, Managing Director of PLG Consultants, and representatives from Bolt Burdon Kemp and Clarke Willmott who kindly sponsored our table so we could attend the evening. We would like to thank both firms for the support - it really means a lot to us.

Marguarita Tyne, a partner in the Clinical Negligence team at Clarke Willmott, said:

We are delighted to support the Encephalitis Society and to have shared in such an important milestone in their history. We have seen the life-changing work that they do with survivors of encephalitis and their families and can definitely say this award is richly deserved.

Ipek Tugcu, Medical Negligence Solicitor at Bolt Burdon Kemp, added:

We are thrilled that their hard work was recognised last night at the Charity Time Awards 2017, as winners in their category. We know, first hand, how passionate and hard-working this amazing team are. They are truly dedicated to their members, and provide strong support to families affected by encephalitis, and work tirelessly to raise standards. Their award is well deserved, and we are delighted to have been able to support them on the night.

The Charity Times Awards are considered the "Oscars of the charity world" and have operated for the past 18 years by Charity Times Magazine, the UK's leading title for non-profit professionals.

The final word should go to Rebecca, our much-loved Ambassador.

To have been there on such a fantastic night and to see them rewarded for their efforts over the past 12 months was extremely special for me and my family.

Many thanks to our sponsors