Kids Inspire's The Coat wins Best Impact Film Award at The Saltways Charity Film Festival
We're delighted to share that our children's mental health film, The Coat, won the Best Impact Film Award at The Saltways Charity Film Festival in London on 24 September 2026. Our Marketing and Communications Officer, Laura Whitehead, also received the Upcoming Creative Talent Award for creating and producing the film.
Filmmaker, Adam King and Marketing and Comms Officer, Laura accepted the awards
This double recognition is a proud moment for everyone involved in The Coat and reflects the power of creative storytelling in helping people better understand children's mental health.
A film raising awareness of children's mental health
The Coat explores the hidden emotional weight many children and young people carry and the impact that timely, specialist support can have. Told without dialogue, the film offers a powerful glimpse into struggles that often go unseen.
The film was brought to life by our volunteer mentor and filmmaker, Adam King, alonside 16 young actors from local acting schools, Mushroom Theatre Company, The Drama Centre and Jigsaw Arts. It was also filmed at Great Baddow High School.
Judges praised the film's emotional impact, commenting:
"The film showed impact that goes beyond the stats. Not a single word said aloud, but so much felt on screen."
The Saltways Charity Film Festival celebrates excellence in charity filmmaking, ethical storytelling and social impact, bringing together charities from across the UK.
Recognition for a shared effort
Laura Whitehead, Marketing and Communications Officer at Kids Inspire, said:
"We've never created a film like this before. It felt like a bold idea, but everyone got behind it because they believed in what it was trying to say. This award belongs to every single person who played a part, from the young actors and volunteers to everyone who worked quietly behind the scenes. Together, we've helped shine a light on the challenges many children face and the importance of making support available when it's needed most."
Sue Bell OBE, CEO of Kids Inspire, said:
"We are absolutely delighted that The Coat has won Best Impact Film. We wanted the film to show something we see every day at Kids Inspire: the emotional weight children and young people can carry, often without the adults around them fully realising it.
I’m also incredibly proud of Laura for being recognised as Upcoming Creative. Her vision and creativity have been at the heart of The Coat from the beginning.
I hope these awards help the film reach even more people and encourage us all to be curious about what a child might be carrying beneath what we can see."
Watch The Coat
The Coat was created to help raise awareness of children's mental health and encourage conversations about the challenges many young people face. We hope this recognition helps the film reach even more children, families, schools and communities.
Watch The Coat online and learn more about the project by visiting our dedicated The Coat webpage.