The individuals and organisations who are innovating to confront some of the biggest problems faced by society, have been recognised in the New Radicals 2018 list, published by Nesta, the global innovation foundation, and The Observer newspaper.

Every two years,the public are invited to nominate themselves, their own projects, other individuals, charities and schemes that are challenging the status quo and creating positive change by working to find innovative solutions to social challenges.

Among the 50 individuals and organisations demonstrating outstanding innovation, dedication, success and sustainability were:

• Dogs On The Streets (London, Oxford, Kent, Bournemouth, Milton Keynes and Dundee), a service providing food, vet care, medicine and grooming for homeless dogs - and reassurance for their owners. After running a street outreach programme for homeless people Michelle Clark was inspired to set up DOTS after taking in Poppy, a lovable staffie whose owner was taken ill. DOTS now runs weekly stations where homeless people can access free food, medicine, grooming, training and vet care for their dogs.
• Atlantic Pacific (London, South Wales, International), an NGO which provides bespoke rescue boats, mobile lifeboat stations and trained crew to communities without them. Founder Robin Jenkins, a volunteer with the RNLI, began Atlantic Pacific when he heard stories about victims in Japan's tsunami-affected region being washed out to sea with no hope of rescue. He teamed up with students at UWC Atlantic College in Wales and the result was a ‘Lifeboat in a Box’, which can be delivered anywhere in the world to act as a lifeboat station.
• Prison Voicemail (Norwich, East Anglia), a start-up service which uses simple technology to keep prisoners and their families connected. The service is having a profoundly positive impact on the wellbeing and mental health of inmates. Founders Kieran Ball and Alex Redston were inspired after noticing that limited phone rights and missed calls increased stress levels for both prisoners and their families - particularly those with young children who rarely got to speak to each other. They developed an instant and convenient app linked to authorised phone numbers, where subscribers can leave and listen to messages at any time.
• Mytime (Liverpool and the North West), an organisation which partners with local hotels, theatres, restaurants and more to offer much-needed breaks for carers. This is particularly important against a backdrop of service cuts and recent research from Carers UK finding that 40% of carers have not had a break in over a year. The project was started by Hazel Brown, Head of Carers Services at charity Local Solutions (which runs the Liverpool Carers Centre), where mytime is based.
• Eye heroes (national), the UK’s first child-led initiative fighting avoidable sight loss and blindness. The initiative was set up by an ophthalmologist and a service designer who had first hand experiences of patients who had not been for eye checks and were suffering from avoidable sight loss as a result. Children aged 8-12 years old are engaged and trained through interactive workshops in schools to become champions of eye health and inform people in their communities about the importance of regular eye tests.

The judges included award-winning actor Michael Sheen, former New Radicals from previous years, leaders of a range of inspiring campaigning organisations and senior journalists including the editor of the Observer New Review.

This year's’ winners will be invited to come together to celebrate at an event in London on Thursday 20th September and will join the New Radicals alumni network, now reaching 200 with its new recruits. The New Radicals will receive advice on professional development and be given support over the coming year to further grow and develop their ideas and projects.

Geoff Mulgan, chief executive of Nesta, New Radicals co-founder and judge says: “The New Radicals list was set up as an antidote to the many rankings of the rich, powerful and famous so often presented in the media. We thought it would be much more interesting to seek out the people shaping the world, often below the radar, whose work may in the future shape our lives. Being a radical means going against the grain and taking big risks. But this list shows that Britain’s radical traditions are as strong as ever.”

Yvonne Roberts, former Observer leader writer and New Radicals co-founder says, “At a time when the dominant narratives about society are so negative and divisive it’s uplifting to see how many organisations and individuals are working to make a real difference in their communities and to lives too often left on the margins - often these organisation work with minimal resources apart from their own drive and determination. What New Radicals in 2018 highlights is the range of original thinking in fields as diverse as health and social care, the creative industries and education and skills. This is a celebration that, in adversity, good ideas can flourish."

The full list of 2012, 2014 and 2016 New Radicals is available on the Nesta and The Observer websites.

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Editor’s Notes

The Full New Radicals judging panel is:

1. Michael Sheen, actor and activist with roles such as patron of Social Enterprise UK and UNICEF ambassador
2. Josh Babarinde, founder and chief executive of Cracked It, an award-winning social enterprise smartphone repair service staffed by young ex-offenders and youth at risk.
3. Raheel Mohammed, a New Radical in 2012, he founded Maslaha, focused on making long-term change on issues such as health, education, criminal justice and women’s rights in Muslim communities.
4. Mick Ward, chief officer for adults and health at Leeds city council.
5. Cassie Robinson, strategic design director at Doteveryone and co-founder of the Point People, Tech for Good Global and the Civic Shop.
6. Kerry Hudson, author of two award-winning novels: Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice-cream Float Before He Stole My Ma and Thirst.
7. Jaya Chakrabarti, Bristol-based digital activist and co-founder of open data anti-slavery register tiscreport.org and digital comms agency Nameless.
8. Ruth Ibegbuna, founder and CEO of RECLAIM, a youth leadership and social change organisation.
9. Mehmoona Pervaz, teenage campaigner from Bradford who helped set up Speakers’ Corner in the city.
10. Geoff Mulgan, chief executive of Nesta
11. Jane Ferguson, editor of Observer New Review
12. Yvonne Roberts, former leader writer of the Observer, co-founder of New Radicals with Geoff Mulgan

About Nesta

Nesta is a global innovation foundation. It backs new ideas to tackle the big challenges of our time, through its knowledge, networks, funding and skills. Nesta works in partnership with others, including governments, businesses and charities. It is a UK charity that works all over the world, supported by a financial endowment. To find out more visit www.nesta.org.uk

Nesta is a registered charity in England and Wales 1144091 and Scotland SC042833.