Haven House has been recognised as one of the best not-for-profit employers in the UK after coming in at 26 in the prestigious Sunday Times Top 100 list.

The hospice, which provides care for children with life-limiting illnesses, also secured a Best Companies two-star "outstanding" rating for workplace engagement.

This is the second time running that the hospice has been honoured in the Top 100 not-for-profit employers’ awards, improving on last year’s ranking of 27. 93% of staff agreed that the leadership of Haven House was based on ‘sound moral principles’, with 84% agreeing that the hospice gave something back to the community and 98% believing that they could make a positive contribution to the organisation.

The Sunday Times Top 100 list is based on feedback from staff. In all, across the country, nearly 260,000 staff working for UK employers completed anonymous surveys giving their opinions about their bosses, their working conditions and their employer’s values.

Sarah Spackman, Director of Human Resources, said: This is a proud moment for us as a charity. In any organisation the people are its greatest asset and it is our staff and volunteers that truly make Haven House an amazing place to work. Our values are deeply embedded in everything we do. The health, wellbeing and development of our staff is very important to us and I’m delighted that our work on these issues has been recognised.

Since the last award, the hospice has been working hard on ensuring staff feel valued with the ‘Improving Working Lives’ group which focuses on the wellbeing of staff and making the best of their working environment. One of the latest activities to be offered to staff is art therapy at lunch time to improve mindfulness.

The Haven House team will be celebrating on March 1, which is also known as Best Companies Day.