ClerksWell Charity Hackathon

ClerksWell Charity Hackathon: #HackingTheCause to Empower Headway and Restore Hope

Last November, ClerksWell hosted a day that was all about creativity, collaboration and impact. Our Charity Hackathon, #HackingTheCause, brought together industry professionals, students and coding enthusiasts from across the country to tackle real-world challenges for two incredible charities: Headway and Restore Hope. The goal? To use technology and innovation to strengthen their digital presence and help the people they support every day.

As one participant summed it up: “Fantastic day, really well organised, great venue, fancy sandwiches and absolutely amazing participants.”

Meet the Charities: Headway and Restore Hope

Headway: Supporting Brain Injury Survivors

Headway helps people living with brain injuries, who often face hidden challenges like memory loss, fatigue and difficulty concentrating. A physical Brain Injury Identity Card can be a helpful tool, offering a quick way to explain hidden challenges. However, its usefulness is limited. Cards can be misplaced, forgotten or inaccessible in moments when they’re most needed. In today’s digital world, people living with brain injuries deserve something more flexible and readily available, a solution that empowers them to share their needs seamlessly, wherever they are.

The brief: Imagine a digital companion that empowers survivors, making support easy to access, helping explain their condition and providing reassurance and guidance. Solutions should be intuitive, empathetic and designed for users with cognitive challenges. Bonus points for creative integrations and use of Umbraco 17.

As one hacker reflected: “It was such an amazing and special event. The way my viewpoint changed towards people facing challenges because of brain injuries whether survivors themselves or carers, was much more important and meaningful to me than actually winning the event. It is so reassuring to know that tech can be used to make life a little bit easier for them. Thank you to all the amazing people who were present at the event and with whom I was able to interact and thank you to the organisers as well.” ~ Harmohan Singh Johal

Andrew Taylor, Head of Digital at Headway, echoed this sentiment: “Such a great day! We certainly feel like winners at Headway having seen such talented people put our ideas put into practice. Part of our challenge brief asked the teams to add a touch of magic, and they more than delivered on that front! Thanks again for involving us, it's been a real honour”

Restore Hope: Helping Families in Hardship

Restore Hope supports families in hardship through food, community events and programmes like the Dignity Supermarket, where £25 worth of goods costs just £5. As demand grows, managing access and tracking engagement is becoming complex.

The brief: Create a simple, respectful digital experience for families to access services and track their journey, while enabling staff to manage participation easily. The solution should be inclusive, mobile-friendly and uphold dignity. Bonus points for smart data integrations and Umbraco 17 usage.

The Briefs: Digital Solutions for Real-World Problems

Both charities arrived with clear but challenging briefs. Headway asked teams to imagine a digital companion for brain injury survivors, something that could provide reassurance, guidance and easy ways to explain their condition. Restore Hope wanted a simple, respectful digital experience for families to access services and track their journey.

These weren’t just technical challenges; they were human ones. “Meeting so many wonderful people, from the Clerkswell team and judges to the people taking on the challenge. Probably best bit was seeing our challenge ideas come to life.”

Both briefs reminded participants that technology isn’t just about code, it’s about compassion. These charities operate under tight budgets and time constraints, often leaving little room for innovation. This hackathon gave them space to dream big and start small, with ideas that could truly transform lives.

Another added: “I think my favourite part was the atmosphere and people. I really loved interacting with all organisers and hackers, but the biggest impression was made by charity representatives. It was truly enjoyable experience, and I loved how I got aware about things that might not come to my attention otherwise.”

How Teams Tackled the Briefs

Once the briefs were shared, the room buzzed with energy. Attendees chose their challenge and spent the day brainstorming, designing and building solutions. Ideas ranged from digital ID cards and support apps for Headway to mobile-friendly booking and membership systems for Restore Hope.

All solutions incorporated Umbraco 17, the latest CMS release, which was showcased in an insightful talk by Lotte Pitcher (Head of Developer Relations at Umbraco) during the event. The atmosphere was electric, with collaboration, creativity and compassion at every table.

As Umbraco themselves celebrated: “There have been show-and-tell sessions, technical deep dives, a charity hackathon (shoutout to Umbraco Platinum Partner ClerksWell), a community day, Umbraco 17 balloons, tasty cupcakes, laughs, and tons of ideas and knowledge shared.

We love these initiatives - bringing people, ideas, and tech together!

A big H5YR to all the organizers and participants of these meetups”

Why This Hackathon Matters

The moment that stayed with everyone came when one of the judges shared her podcast. Julia and her best friend started it because both of their husbands live with brain injuries. Through their conversations, they talk honestly about life after injury, the hard days, the resilience it takes to keep going and the hope that carries them forward. Listening to Julia’s story reminded us of all that behind every idea here are real people, real families and real struggles.

Charities live in that reality every day. They’re stretched thin, working with tight budgets and limited staff, pouring everything they have into serving their communities. That focus means innovation often gets pushed aside not because it isn’t needed but because there simply isn’t time.

This hackathon gave them a rare pause. A chance to step back, to imagine, to explore ideas that could make a lasting difference. It wasn’t just about technology, but about creating space for hope, for solutions that might ease someone’s burden and for sparks of change that can ripple far beyond the event itself.

The Grand Finale: Presentations, Judges and Winners

By the end of the day, the buzz in the room was electric. Teams had poured hours of energy into their ideas and now it was time to share them. One by one, they stood up in front of a panel of six judges; Nate Sense (CEO at Restore Hope), Andrew Taylor (Head of Digital at Headway), Amy Gatt (Head of Digital at Sticks’n’Sushi), Julia Ajayi (Community Engagement Programme Lead at Scope), Michelle Saban (Freelance Social Media Manager) and Simon Liste (CTO at Apollo), explaining not just what they built, but why it mattered.

Alongside the technical considerations, the judges were also listening for the heart behind each project. “Seeing the different solutions come to life on the stage, and the creative ways that each scenario was tackled was inspiring,” one judge reflected. The empathy and creativity in every presentation was apparent, whether it was tackling resource challenges or finding new ways to connect communities.

Prizes were handed out to the winners, sparking cheers and celebration. Negra Hodzic, one of the winners, shared: “Harmohan and I won the ClerksWell x Umbraco Charity Hackathon, and it was one of our most meaningful experiences yet!”

But what lingered wasn’t the trophies or certificates, it was the sense that these solutions could go on to make a real difference for people who need them most. That was the true victory of the day.

Beyond the Hackathon: Technology for Good at ClerksWell

At ClerksWell, we’re proud to have hosted an event that was about more than coding challenges or clever solutions. It was about people, communities and the power of technology to make a difference. The hackathon gave charities the chance to dream beyond their daily constraints and it reminded us why innovation matters most when it’s rooted in empathy.

As one participant summed it up: “Amazing event! Very well run and I had a super fun day! 10/10”

Our commitment to social impact runs deeper than a single event. We believe technology should be a force for good, helping organisations overcome barriers, amplify their reach and create lasting change. Hosting this hackathon was one way of living that belief, but it’s only the beginning.

Here’s to hacking for hope - and making a difference.

Some further feedback on the ClerksWell Hackathon

“Brilliantly hosted by the ClerksWell team (thank you!), I would strongly recommend it when it comes around again”

“Huge thanks to the ClerksWell team, Umbraco and Lotte Pitcher, and the teams at Restore Hope and Headway for hosting such a meaningful event. Working with Luka was an absolute highlight. Pairing up last-minute pushed me outside my comfort zone and made the experience even better. His deep knowledge of product design and user-focused problem solving was a huge help throughout the day and played a key role in shaping Ally into something genuinely useful.” ~ Tom Arnett

“I think it was an excellent day and a great chance to contribute to valuable causes as well as meeting new people and giving them a chance to get to know Umbraco.”

“Excellent. The team were amazing, and everyone was so involved, for a great cause.”

“Really great - lovely to take time out of the day to day to meet like-minded individuals and get inspired!”

“Yes, the collaboration within teams was palpable, I would say less 'learning' for me and more 'inspired'”

“Above expectations! 11/10”