HelloHope Wins Amazon Innovation Award to Scale Ground-Breaking VR Suicide Prevention Training.
Ellie MacDonald lost her dad to suicide when she was just four years old. Her personal loss combined with her entrepreneurial spirit from running her own PR agency, MacComms, since 2015, led her to form HelloHope in 2024, a not-for-profit organisation focused on suicide prevention.
In just 18 months, HelloHope has trained dozens of workplaces, community groups and individuals and November 2025 saw the organisation awarded the Charity Innovation Award and £10,000 in Amazon’s Innovation Challenge Prize. The recognition highlights the transformative potential of HelloHope’s upcoming world-first virtual reality suicide prevention training programme – and marks an exciting new chapter for its mission to save lives through education, compassion, and community.
Today, HelloHope provides suicide prevention training to businesses, schools, and organisations across the UK. The vision is simple: a world where everyone feels equipped to step in and help.
Suicide remains the biggest killer of anyone under 35 and men under 50 years old in the UK, but Ellie knows there is hope; most suicides are preventable when people have the right knowledge, skills and confidence, something Ellie and her team of qualified and experienced trainers across the UK teach.
With the support of Amazon’s £10,000 prize, HelloHope is developing a first-of-its-kind VR training programme designed to make suicide prevention skills more accessible than ever.
Instead of traditional multi-day training, HelloHope’s VR experience will condense essential learning into a powerful two- to three-hour interactive session. Using realistic, immersive scenarios, participants will be able to:
- Recognise early warning signs
- Practise starting difficult conversations
- Build confidence in helping someone in crisis
- Learn within a psychologically safe virtual environment
This innovation will help us reach thousands more people each year – and ensure that lifesaving skills are available to all communities, not just a few.
The award was presented at Amazon’s London headquarters in Shoreditch, during a ceremony celebrating the impact of this year’s Innovation Accelerator programme. Held earlier this year in Leeds, the Accelerator provided HelloHope with expert masterclasses, business mentoring, and opportunities to connect with leaders across different fields.
Ellie shared her gratitude at the event:
“We’re thrilled to receive this recognition from Amazon. Our work is driven by the belief that with the right skills, confidence, and compassion, ordinary people can help save lives. This award will enable us to reach even more communities across the UK and beyond. Thank you, Amazon!”
MP Alex Sobel also praised the achievement:
“Congratulations to Ellie and the HelloHope team on this fantastic recognition… Initiatives like this show the real impact that local entrepreneurs can have in strengthening our communities and supporting economic growth.”
And John Boumphrey, Amazon’s UK & Ireland Country Manager, highlighted the significance of the work:
“HelloHope’s use of cutting-edge technology to address such a critical public health challenge is extremely admirable… We’re proud to support innovation that directly benefits our community.”
As well as delivering talks and training, HelloHope runs free monthly networking walks (netwalks) for local business leaders across Leeds.
Visit www.hellohope.uk
for more information.
Contact: [email protected] to find out more.
