What charity did J.K. Rowling establish in 2005 that was later renamed Lumos?

J.K. Rowling established the Children’s High Level Group in 2005, and it was later renamed Lumos.

The organisation was created with politician and paediatrician Emma Nicholson to improve the lives of children separated from their families. Its work focused especially on children living in institutions and on developing family-based or community-based alternatives to institutional care.

The group became known as Lumos in 2010. The name refers to the Latin word for “light” and also echoes the magical world familiar from Rowling’s fiction, although the charity’s work is focused on real-world child welfare. Lumos campaigns internationally against the institutionalisation of children and supports reforms designed to keep children safely within families and communities.

The organisation’s name is sometimes confused with Rowling’s personal charitable giving or with fictional terms from Harry Potter. Lumos is a real charity, while “Lumos” is also the name of a wand-lighting spell in the novels. The charity’s founding history is distinct from the publication of the Harry Potter books.