Smiling residents of Bentilee VolunteersCommunity

Bentilee Volunteers

October 12, 2017By

Social club for adults with learning disabilities

Bentilee Volunteers is a charity which provides social activities and volunteering to children, the elderly and disadvantaged people within the local community.

£2,500 from the Axis Foundation will go towards their Rainbow Club, a social club for adults with learning disabilities, which provides a safe social haven for members to make new friends and take part in creative and interactive activities like drama, music, crafts and dancing, as well as parties and games. In addition, their theatre trips and excursions take members to exciting and stimulating places.

“Bentilee Volunteers were thrilled to receive a donation from the Axis Foundation. The funding will help our Rainbow Project to continue and grow, supporting the good work of our committed staff and volunteers. Above all, it will ensure that this much needed club remains available to local vulnerable people” – Gill McGovern, Funding Development Worker

More About Bentilee Volunteers

Bentilee Volunteers consult with the residents of Bentilee, encouraging them to identify and address the needs of their local area. As a result, they have set up a range of initiatives, helping to raise the quality of life for vulnerable people within the community.  Projects include:

  • The Furniture Shed and Charity Shop (donations and re-sales
  • Youthlink (a club for young people between the ages of 11 and 19)
  • Senior Clubs (luncheon clubs with transport, activities and outings for older members of the community)
  • The Community IT Suite (offering computer training and assistance into employment, training and volunteering opportunities)

 

 

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Group of gardeners at HeadwayCommunity

Headway SELNWK

September 12, 2017By

Helping people with brain injuries

The Axis Foundation donated £350 to Headway SELNWK ,a charitable organisation providing support and services to individuals, family members and carers affected by an acquired brain injury.

To support the therapeutic gardening programme, our donation bought a polytunnel, seeds, compost and garden tools so that members can grow their own fruit and vegetables and also create an outdoor space.

“Being out in the fresh air and gardening helps people to get more energised and the members are all very keen to show people around. It’s been a lovely contribution; it’s just made everything easier so having that contribution is very much appreciated. Your money is going a long way to Headway’s work helping people with brain injuries” – Andy Hirons, Fundraising and Development Co-ordinator

More about Headway SELNWK

Affiliated to Headway UK the brain injury association, the National charity that works to improve life after brain injury, Headway SELNWK is a charitable organisation providing support and services to individuals, family members and carers affected by an acquired brain injury across Bexley, Greenwich, Lewisham, Lambeth, Southwark, Bromley, Dartford and Gravesend. The organisation offers a person-centred service that understands the complexities and problems that may arise after injury particularly with emotions, cognition, memory, communication and behaviour.

Social rehabilitation centres are based in Greenwich and Deptford and provide a friendly, positive and safe environment for all who attend and their Community Support Programme provides choice and a mix of service provision. Headway SELNWK also works in partnership with Kings College Hospital to provide an Early Intervention Project.

More here

 

 

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Child having a horse riding lesson at Vauxhall City farm.Community

Vauxhall City Farm

November 6, 2016By

Horse riding therapy at urban city farm helps disabled and disadvantaged children

Vauxhall City Farm started out in 1977 with local people working voluntarily to transform derelict land into an oasis of country life in the heart of London. Their Horse Riding Therapy Centre has been helping the Vauxhall community since opening in 2002.

The Axis Foundation has been supporting Vauxhall City Farm for many years. We have donated a total of £25,000  to the charity through five separate donations since our first donation in 2006. In addition, Axis people actively volunteered at the farm as it was close to our then Head Quarters.

 “Vauxhall City Farm Riding Therapy Centre has had a very successful year since receipt of payment of the grant from the Axis Foundation. We aim to continue to provide the current number of lessons to disabled and disadvantaged children and sustain the much-valued work for the benefit of local young people. We cannot thank you enough” –  Riding Centre Manager, Linda Hinds 

More About Vauxhall City Farm

Vauxhall City Farm’s horse riding project targets disabled and disadvantaged children in inner-city areas who would not normally have the opportunity to horse ride. In one year the centre provided 1,283 riding lessons to young people and 1,878 riding for the disabled lessons. Their feedback has shown that the horse riding therapy project offers a substantial amount of beneficial factors including increased confidence, relationship building and achieving individual goals, Horse riding and can also act as a form of physiotherapy.

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Children see Santa at West Durrington Phoenix GroupCommunity

West Durrington Phoenix Group

July 8, 2016By

Helping local support group with Christmas donation

Based in Durrington, Worthing, the Phoenix Group is a support hub for the local community. Across a number of years, the local support group has opened its doors to a number of different groups to further support the community.

The Axis Foundation has made a Christmas donation of £5,000 to the group to fund their annual Christmas lunch. 194 children were present at the event and 29 adults came to support some of them. The group supports children who come from families experiencing financial and emotional strain. All of the children were identified through local schools, housing associations and family centres. Before we awarded the donation, the group were organising the party on limited funds which meant there would be no disco, face painter and no entertainer for the children to enjoy. This donation allowed them to provide a party that was much more fun and included special presents for every child.

The children were treated to a delicious Christmas Dinner and enjoyed entertainment from a magician and a balloon artist. In addition, the Axis Foundation’s donation provided a photo booth, where children (and adults) dressed in silly costumes and captured special memories.

“I was over the moon when I was told we were going to be given the money, you can’t imagine the difference it has made. My objective for this party was to make lasting positive memories for our family and this money has allows us to do that. Thank you,” Linda Lewis, Group Representative.

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Man holding donation cheque for Singing groupCommunity

Advocacy in Greenwich

February 4, 2016By

Axis Foundation funds music therapy for adults with learning disabilities.

Advocacy in Greenwich is a support group for people with learning disabilities in the London Borough of Greenwich. Their Sing & Smile Group enables adults with learning disabilities to share their love of music with each other in a friendly and inclusive environment. During their weekly sessions, overseen by a support worker, members choose songs to perform together. Sometimes, people perform solos when they are feeling brave enough.

The Axis Foundation donated £900 to the Sing & Smile Group, helping to cover their running costs.

Sing & Smile was set up by Advocacy in Greenwich in 2014 in response to a nearby community music group shutting down. It is important to its members because it provides with them with a creative outlet, a way of making friends and it feeds their love of singing and performing.

“Thank you very much for the £900 you sent us for our singing group. We are very pleased you chose to give us some money and we are over the moon that the group can carry on. We really enjoy getting together each week and singing makes us feel happy.” Ian Harvey, member of Sing & Smile

Advocacy in Greenwich’s wider mission as a charity is to encourage people with learning disabilities to be heard and included within the community. As a result, they offer far more than just music therapy for adults with learning disabilities. They also provide youth workshops, Training & Consultancy, BME projects and support for parents with a learning disability.

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Homeless man being served food in The Passage homeless kitchen.Community

The Passage

July 28, 2014By

Help for the homeless in Westminster

The Passage is a day-care centre that operates for the homeless, providing food and shelter, as well as two hostels for vulnerable rough sleepers at night. The centre is used by up to 200 people a day for both men and women, offering basic care, advice, health care re- homing help, education, training and hostel accommodation.

Westminster has the highest concentration of homeless rough sleepers in the country. There is a pressing need to both provide care for them with basic services and to support them to rebuild their lives. The Passage strives to achieve this by helping them access benefits they may be entitled to and by offering educational support so that they can find accommodation and maybe a way of income.

The Axis Foundation has aided The Passage in continuing their support for people in the Westminster area by donating £5,000. This donation will look to furnish the bedrooms in their main hostel and help fund new bedding, towels, table lamps, clock radios and cleaning kits so residents have a clean atmosphere and a pleasant feel to the place.

Over the years a number of Axis people have used their 1 volunteering day a year to volunteer at the passage to help out the homeless in the areas we work.  We have also donated painting equipment with staff volunteering their time to refurbish rooms and several corridors at the Passage Homeless Shelter.

In one year it took £3.9m to run their 48 bed shelter, the day centre and provide support including; mental health care, alcohol and drug rehabilitation, shelter for older homeless people, education and training for employment.

Axis recognised the importance of the Passage’s work and shares the centre’s ethos of providing a hand up rather than a hand out, something Axis employs within the social housing communities in which they work.

 

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Children playing at Myddleton Grange youth project.Community

Myddleton Grange Residents Association

February 8, 2011By

Community youth project reduces anti-social behaviour

Myddleton Grange Residents community youth project  aims to reduce anti-social behaviours in young people and also to project young residents from gang-related attacks. They want to offer a safe and friendly environment for teenagers to learn important life skills.

The Axis Foundation answered the association’s plea to help make their estate a safer environment for all – by donating an initial £1,000 to cover thirty-two hours of a qualified youth worker’s time.

The donation to the Myddleton Grange Youth Project will contribute to a variety of activities for children aged 10-19, through 2 three hour weekly sessions, as well as weekend residential adventure schemes for older children.

Around 35 children use the youth project, half of whom are under 15, and while they are occupied the entire estate of around 400 households feel the benefit.
The donation from the Axis Foundation will allow for a wider scope of activities and greater capacity to engage with more youngsters, by funding trained workers to lead art/craft, dance, sport, drama and music classes. As well as the Youth club, this local community association also provides residents with a baby & toddler group, social events, organising training in areas such as First Aid, Safeguarding and Food Hygiene.

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