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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