Four Men playing golf at Charity Golf DayNews

Celebrity Charity Golf Day – a favourite fixture

June 8, 2023By

Our annual celebrity charity golf day raises funds for our charity partner Demelza as well as many small, local and impactful causes which the Axis Foundation supports.

Axis Foundation patron, sports pundit and former football manager  Alan Curbishley, kindly lent his name to this event: the Alan Curbishley Classic Charity Golf Day. Launched in 2017 at the prestigious London Golf Club, one of the country’s finest golf venues, the day has become a favourite fixture for our generous guests and supporters.

2023

At our fifth annual golf day, our generous guests raised £26,000. In addition to Axis Foundation Patron Alan Curbishley, celebrities who attended included tv presenter Bradley Walsh, footballers Teddy Sheringham, Scott Minto and Dave Beasant, and many more from the world of sport and entertainment.

Rounding off the 2023 golf day, the Axis Foundation presented a cheque for £138,545 to Demelza.

Full story here

2022

Our fourth annual golf day was a great cause for celebration. Our Foundation marked donating  £2m to 270 small, local and impactful causes in 13 years of giving. On the day, we presented Len Goodman, TV presenter, former Strictly Come Dancing judge and Demelza’s VP, accepted our cheque for £89,000.He said: ‘The Axis Foundation is a fantastic charity. You get Ten from Len!’

Full story here

2019

It its third year, 2019, the Axis Foundation Charity Golf Day raised £34,300. Our host for the day was our patron Alan Curbishley. Amongst the list of other famous attendees were stars from the sporting world, including former footballers Gus Poyet and Tim Sherwood.

On the day, we presented a cheque of £94,500 to Demelza.

The Axis Foundation had plenty to celebrate in 2019; hitting the milestone of a decade of donations to small, impactful and local causes.

Full story of our celebrations here

 

Group photo at Charity GOlf Day 2019
Thank you to everybody who attended and sponsored this year’s event: DM Jones, DMD, Excel, FFT, Gertsky Management, Howells, Martin Arnold, Russell Trew Ltd, Symphony, Your Image, Crystal Electronics Limited, Bauer Asbestos, Proactive Fire Solutions Ltd, PGM maintenance Ltd, DMD Group, Potter Raper, TW Drainage, Carringtons, Bulgaro.

2018

The 2018 Charity Golf Day raised £26,000. Celebrity attendees included famous footballers Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola and England’s hero Sir Trevor Brooking. On this occasion, we presented Demelza with a cheque for £70,000.

Full story here

2017

In 2017, The Axis Foundation held its inaugural Charity Golf Day, raising over £18,000 for Demelza and Sparks Medical Research. Attendees included our patron Alan Curbishley and ex England manager Roy Hodgson, amongst other familiar sporting faces. In 2017, we presented a cheque of £53,724 to Demelza.

The fundraiser’s success created an appetite for the Charity Golf Day to become an annual occasion….

Full story here

 

 

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Demelza

Fundraising and Volunteering for Foundation and Demelza

January 19, 2023By

There really are no limits to what our own Axis People will do to help the Axis Foundation and Demelza!

Everyone who works at Axis cherishes the Foundation and Demelza. We’ve been up (and got down) to many activities, Fundraising and using our Volunteering Days to support both causes close to our hearts. Here are just a few examples!

 

Fundraising for Demelza and the Axis Foundation

  • Ben Ibrahim, Divisional Manager, ran the London Marathon. Ben raised £14,600
  • Our Oldbury Team organised a fiendish Treasure Hunt for Halloween. Their devilish enthusiasm raised £45
  • Kellie Turner, Head of  Community Investment, and Oliver Refson, Head of Sustainability and Quality, abseiled down the ArcelorMittal Orbit in Stratford Olympic Park. Kellie and Ollie raised £1,500
  • With Croydon Council, our team in Croydon hosted an 11-a-side charity football match, raising £640

Volunteering to help our Foundation charities

  • Colin Norwood, Projects Supervisor, Joseph Hayes, Business Development Manager, and Kemeisha Brown, Resident Liaison Officer, all volunteered at Arts for All, a creative charity based in London which runs art therapy sessions for people with special needs.
  • Marketing crew Tim Aslett and Kurt Mussell volunteered at The AHOY Centre which helps disadvantaged children in Deptford learn life skills on the water.
  • HR Intern Grace D’Souza volunteered at Hope in Depression,  supporting individuals managing depression and/or anxiety.

Volunteering to support Demelza

At the Warehouse: RLOs Sarah Cooper, Martine Hales, Adila Gredelj, Donna Tryhall Adila Gredelj, Elma Gredelj, Christina Castle and Ben Nitsch, Electrician, sorted donated items at Demelza’s warehouse in Maidstone, Kent for delivery to Demelza’s charity shops.

And In the Garden: Lorrae Mannering, Commercial Manager,  Katie Hayes, Team Leader, Gary Weaver, Multi-trader, Bradley Emms, Groundworker, Michael Kitts, Multitrader Steve Hogben, Electrician Jake Remon, Apprentice Electrician, Emily Nisbett Commercial Analyst,  Stuart Carlow, Plumber, Thomas Darling, Apprentice Plumber, Ryan Kelly, Plumber, Louie Attaway, Plumber, Anthony Veal, Supervisor, Geoffrey Collins, Multitrader, Michael Kitts, Plasterer, Stephanie Hendry, Administrator and Amelia Randall, Scheduler, all spruced up the gardens at Demelza’s Sittingbourne Hospice.

Two Sittingbourne operatives, Nigel Blackshaw and Dave Day, helped Demelza by collecting Christmas trees in Tunbridge Wells, Bromley, Medway and Swale. Demelza will use the trees for topping up bark pathways, mulching underneath trees and hedges and composting in the grounds of the Sittingbourne Hospice.

Main picture: Francesca Fordham, Rositsa Kormeva, Tanya Edwards, Sarah Cooper and Connor Ritson from Projects volunteered to raise funds at Morrisons in Thamesmead for Demelza.

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Charity Ball

Foundation Charity Ball raises £430,000

December 15, 2022By

Thanks to the generosity of our guests – suppliers, subcontractors and supporters – our 16th Axis Foundation Charity Ball raised £215,000 for our charity partner Demelza and the Axis Foundation.

And this year, our parent company, Axis Europe, match-funded the amount raised at the ball – so a further £430,000 will be available for the small, local and impactful causes the Foundation supports including Demelza. At the heart of our celebrations was the fact that our Foundation has donated £2m in our history of giving. And now we’re planning how to give away the next million! Without the generous support of the following people at our ball, we could not have raised this record-breaking amount!

Here’s the Programme we produced for the night, and find our full photo album here!

A big thank you to our supporters:

 

A to Z Stone Repairs Ltd
A&B Electrical Contractors Ltd
Abdelmalik Hamli
AC Davis Electrical
Adeva Home Improvements Ltd
AkzoNobel
Alandale Group
ASA Scaffolding Ltd
AstonLark
Avanza
Barwin
Baxi
BG Building
BMB Drylining Ltd
Brewers
Britelite Windows Ltd
The Bute Group
Butler & Young Services Ltd
BVL Scaffolding Co Ltd
City Plumbing
CM Electrical Midlands
Crown Paints
David Moss
Decor Repair Services Ltd
Dimetrix Electrical Services
Enigma Security Solutions Ltd
DM Jones
DMD Contracts

Estec Engineering
DMD Installation
DMG Office Ltd
Dynes Motor Group
Example Recruitment Group Ltd
Grant Thornton
Excel Painting Contractors
Exterior Plas
FFT
Five Point Recruitment
Genesis Incorporated
Gertski Wealth Management
Howells
Group 1
Horizon Installation Ltd
Inner City Fabrications
Integral Environmental Solutions Ltd
Kent Supreme Heating
Intex Facades Ltd
J & S Heating
J&D Pallets
LMP Installations
London Drainage Facilities
M&R Building & Landscaping Ltd
Martin Arnold
Masons Scaffolding
Mastacab
Meru Services

Miranda
Moron Services Ltd
Multifleet Vehicle Management
The Pump Practitioners Ltd
Quayside Office Furniture
Peter Varney Associates Ltd
Pioneer Site Services Ltd
Potter Raper
Premier Roofing and Construction
RBC Scaffolding
Resideo Honeywell Home
Rich Demolition
Roofmasters Watford Ltd
Russell Trew
Geoff Shreeves
SLK
Stuart Fenn Property Services Ltd
Travis Perkins
Symphony Windows Ltd
Thermoserv Ltd
TW Drainage
UK Roofing Specialist Ltd Ultimate Services
Ultimate Access Solutions
Universal Roofing Ltd
VH Electrical (UK) Ltd
Vinyl Creations Ltd
Vivbuild Ltd
Vodafone
Warrens Roofing
Your Image

 

To our Entertainers and Auctioneer

  • Charles Hanson – Auctioneer
  • Kevin Reynolds – Manager of Soul Connection, pianist Alex Bennett and singer Roy Hamilton
  • Steve Sutherland – our MC

To those who sponsored the evening

  • Masons Scaffolding who generously sponsored our band Soul Connection
  • London Drainage who generously sponsored our champagne reception
  • Example Recruitment Group Ltd who generously sponsored our pianist Alex Bennett
  • BG Building who generously sponsored our singer Roy Hamilton
  • Five Point Recruitment who generously sponsored our photographer Amit Champaneria

To our Patron Alan Curbishley and all the Trustees of the Axis Foundation

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Demelza

Climbing Kilimanjaro for Demelza

November 4, 2022By

Axis’ Walter Shave recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro raising a fantastic £2,500 for Demelza and First Halesworth Scout Group.

The two-week expedition, which was completely self-funded by the team, took just over two weeks to complete and created memories to last a lifetime.

Located in Tanzania, Mount Kilimanjaro is the African continent’s highest peak at 5895m (19,340ft) and is the highest free-standing mountain above sea level worldwide.

The team started off by climbing up two smaller peaks nearby to acclimatise to the altitudes. And then it was time for the main event! The climb up Mt Kilimanjaro started after additional training in the rainforest.  Every day Wally and his team climbed a total of 1000m which is the equivalent of Mount Snowdon!

On the summit day, they woke up at 1am to reach the top just in time for sunrise. Wally reports: “We noticed that we were struggling a lot to physically move due to the lack of oxygen at that altitude, our average speed was 1.2km per hour! It was hard to believe that our oxygen levels went down to an astonishing 70%. When you are at sea level, if your oxygen levels go down to 92% you need to be rushed to A&E! The last 250m we walked through glaciers to reach the summit which were incredible: planes were flying below us! Once we reached the summit it was a feeling of such achievement and joy surrounded by amazing views and a beautiful sunrise, we will cherish that moment for our lifetime!”

For his scout group, First Halesworth Scout Group, the money raised will help fund an annual scout trip to Scotland or Switzerland for less fortunate members. For Demelza, the money will help to ensure every child and young person who has a serious or terminal condition receives the care and attention they need to live the most fulfilling life they can.

“Young people are our future! If I can make a small but meaningful contribution to both these fantastic organisations by giving up some of my time and sweat, then it’s a win win all round.”

Read more about our precious partnership with Demelza here.

And there’s more about how we helped First Halesworth Scouts here

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Demelza

Axis team raises £10,600 for Demelza

October 20, 2022By

Our Axis team raised £10,600 for our charity partner Demelza Hospice Care for Children on a sponsored cycle ride.

Axis’ Lee Covington, Lee Pearce, Leslie Crabbe, Jake Thomas, and Elliot Pillin cycled from London to Paris in 24 hours to raise funds for our charity partner.

The Axis team, who work in the Projects Division, cycled a total of 180 miles, starting at Trafalgar Square in London, then heading for Newhaven and over to Dieppe, and finishing at the Eiffel Tower.

They smashed their target of £10,000, raising £10,600 all of which will be donated to our charity partner, Demelza via the Axis Foundation.

Our generous subcontractors sponsored the ride and their logos were proudly emblazoned on our cyclists specially-commissioned kit. With special thanks to…

  • Adeva Home Improvements Ltd
  • A-Z Stone Repairs Ltd
  • Britelite Windows Limited
  • E&C Construction Ltd
  • Exterior Plas Ltd
  • Genesis Incorporated Ltd
  • Granville Noise Insulators Limited
  • Heron Joinery
  • Masons Scaffolding
  • Rich Demolition Limited
  • Russell Trew
  • Symphony Windows
  • Ultimate Access Solutions LTD
  • VH Electrical (UK) Ltd

… and a big thank you to everyone else who supported our team and helped Demelza too.

You can still support them here 

Here’s what the team had to say:

“Since having my young son Ellis, it has made it more apparent what a great job Demelza do… this bike ride was a good way to raise money to help support the charity in the fantastic work they carry out”-  Lee Covington

“The ride was full of emotions what kept me going was Axis team and the help we were giving to Demelza” – Leslie Crabbe

“It was an experience that I will never forget, although it was hard it was worthwhile for the money that was raised to support the Axis Foundation and the fantastic causes” – Lee Pearce

“It was the best and hardest experience of my life so far; it was only possible with the great team of people around me at Axis!” – Jake Thomas

“Our joint effort raised a substantial amount of money, which will hopefully go a long way to help those less fortunate” – Elliott Pillin

There’s more about our precious partnership with Demelza here

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News

£2m Donated!

July 11, 2022By

In July 2022 we reached an extraordinary landmark. Our donations hit the £2m mark. That’s £2m donated to 270 small, local and impactful causes in 13 years of giving.

“The £2m moment” – our cheque to Demelza for £89,000 took us over the £2m mark!

We presented the cheque to Demelza’s patron, media presenter and Strictly judge, Len Goodman, at our 4th Axis Foundation Charity Golf Day.

Accepting the cheque for our charity partner Demelza, Len said: ‘The Axis Foundation is a fantastic charity. You get Ten from Len!’

Our host at the Foundation Celebrity Golf Day was our own Axis Foundation Patron, sports pundit and former football manager Alan Curbishley. Our guests included our generous suppliers, clients and subcontractors. Former football stars Teddy Sheringham, ex-England, Spurs and Manchester United player, and Scott Minto, former Charlton Athletic, Chelsea and West Ham star and football pundit who is also a long-term supporter of Demelza Hospice, were among the golfers who took part in the celebrity 4-ball challenge.

Lavinia Jarrett, Chief Executive at Demelza, said: “A huge thank you to the team at the Axis Foundation for their on-going support. Over the years, they have taken part in sky dives, abseils, running challenges, have hosted balls and golf days, as well as volunteering at our hospices – they are an incredible group of people and their support means so much to the families we work with.”

Peter Varney, our Chairman of our Trustees added: ““The Trustees of the Axis Foundation and I were delighted to present our cheque for £89,000 to our friend and partner Demelza, particularly as this donation was a special landmark for us, taking our total donations to £2m.”

13 years of giving

Our 13-year history of donating has helped people with disability, disease and life-limiting illnesses; those who are experiencing poverty, depression, deprivation and addiction; the lonely and the disadvantaged; parents, carers, the elderly, babies and the very young. Each one of these donations is intended to create a positive lasting difference: a hand up, rather than a hand out.

Help us make another million in donations by applying to the Foundation here

Special thanks to all our supporters – suppliers, subcontractors and clients as well as our own Axis people: your generosity helped the Foundation reach this amazing £2m milestone.

Left to right in our photo: Peter Varney, Chairman, Axis Foundation; Len Goodman, Demelza Patron; Alan Curbishley, Axis Foundation Patron

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Charity Ball

2021 Charity Ball raises £340,000

January 10, 2022By

Our 15th Axis Foundation Charity Ball raised £170,000 thanks to the generosity of our guests – our suppliers, subcontractors and supporters.

Axis Europe, parent company of the Axis Foundation, then match funded what was raised on the night to make a grand total of £340,000.

This money will go to fund and facilitate the small, local and impactful causes that the Foundation supports, including over £70,000 to our charity partner Demelza Hospice.

As our Foundation Chairman Peter Varney says: “I can’t thank you all enough for your support. It is no exaggeration to say you have changed the lives of many vulnerable people and communities for the better.”

The Axis Foundation’s 2020 Charity Ball had to be cancelled due to Covid-19. So this 2021’s record-breaking sum has even greater significance for the small local charities the Foundation support who were hit hard by the Pandemic.

The money raised at our 15th ball in December 2021 bring the total sums raised by all Axis’ charity balls to £1,190,000.

 

A very big thank you to everyone who made this happen including:

Our guests and everyone who attended and supported our 15th Charity Ball: A-Z Stone Repairs, AkzoNobel, BJL Electrical and Property Services, Brewers,Bute Group, Bulgaro, Cablesheer,Camview Security, City Plumbing,Clear Line, D & M Plumbing, DMD Installation, DMD Contractors, DMJ, Dynes Motor Group, ENVA, ESTEC Engineering, Example Recruitment, Excel Painting Contractors, Exterior Plas, FFT, Fleet Auction Group, Gertski Wealth Management, Horizon Installation, Howells  Solutions, ICD Solutions,Inner City Fabrications, Integral Environmental Solutions, J & D Pallets, J&S Maintenance, LMP Installations, M & R, Mark Building Maintenance, Marsh, Miranda Double Glazing, Masons Scaffolding, Moorepay, Pioneer Site Services, PSTG Fire Protection, Quay Office Group, Rich Demolition, ROCC, Rose Construction, Russell Trew, Sei Contractor, SLK, Symphony Windows, Thermoserv, TOR Coating, Thomas Mansfield, Employment Law Solicitors, TW Drainage, Ultimate Access Solutions, Ultimate Construction Group, VH Electrical, Virtus Energy, Your Image

All who kindly sponsored our evening: Alandale Plant & Scaffolding and Example Recruitment (our entertainment), Miranda Double Glazing (our violinist Rachel Somerset), Jaw Roofing (our drinks reception)

Those who generously donated to our auction and raffle: AkzoNobel, Alan Curbishley, BG Building, Butler & Young Associates, CMS, Crown Paints, David Moss, Emitwise, Galway Hynes Ltd, John Hayes Axis CEO, Joe Ibrahim Axis MD, Intex Facades, J&S Heating, JLJ Decor, Let It Flow, Parish Print, Pump Practitioners, Stuart Fenn Property Services Ltd,  Geoff Shreeves – Sky TV, Thomas and Thomas

And to those who once again kindly gave their time: Charles Hanson – Auctioneer, Kevin Reynolds – Manager of Soul Connection and Glenn Macnamara, Steve Sutherland – our fantastic MC for the night!

Read here how we scooped the Corporate Foundation category of the Business Charity Awards

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Coronavirus responseNews

Axis Foundation Coronavirus Response

April 7, 2020By

The Coronavirus is having a devastating impact on our community, as well as on the charities and causes who support some of the most vulnerable people in our community.

The Axis Foundation’s Trustees would like to reassure our charity partners and those seeking funding that we remain open for new applications and are committed to supporting our communities and the people worst affected by Covid-19.

To ensure this is possible and that the funds we have available are used effectively, to provide maximum long-lasting impact, we are making some temporary changes to our application, review and funding process:

Urgent Funding Applications – Coronavirus Relief

We would like to help the most vulnerable in our community through this time. So we will be prioritising funding applications that can make a long-lasting positive impact in relation to Coronavirus relief efforts.

You can continue to make any funding application, but we will only be dealing with those deemed immediately impactful in relation to Coronavirus relief efforts within our community.

Please note: We only support small, local charities and causes providing impactful front-line community services.

Applications Received (Prior to 31.03.20)

Our Trustees met on the 31.03.20 and reviewed the applications received prior to this date. The applications that met our criteria and that were selected for support will have the funding deferred until further notice – if they do not provide immediate and impactful benefit in relation to Coronavirus relief.

At a future date (to be agreed) these successful application will be re-reviewed to ensure that the charity or cause is still operating and the project or activity is still viable.

Non-Urgent Applications (Received Post March 2020)

All new non-urgent applications will be deferred until after the impacts of Coronavirus have been addressed. All applications received relating to non-urgent activity, will be kept and reviewed at a later date.

Funding Already Granted

Where the Axis Foundation has already provided funding: If you plan to adapt the original purpose or use of this funding due to the impact of Coronavirus or redirect it to relief efforts, please contact the Foundation prior to committing the money.

Coronavirus response

We hope you understand our response to the situation we are all facing and we look forward to being able to reinstate our usual application processes as soon as we can.

Applications

If you would like to apply on the above basis, please click here to access our application form

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dinner table with red napkins, charity ball programme and Christmas CrackersCharity Ball

Record-breaking Axis Foundation Charity Ball 2019

December 13, 2019By

As the culmination to our 10th birthday year of celebrations, our 14th charity ball raised a record-breaking £150,000. This brings the total sums raised by all Axis’ charity balls to £850,000.

In 2019 the Foundation celebrated a Decade of Donations. It has granted over £1.4m to 200+ small, local and impactful causes. As Peter Varney, Chairman of the Trustees of the Axis Foundation said on the night of the ball:

None of us involved could ever have imagined how much the Axis Foundation would develop into the charity it is today and we are immensely proud of the work it now does. So thank you again to all of you who are here tonight for your support and your donations.  And, here’s to the next ten years of giving!

The money raised on the night was donated to our long-term charity partner Demelza Hospice for Children as well as our guest charity of the night, The Oliver Fisher Trust. Both these charities are devoted to helping babies, children and their families at times of unbearable sadness and when precious, short lives are drawing to an end.

The Foundation sees this record-breaking charity ball as a remarkable and fitting close to our 10th birthday year and thanks all our generous guests and supporters for helping us help our chosen charities.

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Axis Foundation Logo and Silver ten trophy on tableNews

10th Birthday celebrations mark a Decade of Donations

December 13, 2019By

This year, 2019, the Axis Foundation is 10 years old.

At the beginning of 2019

We launched our birthday year with Generous January. The Foundation invited Axis people to nominate local causes and individuals who might need a helping hand in the New Year.

Birthday celebrations

To mark our Decade of Donations the Axis Foundation hosted a party at Painter-Stainers Hall in London (recently refurbished by our award-winning Projects Division). Guests included our clients as well as friends from the many small, local and impactful causes the Foundation has supported.

Celebrity Golf Day’s a Winner

Our annual Golf Day – named for our, sports pundit and tv personality Patron Alan Curbishley – raised a record amount in our birthday year.

And the close of play

A fitting end to our celebratory year, our 2019 Axis Foundation Charity Ball raised a record-breaking £150,000 for our charities for the night. These were the Oliver Fisher Special Care Baby Trust and our partner Demelza Hospice Care for Children.

The numbers

Since the Foundation was born, it has donated over £1.4m to 200 small, local and impactful causes in the communities where we work. We like to call it our Decade of Donations!

Our work

The Foundation has:

  • provided care and love as well as vital equipment and improved facilities for those with life-limiting illnesses
  • funded medical research into children’s illnesses
  • supported anti-knife crime and youth safety initiatives
  • reached out the hand of friendship to those who are isolated, with practical donations like adapted minibuses and cars
  • helped the vulnerable meet, socialise and engage in activities as well as receive appropriate care.
  • given a voice for those hard-to-reach elements of our community who sometimes remain unheard.
Axis people

Funds for the Foundation come from a corporate donation as well as money raised by our charity ball and golf days and by the indefatigable people of Axis.Their work is acknowledged this year with the inaugural Axis Fundraising Heroes Awards.

Our partner

The Foundation’s charity partner is Demelza Hospice Care for Children. The hospice provides end of life care to children and babies and crucial support to their families. Axis has partnered Demelza for over 15 years (before the Foundation was born) and helped set up their new hospice facilities in East London. In 2019 Demelza awarded Axis their Gold Outstanding Corporate Supporter award at the Demelza Business Awards 2019.

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