Helping children and families affected by Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
The Axis Foundation donated £1,200 to help Little Heroes develop their monthly girls club sessions for parents and children. The charity helps families and children affected by ASD.
“This is fantastic news – thank you so much. The funds will really help to be able to make something more meaningful and help the children benefit to the full potential” – Kim Drake, Co-Founder
More about Little Heroes ASD Support Group
Official diagnosis of ASD can take a long time (sometime up to three years). Based in Southend on Sea, Essex, Little Heroes supports families when they need it most: as soon as they discover their child’s needs. They provide support, information, opportunities for respite, social activities and networking opportunities. They also hold weekly drop-in sessions and also organise social activities in the school holidays.
Mindful Peak helps young carers to improve their physical and mental wellbeing through boxing and mindfulness. The charity has recently developed BAM! which fuses non-contact boxing training with mindfulness through one-to-one sessions, video and a specially developed App. They developed BAM! with help from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Barnardo’s.
The Axis Foundation donated £1,250 towards film videoing and editing as well as skipping ropes for boxing training.
“I’m delighted that the Axis Foundation saw the value in this project that supports a group of young carers who need this support now more than ever. Thank you and we look forward to delivering this project and sharing the impact” – Luke Doherty, Founder and MD
Helping Young Carers
Young carers face extra responsibilities at home often leaving them feeling lonely or as though no one else understands. They can feel isolated and often miss out-of-school activities or meet-ups with friends. And they often become anxious about the person they care for when they’re away from them. Mindful Peak helps young carers become better able to respond to the specific challenges they face.
More About Mindful Peak
Working in the London Boroughs of Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and Newham Mindful Peak is a not-for-profit enterprise dedicated to sharing a mindfulness-based approach to performance.
Luke Doherty founded Mindful Peak in 2019. Luke played Rugby for England. He gained a postgraduate degree in Law and Community Leadership and then trained as a mindfulness instructor.
In addition to supporting disadvantaged young people, Mindful Peak teaches mindfulness to elite athletes.They have worked with Saracens and Harlequins rugby clubs, Brentford football club, the GB Skateboarding and British Weightlifting teams among others.
Providing recreation and music for people on the autistic spectrum
Perkisound is a recreation centre which is particularly suitable for people on the autistic spectrum. Their outstanding music garden features bright and colourful tubular bells, cowbells, conga drums and a giant marimba.
The Axis Foundation donated £3,000 to help purchase a Duo Metallophone for the musical garden. A metallophone is like a xylophone, but with metal bars instead of wood. Up to four people can play and enjoy playing the Duo. Since its installation in March 2022 the Duo has become one of Perkisound’s most popular pieces.
“We are so grateful for this donation from the Axis Foundation. The Duo Metallophone is a stunning piece and has really completed the outdoor music area. We believe this is now the best outdoor music garden in the UK. Families and specialised settings really benefit from outdoor activities within this safe environment and we look forward to welcoming 1000s of visitors over the year, enjoying exclusive use of the site, improving skills and enjoying safe recreation time” – Susie Perkins, Co Founder
Second donation
In 2023, the Trustees of the Axis Foundation agreed to a further donation to Perkisound. Our new award of £3,000 will provide handmade interior woodwork (planters, benches and tables) for The Butterfly Barn at Perkisound.
The Butterfly Barn is a new polytunnel, and, featuring nany colourful flowers and plants, will be home to many butterflies.and will provide a sensorily stimulating, educational and therapeutic experience for visitors to Perkisound. It is scheduled to open in 2024. The Butterfly has been selected as a symbol by some autism organisations as It inspires thoughts of change from chrysalis to butterfly, and represents the beauty of diversity and continued development.
More About Perkisound
Tim and Susie Perkins founded Perkisound in 2017. They are both professional musicians and teachers. And they were inspired to start up the centre by their autistic son who is now a teenager who plays piano every day.
Situated in a semi-rural 2.5 acre site, close to Birmingham, Coventry and Nuneaton, Perkisound aims to promote general health and wellbeing, improve choice of leisure activity, reduce stress and loneliness and increase social networking for carers and families with additional needs. It currently supports 2,800 people. Their only requirement is that one member of the family or group booking a session here has additional needs.
Helping disabled people access the many benefits of cycling.
The charity enhances disabled people’s lives by ensuring that disabled people and their families and carers can access the physical, emotional, practical and social benefits of cycling.
The Axis Foundation has donated £2,952 to help Limited Edition Cycling Club purchase a second container to store their bikes and equipment. The new container will additionally help the charity expand their range of bikes. And so they can offer more sessions to another 50+ riders.
“The container has made all the difference to our club. It means that we can store the bikes safely and not damage them by having to pile them on top of each other. We have received funding for new trikes and bikes but were not able to buy them as the single container we were using was filled to capacity. Now we can add to our range of bikes and so offer a wider choice to our members. We can increase our membership as well as adding more enjoyment for everyone.
“This second container has also made a huge difference to the volunteers. It is easier and safer to unpack the bikes at the beginning of the session and then store them at the end. I truly believe that we may have lost volunteers if the loading and unloading had not become easier.
“So, having happy volunteers means the club will continue and we will be able to support a group of cyclists and their families that we all feel really committed to. It has made more of a difference that you can possibly imagine” – Nicky Jarrett, Co-ordinator
More about Limited Edition Cycling Club
Limited Edition Cycling Club runs a pool of specially adapted bikes, including recumbents, trikes, handcycles, wheelchair bikes and more so that disabled people can enjoy the joys of riding a bike. They also offer standard two-wheelers so members and their families and carers can enjoy riding together. Trained cycling coaches and volunteers support all riders.
Members enjoy safe riding sessions in a traffic-free environment at Sutcliffe Park, SE9 where there are also disabled toilets and a cafeteria. The charity is based in Eltham in south east London. More here
Helping sufferers manage depression – and teaching them and their carers to understand more about depression too.
‘Providing HOPE to people who believe there is none’, this Ascot-based charity runs six-week courses available to everyone in Berkshire.
The Axis Foundation donated £3,700 towards the production of 500 coursebooks which support these courses.
‘We are thrilled to receive this funding and to know a batch of 500 course books are paid for. We are globally in a mental health crisis, and this can feel like an insurmountable problem but we know there is HOPE and we have a solution that works. The Hope in Depression course saves lives.
“We all need to learn how to get the best from our mental health and to learn that life is to enjoy not endure. Our outstanding speaker films instigate conversation, provide empowering solutions, highlight choice. Discussion creates community, which in turn normalises what each person is going through. And so HOPE grows” – Lisa Owens, CEO and Founder
More about the course
The six-week Hope in Depression course covers brain chemistry; nutrition, physical activity, goal setting and mindfulness. And there are talks from experts plus the support of a psychiatrist, GP, therapist, nutritionist, mindfulness instructor and a fitness instructor. The coursebook to which we are contributing provides all the information from the six-week course. And so it provides a reference guide during the course and support for after the course has finished. It has helpful hints and tips as well as signposting support organisations
More about Hope in Depression
Lisa Owens founded Hope in Depression in 2013. She says: “I was so relieved to experience life after depression that I thought my suffering, my battle and my recovery could have a purpose. I wanted to share a message I didn’t believe for a long time: you can get better.”
More here
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!
Our donation provides a wet room – plus privacy, dignity, independence and better quality of life for Brenda
As a consequence of Brenda’s major health issues, she is unable to bathe without assistance. Lifting her legs into the bath causes her too much pain. But thanks to the Foundation’s donation of £6,280, Brenda now has a wet room which will give her the privacy and independence she needs.
“I would like to thank everyone who was involved at Axis that has made this happen. You have made one very happy woman. This has meant so much to me and I appreciate all the hard work that has gone into making my wet room just so I can have a bit of dignity and independence brought back into my life. I would just like to thank Mark, Anthony and Matt for all of their hard work in making my wet room a reality. They have worked so hard to make my life so much easier. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart” – Brenda
Brenda’s Story
Two months following Brenda’s 50th Birthday in 2011 she fell ill with flu-like symptoms. Within a month she was unable to walk without the aid of a walking stick. Soon she had to use a walking frame, and her mobility continued to deteriorate so she was unable to leave the house alone or without the aid of a wheelchair/electric scooter. She couldn’t continue at her job in a pharmaceutical factory because walking aids are not allowed on the factory floor.
Brenda has been through years of rigorous tests. But sadly her condition continues to deteriorate with no official diagnosis. She now has limited movement in her body and is constantly in pain, taking multiple medications.
There is very little anyone can do to make Brenda’s condition any better at the moment. Bbut there are ways of improving her quality of life dramatically. We all take jumping in the shower for granted. But for Brenda, installing a new wet room, thanks to the Foundation, has given her some independence and most importantly restored her dignity and given her a better quality of life generally too.
Lorrae Mannering, Commercial Manager here at Axis, asked the Axis Foundation to help her aunt Brenda and we were delighted to support her application.
Helping vulnerable young people gain vital lifelong life skills through outdoor adventure
Our three annual donations to Youth Adventure Trust help vulnerable young people gain resilience, confidence and new skills that will last a lifetime – all through outdoor adventure.
“We are so grateful for the support of the Axis Foundation and your help in enabling vulnerable young people from Salisbury to flourish. The young people on our programme need our support more than ever – we simply couldn’t provide our life changing programme without donations from our generous supporters like the Axis Foundation. Thank you!” – Louise Balaam, Director of Fundraising
Year 1
In 2022, our first donation, of £3,791 to Youth Adventure Trust enabled six Year 7 pupils from Salisbury to join Youth Adventure Trust’s programme for a year. During this time the young people attended residential camps and activity days which use outdoor adventure as a platform for development.
Year 2
Our Trustees then donated a further grant of £4,950 to fund the six pupils for their second year: they attended Coastal Camp and Forest Camp, stretching their comfort zone with activities such as paddle boarding, kayaking, climbing and sleeping out on the forest floor. By challenging themselves in a supportive environment, they learn that they are capable of more than they thought!
Year 3
And then we donated £2,030 to fund these same pupils, now in Year 3! The final year of the programme is four Pathway Days: ‘Look Back Day’, ‘Give Back Day’, ‘Looking Ahead Day’, and ‘Celebration’. At graduation they receive their Pathway Packs including ASDAN certification. We wish them all well in their final year.
Award Winners
We were delighted to hear that Youth Adventure Trust was honoured with The Pride of Wiltshire Award in March 2023: county publication Wiltshire Life presents this award to organisations which have made a significant contribution to the county and will continue to be an asset for many years to come. Well done!
More About Youth Adventure Trust
Youth Adventure Trust helps up to 360 young people gain lifelong life skills a year. The programme is completely free of charge to the young people, their families and referral agencies.
Mobility for MS Sufferers – and their carers too – at MS Therapy Centre
Our donation of £3,173 helped MS Therapy Centre (NW) purchase a new Raizer II Chair. The Raizer II emergency lifting chair helps fallen people get back on their feet with ease. And, as it only needs one person to work it, the specialist chair helps the carers at the Centre too.
“People like you at the Axis Foundation mean we can provide the best for all our members and give them peace of mind. If someone should fall in our centre we have the equipment to safely get them up. Thank you Axis Foundation for the donation. It means the world to all of us here at the MS Therapy Centre (NW)” – Sean Halsall Fundraiser
More about our donation
Lockdowns as a result of the Pandemic mean that MS Therapy Centre members have not been active for the past 12 months. Some have become physically unstable. Our donation will provide immediate and long term support to members particularly after a fall – and carers too.
More about the MS Therapy Centre
Established in 2004, the MS Therapy Centre (NW) provides a wide range of therapies and services in a caring and supporting environment to enrich the lives of their 400 members and to limit the effects of MS on sufferers.
Helping disabled people enjoy benefits of Wheelchair Rugby
Our donation of £8,250 to London Wheelchair Rugby Club helps disabled people enjoy the benefits of wheelchair rugby. Through the sport, they gain motivation and self-belief, and realise they can achieve great successes. And that’s despite the odds.
‘’We are extremely grateful to The Axis Foundation for their support. This will enable us to purchase new wheelchair spares and tyres. We are delighted! A huge thank you from all the LWRC team.
“Our recent success at the Tokyo Paralympics demonstrates how vital our training sessions are, not just for our players who are an inspiration to all, but for the social element training sessions deliver. Training plays a vital part in our players’ lives. The physical and mental benefits cannot be overstated” – Steve Palmer, Chairman
More about our donations
The Axis Foundation donated £2,000 to LWRC in 2019 to help purchase training equipment and and put towards tournament fees. In 2021, the club asked for a further donation of £8,250 to help pay for wheelchair spare wheels and tyres. We were pleased to lend our support to their own fundraising once more.
More about London Wheelchair Rugby Club
Formed in 1989, LWRC has grown from very small beginnings. Members run the club – for members. Most of the players are on disability allowances only. LWRC aims to pay for their transport and training sessions. LWRC training sessions offer a lifeline to disabled people. They benefit from being part of a team and also from regular training to maintain their fitness levels and rehabilitation. This proved even more vital after months of isolation caused by Lockdowns during the Pandemic.
Find out more about London Wheelchair Rugby Club here
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