Disability

Mobility for Little Kit

Accessibility and mobility for little boy in wheelchair

Little Kit was an able child until he suffered a seizure at 18 months. Now age four, he cannot walk, talk or crawl.

The Axis Foundation’s donation of £7,000 creates an accessibility ramp for the family home.

“We’re so grateful, you have no idea what this will do for our family (especially Kit!)” – Katherine, Kit’s mother

More about Kit

Kit was an able child until he was 18 months old in 2021, when he suffered a 2-hour long seizure. This caused significant brain damage and visual impairment. Kit is now four. He cannot walk, talk or crawl and needs constant care and hoisting.

His family have struggled to pay the cost of adapting their home after this devastating event: they plan to build an extension with fully hoisted bedroom, bathroom and storage area.

They needed to build an access path and ramp as part of these adaptations – and also so that Kit can use his motobility vehicle. The Trustees of the Axis Foundation were delighted to help the family.

As his mother Katherine says: “We’re desperate to keep our son at home with us: but without the path we’re not allowed the extension and without the extension he will not be allowed to live with us (in the future).

“We want to give him the best life we can.”

You can support Kit here 

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Disability

Incredible Kids

Providing toys and accessible activities for children with additional needs and disabilities

Bristol-based charity Incredible Kids enables children and young people with additional needs and disabilities to make friends, have fun, and play, increasing their mental wellbeing, and improving their confidence and social skills. Parents set up the charity to support each other and help reduce the social isolation typically felt by 72% of families with a disabled child.*

The Axis Foundation donated £1,000 towards purchasing new ‘bright and engaging’ toys and an accessible activity table for approximately 500 children.

“The funding from the Axis Foundation has already transformed our sessions with a new wheelchair-accessible activity table and a whole host of beautiful new toys and activities for the children at Incredible Kids to enjoy. We are so grateful for the opportunity to add new toys for the families that visit us. Thank you Axis!” – Jennie Prewett, Trustee

More about Incredible Kids

Incredible Kids offers support for the whole family in order to reduce feelings of isolation and increase overall mental wellbeing of disabled children, their siblings, and their parents/carers.

In 2019, 600 families accessed Incredible Kids’ services. Numbers of individuals attending have more than doubled since COVID-19 (from 1000 individual members to 2200).Through their own data collection, in-person interviews, and online surveys Incredible Kids show that after attending their sessions:

  • 83% of parents and carers made friends,
  • 76% of disabled children made friends.
  • 89% of families said they no longer feel isolated.

*The Hidden Isolation Report commissioned by Contact a Family states that “72% of families with a disabled child will experience mental ill health such as anxiety, depression or breakdown due to isolation.”

There’s more about their work here

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Community

Beyond The Wall 

Our donation increases accessibility in community gardens

Beyond The Wall is a two-acre walled garden in Suffolk for people with additional needs ranging from physical or learning disabilities to mental health conditions or low self-esteem.

The Axis Foundation donated £5,000 to help Beyond the Wall to enable the charity to grow and develop their kitchen garden, providing accessible paths, raised beds and a communal sun shade area.

“The clients and staff at Beyond The Wall are absolutely thrilled to have received a grant from the Axis Foundation. The grant will help us achieve so much in the coming months, which will benefit all of our current clients as well as future proof the garden for future clients. Without this grant, we would not be able to achieve so many of our plans to make the garden more inclusive and accessible for all of our users” – Rozelle Bettesworth, Centre Manager

The raised beds will enable more clients to access the garden independently and with greater ease. The kitchen garden provides Beyond The Wall’s clients with the opportunity to grow fruit and vegetable to cook with, take home and share with families and friends and also sell at markets to generate further funds for the charity.

There’s more about Beyond the Wall here

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Disability

Gift of freedom and mobility 

Chloe O Donnell witnessed the devastating effects of isolation and loss of mobility on local resident Ashley Clarke.

Chloe is a Site Manager at Axis Europe. She and her team were carrying out major repairs and maintenance works on the west London estate where Ashley lives: once she had seen Ashley’s plight, assessed the situation and established what would help Ashley most, Chloe applied to the Axis Foundation asking for help.

As a result of Chloe’s recommendations, the Axis Foundation bought Ashley a power-assisted wheelchair.  Axis also fitted new automatic doors to accommodate the new chair.

Thanking the Foundation Chloe said: ‘“Ashley is obviously thrilled and has asked me to pass on his immeasurable gratitude to all involved in the process.”

More about our donation

Ashley Clarke is a severely disabled gentleman. He has severe arthritis in both hands, is paralyzed down his left side and has also had his left leg amputated.

Ashley’s carers place him in his wheelchair from his bed every morning, but his disabilities (he cannot use his hands) mean he can only move the wheelchair using his right foot. He has been housebound for three years, and spent most of that time stuck in one room.

As a result of an application by Chloe O Donnell, Axis Site Manager, the Axis Foundation donated a power-assisted wheel chair to Ashley. And we also fitted new automatic front door: at the press of a button or fob, the door opens so Ashley can easily manoeuvre himself and the chair in and out of his home.

Thanking the Foundation Chloe said: ‘“Ashley is obviously thrilled and has asked me to pass on his immeasurable gratitude to all involved in the process.

“Ashley has reiterated how life-changing this is: the new chair enables him to move freely around the house and go to the local park/shop/pub. It also means he can take himself to and from appointments at the local hospital which is a 10 minute ride away in on the new chair so he doesn’t have to wait (sometimes up to six hours) for an NHS car to take him home.

“He said he’d got so used to shuffling round using his leg to move his wheelchair that he hadn’t quite realised how difficult his life had become: having the power-assisted chair is just amazing and makes everything so easy.

“The first thing he wanted to do with his new found freedom was to treat his friend, who’s been helping care for him, to a Sunday lunch.

“I also wanted to say thank you again to the Axis Foundation for the opportunity to change someone’s life and I hope the case study on this encourages other members of staff to apply.”

 

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Care

Brenda Gains Better Quality of Life

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.

 

 

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Rugby players in wheelchairs at London Wheelchair Rugby ClubDonations

London Wheelchair Rugby Club 

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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men on building site community centre Dads LaneCommunity

Dads Lane Community Association

Donation refurbishes local centre helping to build community spirit

Dads Lane Community Association founded a vital community centre in Stirchley, Birmingham. And the Axis Foundation donated £5,000 to help refurbish the café/kitchen here. The café/kitchen will provide refreshments and community meals as well as space for knit and natter, parenting and mental health groups.

 “We are over the moon to receive this generous grant from the Axis Foundation. It will make a huge difference in the refurbishment of this important local community centre.

”This area has few local facilities, activities, or general spaces for the local community. It lacks the amenities that usually cultivate community spirit and unity. There are pockets of real deprivation, disadvantage and isolation here.  And so people lack opportunities to address their issues” –  Steve Squires, Chair of Trustees

More about the works

The plans at Dads Lane include creating a community garden with raised beds. There will be training spaces for employability and volunteering programmes as well as the café/kitchen. The centre will be fully accessible inside and out.

Axis in the Midlands

Our parent company Axis Europe works for many of the Midlands’ major social housing landlords from our local offices in Oldbury. In accordance with our Core Value 6 – A community we contribute to will welcome and value us – and in addition to Axis’ regular CI activities throughout the Midlands, the Foundation was very pleased to support Dads Lane Community Association. The Axis Foundation is proud to say we are ‘at the heart of the community’.

You can read more about Dads Lane Community Association here 

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Adapted accessible toilet facilities for Danemead Scouts Camp SiteDisability

Danemead Scout Camp Site

Increasing accessibility to natural beauty spot and educational facilities

Danemead Scout Camp Site encourages young people and the community to enjoy outdoor recreation, providing training in practical life skills as part of their educational programme here. The site welcomes schools, colleges, youth groups, local community organisations. Indeed, over 3000 people stayed on the site in 2019.

And, so that even more people can stay and enjoy this 34-acre ancient, coppiced woodland of unspoilt beauty in Hertfordshire, the Axis Foundation donated £3,000 to Danemead Scout Camp Site to help convert an existing external toilet into a purpose-design disabled toilet and washroom.

“We will always be grateful to Axis Foundation for supporting and helping the funding of the installation of the disabled toilet facility.

“The refurbishment of the toilet room to a disabled facility sits firmly in the social model of disability as it allows the inclusion into the site and facilities of wheelchair users and other disabled persons, by the provision of accessible toilet and washing facilities. We are excited about increasing the use of the camp site for further and additional community organisations”  – Mike Hayward, Camp Site Secretary

More about the refurbishment

The toilet required expanding to provide low level toilet and wash basin. Works also included removing the existing waste and water connection piping and diverting the system and subsequent re-connection and the installation of new fixings, safety rails, alarm system, tiling and new anti-slip floor. In addition, an external ramp was constructed and the existing steel door aperture was widened for wheelchair access.

More about Danemead Scout Camp Site

Danemead Scout Camp Site welcomes schools, colleges, youth groups, local community organisations and is run solely by volunteers. In addition, the Camp Site undertakes environmental conservation work involving the preservation of trees, landscapes, wildlife and their habitats.

There’s more about Danemead Scout Camp Site here

 

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