Community

Mama2Mama Baby Essentials

July 2, 2025By

Bringing practical support to families in crisis

Mama2Mama is a baby bank supporting families in crisis in Woolwich, south east London.

They collect pre-loved donations from their community—including clothing, baby equipment, and hygiene products—and redistribute them to families referred by health visitors, social workers and other professionals.

The Trustees of the Axis Foundation were delighted to support their work with a donation of £2,500 which will purchase essential items to provide immediate relief to families in crisis, ensuring that their children’s basic needs are met. These include:

  • Formula milk supplies
  • Nappies and wipes
  • New baby cot mattresses
  • Breast pumps and milk bottles
  • Warm blankets and essential winter clothing for babies and toddlers

“We are absolutely thrilled and deeply appreciative of the Axis Foundation’s decision to award Mama2Mama a grant of £2,500. This generous financial support will make a significant difference in helping us grow and strengthen the vital support we provide to families in need. We are committed to using these funds wisely and ensuring they have a lasting impact on our community” –  Zuzana Fratrikova, CEO/Founder

More about Mama2Mama Baby Essentials

Through partnerships with health visitors, children’s centres, refuges, and social services across Greenwich, Mama2Mama Baby Essentials makes sure that help reaches those who need it most: single-parent families on tight budgets, mothers fleeing domestic violence, and working parents increasingly caught between rising costs and stagnant wages.

At their welcoming community café, families can discreetly access essentials like nappies, formula, and toiletries, while also connecting with others in a supportive environment.

More here 

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Care

Better life for Reuben

July 2, 2025By

Specialist equipment creates a better life for little Reuben and his family

Axis’ Lorrae Mannering suggested to our Trustees that the Axis Foundation might support Reuben Whitehead and his family. Little Reuben, now six years old, has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism and is likely to need a liver transplant. He has had over 66 operations in his short life. He is nil by mouth and so needs total parental nutrition (TPN) for feeding and hydration which restricts him to his cot 16 hours per day.

Reuben has been in the care of our charity partner Demelza – he and his family live near their premises in Sittingbourne, Kent, where Axis also works and has offices.

After seeing Lorrae’s application, the Trustees of the Axis Foundation were unanimous in their support and have agreed to donate £5,575 to purchase some specialist equipment to help Reuben and his family.

This includes a height-adjustable bath, sensory toys, an air purifier and a steam cleaner as well as a special jogger pushchair.

Reuben’s father told us what a difference these will make to their lives:

“We would like to thank Lorrae for putting us forward, and the Axis Foundation for their amazing donation to help our boy Reuben. It’s gone towards buying him a new jogger push chair which has helped in giving us the freedom of getting him out and about without having to use his heavy bulky wheelchair, also a roof box for our car so that we can travel easier with all his medical equipment.

“The main thing that it’s going to help buy is a special height-adjustable bath that is literally going to change our lives in helping caring for him at home and also a steam cleaner to help keep his room sterile and an air purifier to keep him as well as we can at home.

“We can’t thank everyone enough at the Axis Foundation for these items, they really have made a difference already” – Allan and Janine, Reuben’s parents

Lorrae said: “I’m so grateful that we have the Axis Foundation available to consider causes and individuals like Reuben. He is a remarkable little warrior.
It’s difficult to comprehend what their family have to deal with on a daily basis. Just to pass on their story in the hopes that the Foundation could help was the least I could do and I’m so thankful that they agreed.”

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Disability

Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association

March 12, 2025By

Improving lives and outcomes for people with Down Syndrome through music

Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association is committed to improving lives, opportunities and outcomes for people with Down Syndrome.

The Trustees of the Axis Foundation agreed to a donation of £3592.95 to fund the purchase of musical equipment to support their Music Man Project.

Music Man Project offers specialised musical education and performance opportunities specifically tailored for individuals with Down syndrome and other learning disabilities. It culminates in a televised performance at the Royal Albert Hall.

“This is wonderful news. Thank you for this generous grant which will enable us to purchase our very own instruments, making logistics much easier for the group and increasing our sense of ownership over the project.

“We will now be much better equipped to deliver our music sessions, giving the whole group more autonomy and confidence over what we do.

“Please pass our thanks on to Axis Team for their support for our project which will enable us to continue with our commitment to make music sessions and performance opportunities accessible to people with a learning disability” – Rachael Ross MBE, Chair

More about Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association

Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association ASSOCIATION provides friendship, information and a wide range of some of the UK’s best specialist educational services and social opportunities for children and young adults with Down syndrome.

Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association gained Freedom of the City of Portsmouth for their ‘outstanding social contribution to our community’ whilst Chair Rachael Ross was awarded an MBE on the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to education and Down syndrome.

There’s more here 

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disadvantaged

Offshoot Foundation

March 12, 2025By

Film making helps young people develop life skills

The Offshoot Foundation uses film making to help disadvantaged young people develop life skills, raise their aspirations and reach their full potential. The young people they work with are often facing multiple barriers including poor mental health, additional needs including autism and ADHD, school refusal, caring responsibilities and living in areas of high deprivation.

The Axis Foundation was delighted to support Offshoot with an award of £5,396 to enable them to purchase 4 iMacs. These provide an all-in-one computer with screen which is perfect for young people to use for their film making. Purchasing them means that more young people can reap the benefits that Offshoot provides.

“Thank you all for your wonderful donation to our charity. These iMacs will be able to help the many children we work with across East Anglia and London and, with our charity becoming bigger and more successful each year, it will mean they will be able to be used by even more young people as we grow.

“When I took these new iMacs to the Newmarket workshop and explained how we got them, the students could not believe that an organisation would do that for them, You could really see them feel that someone believes in them to make such a generous gesture and many of them  said thank you. They were in awe of the gesture.

“I look forward to sharing the Macs across our three Christmas workshops and spreading the news about Axis Generosity.  Thank you from Offshoot and all its young people” – Paul Press, CEO

Here’s what one young film-maker said about their experience at Offshoot:

“It really helped improve my confidence and possibly give me some ideas for future interests such as jobs, college, GCSE choices. It really developed my social skills, and I made new friends.”

More here

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Donations

Hackney School of Food

March 12, 2025By

Nutrition and food growing education supports community and wellbeing and combats food poverty

Hackney School of Food is an award-winning food education hub equipping children, families and the community with the knowledge and skills to cook and grow nutritious food, improving health and well-being and combating food poverty.

The Trustees of the Axis Foundation were delighted to support them with a donation of £1,200 to purchase kitchen equipment including a fridge, dishwasher, cutlery and plates for their new Garden Room where they’ll deliver food and food-growing education to children, families and vulnerable people in their local area. The new space will also be a hub for community events and meals, helping to bring together the local community around delicious, healthy meals.

“Your donation will help us continue to empower our community by building lifelong cooking and food growing skills to combat food poverty and foster a healthier future. The new Garden Room we are opening in March will be a unique place for children in Hackney, and this support is helping us to build happier, healthier lives. Thank you” – Zoe McIntyre, General Manager

More about Hackney School of Food

In 2023-2024, Hackney School of Food welcomed 7,097 visits to its teaching kitchen and gardens, partnering with 58 schools and 20 community groups.
Hackney School of Food delivers a range of activities including curriculum-linked cooking classes for schools, afterschool and holiday provision, community adult classes and events.
They have won many prestigious awards including Civic Trust National Award 2021, Hackney Design Award for Inclusivity in Design 2021 and RIBA Stephen Lawrence Prize 2022 for their innovation and contribution to the community.

There’s more here

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Disability

Down Syndrome Development Trust

March 12, 2025By

Specialist equipment to support children with Down Syndrome

Down Syndrome Development Trust provides support services and short break activities for children and young people with Down Syndrome and other disabilities, aiming to foster their personal and social development while promoting community inclusivity.

The Trustees of the Axis Foundation were delighted to make a donation of £5,231 to the Sussex-based charity so they could purchase a folding massage table and a compact folding hoist to assist wheelchair-bound SEN members, as well as a sensory room projector providing a fully mobile sensory experience.

“Thank you so much for your donation which will purchase secialist mobile equipment to accommodate children and young people with special educational needs who rely on wheelchairs – and ensure our Short Break activities continue to be fully accessible and inclusive” – Rebekah Foster, Operations/Office Manager

More about Down Syndrome Development Trust

The Sussex-based charity Down Syndrome Development Trust aims to foster the personal and social development of children with Down Syndrome and other special educational needs promote community inclusivity too. Over the past decade, Down Syndrome Development Trust has supported over 5,000 children and their families.

Their education service offers creative and employability projects at their Social-Learning Hub in Brighton, alongside physical and leisure activities in surrounding communities. These regular sessions equip CYP with vital skills, experience, and confidence for better societal integration.

There’s more here

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Disability

Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity

March 12, 2025By

Bringing stories vividly to life for children with cerebral palsy

Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity supports children with cerebral palsy, chromosome abnormalities and rare genetic disorders that cause physical impairment.

The Trustees of the Axis Foundation were delighted to make a donation of £500 so the charity could purchase Bag Books. These contain a short story and physical props with which children interact, bringing the whole story to life and making it a much more sensory and powerful experience for them.

“Traditional storybooks are not accessible to children with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD). So, I want to thank you the Trustees of the Axis Foundation for your kind decision to fund Bag Books for our children. This really will make the world of difference to the children we support, allowing them to enjoy story time in their sessions” – Glenys Creese, CEO

More about Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity

Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity helps children under five years with cerebral palsy and other motor learning impairments make the best possible start in life – giving the children as much independence as possible and giving families the support and skills to continue their development at home.

Many of their children have additional needs such as visual and hearing impairments, speech and language difficulties and issues with eating, drinking, and respiration. Some may be life-limited and all have conditions that affect the development of their cognitive, communication, and social skills.

There’s more here 

 

Photo: ‘The Little Seed’ Bag Book has many interactive elements for children, including smells and things to touch

 

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disadvantaged

Community Albums

March 12, 2025By

Inspiring young people through music

Community Albums inspires young people to learn how to play musical instruments. Through the transformative power of music they help bring about positive change and build better communities.

The Trustees of the Axis Foundation were delighted to support Community Albums in their project in East Ham in the London Borough of Newham, where our parent company Axis is located. We donated £2,176 to help equip and develop a studio here where young people will be able to use percussion instruments and DJ Decks. 

We estimate that up to 50 young people will be impacted immediately, and many more will benefit in the future: developing essential life skills, boosting confidence, enhancing emotional well-being and resilience, fostering a sense of belonging and self-worth, unlocking their creative potential and expanding their horizons.

Our donation bought:

  • Drum kit and drum sticks
  • DJ Decks
  • Percussion instruments (including Guiro, Cabasa, Maracas, Egg Shakers, Tambourine, Bar Chimes and Cahon)
  • Desk and chair 

“That’s wonderful news for our East Ham studio!! Thanks so much to all at the Axis Foundation. School children in deprived areas face a stark inequity in access to arts-based learning, impacting their overall development and life opportunities. Music is sometimes the only way they can express themselves and is, for some, a gateway into writing, composition and more personal self-expression.

“The equipment will make a huge difference to what we are offering the young people at the studio. We can’t wait to buy it all and show them! Thanks again from all of us at Community Albums. Your donation really is hugely appreciated!” – Jan Sheldon, Operations Manager

More about Community Albums

Community Albums’ passion is to amplify voices and so help build better communities.  Two award-winning composers, musicians and music producers Rob May and Simon Hill (of music production company Sitting Duck) founded Community Albums in 2011. They believe music has the power to inspire, heal, empower, unite and bring about positive change.

Community Albums run 1-2-1 therapeutic music sessions for all members of the community and especially love to work with young people with disabilities and more complex needs; and teach digital music and DJing skills and instrument playing. They also create films that share stories, and offer mentoring and career support.

Community Albums run group and 1-2-1 therapeutic music sessions for all members of the community and especially love to work with children and young people with disabilities and more complex needs. These sessions include: singing, digital music and DJing skills and instrument playing. They also create films that share stories, and offer mentoring and career support.

There’s more here

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Disability

Jude Keil

March 12, 2025By

Donation buys therapeutic exercise trainer for young boy confined to wheelchair

Just before he reached 10, Jude Keil was a normal active and growing young boy. He was an excellent cyclist and swimmer, regularly completing 10 miles off roading with his Dad and could happily snorkel for hours, chasing fish in the sea.

But in July 2022 his parents, Emma and Peter, noticed Jude was experiencing a shortness of breath. More complications followed and in February 2023, eventually his nervous system broke down and prevented him from breathing, moving or talking on his own.

After 11 months at The Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Jude is now confined to a wheelchair, reliant on a tracheostomy and a ventilator to breathe. He communicates by eye movements. His condition still has no name, and it may well be that he is the world’s only sufferer. The closest the medical profession can come to diagnosis is that it an unknown type of motor polyneuropathy.

Emma and Peter reached out to the Axis Foundation for help – and our Trustees were delighted to make a donation of £3,600 to enable them to purchase a therapeutic MotoMed Loop exercise bike for Jude.

Peter told our Trustees: “Thank you so much. This is fantastic news, not only for Jude but for us as a family. Jude always has been a great cyclist and in The Evelina hospital he was able to use a MotoMed machine so well. With this machine we will be able to ‘ride’ again together, albeit indoors or in the garden (when it finally gets warmer!).

“In the last 2 years we have seen and learnt so much. We have learnt that having the right tools for recovery is not only vital but so expensive.

“The likelihood of Jude having a full recovery is unknown due to the rarity of his condition. But we are determined to make sure he lives, rather than exists. He is now showing signs of nerve triggering to his muscles and requires complex and detailed physiotherapy.

With his current response to basic physiotherapy we believe that equipment such as the MotoMed would enable a significant muscle engagement. This will give Jude the chance to perhaps even stand or walk again! We are so grateful Jude has been selected for this award.”

You can find out more and support Jude directly here

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News

Axis’ Corporate Donation to Foundation 2024

December 24, 2024By

Axis, our parent company, makes a corporate donation to the Axis Foundation every year.

And this year is no exception: our new owners HIG agreed to continue our tradition in the form of a corporate donation of £100,000 to be made from Axis to our registered charity.

This sum – plus all the money we raised this year with the help of our generous supporters at our golf day and charity ball – is shared between Demelza, our charity partner, and the small, local and impactful causes the Axis Foundation has proudly supported for 15 years.

Plus our own amazing Axis people have made special donations in the form of time spent fundraising (running Marathons, climbing mountains!) as well as volunteering at Foundation charities and at Demelza.

This year, 2024 the Axis Foundation donated £500,000 to 50+ causes and individuals, changing the lives of many for the better. We:

  • Provided children with disability with therapy, mobility aids and bespoke activities
  • Supported the homeless, rough sleepers and those living in temporary accommodation
  • Funded positive emotional wellbeing support for disadvantaged and isolated people
  • Helped survivors of sex trafficking

That’s just a few – you can see more examples of our donations here

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