disadvantaged

Ipswich Community Playbus – Dennis

June 11, 2024By

Transporting play to disadvantaged children

Ipswich Community Playbus transports the benefits of fun and educational play to disadvantaged children and families living in Ipswich. Maggie the current Playbus is an impressive 40 years old: she is retiring soon and putting her wheels up for a well-earned rest!

The Axis Foundation’s donation of £10,000 helps Ipswich Community Playbus convert a new Playbus –  Dennis –  into another amazing play space.

“This is wonderful news and so very much appreciated! Your donation will enable Dennis to take to the roads and carry on the Playbus legacy very soon. On behalf of all the children and families, the Trustees and staff thank you so very much” – Mandy Potter, Playbus Co-Ordinator

Facilities on board Dennis include a built-in slide, sand pit, new toilet and baby change area as well as a built-in generator which will serve the on- board lighting and heating, UV window film and carpet for the top deck play area.

More about Ipswich Community Playbus

The Ipswich Community Playbus brings the benefits of play into the homes of families who live in social housing and who may not have play areas nearby.

The staff on board the bus follow the Early Years Foundation Stage of the National Curriculum in planning various and different themes each term to engage young children and develop their learning skills, bringing families and communities together.They are also able to signpost families to relevant other services/groups/activities should they be experiencing difficulties including job security and health/ financial worries.

Read more about their work here

 

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Two small children Kaiden Burman and Marla BurmanDisability

New bed for little Kaiden

June 10, 2024By

Helping little boy with Dravet Syndrome – and his family

Axis’ Fleet Manager Taylor Burman applied to the Axis Foundation to acquire a specialist cot bed for his son Kaiden who suffers with Dravet Syndrome, a very rare and complex form of epilepsy.

Taylor told us: “We are always looking for ways on how keep Kaiden safe. He only sleeps about three hours a day and can be up all night. He needs monitoring systems constantly overnight. When we are at Demelza, he uses a specialist bed. It is electrically operated and has perspex panels and padding and is really great for him. So, I applied to the Foundation for help to buy something similar.”

The Trustees of the Axis Foundation were completely unanimous in their decision to support Taylor and his family and have made a donation of £11,000 to buy the bed.

Thanking the Foundation, Taylor said: “From the very day I started with Axis just under three years ago now, I’ve been supported by such a fantastic company. Axis is a company you want to stay with, there are no other companies like Axis, Axis is like a family, The Axis Family.

Taylor told us: “It was only two years ago, Kaiden caught Covid from hospital, at just one of his many visits, and due to his condition, we nearly lost him. It was extremely touch and go and unfortunately he had to be medically induced into coma. I remember ringing my manager at the time, David Crampton, and broke down in tears on the phone.

“The words and support I received from the board of directors, managers, colleagues and operatives were amazing. It was a tough time, but strangely that support helped us, helped Kaiden.

“I was later introduced to the Axis Foundation, constantly being told by [Foundation Founder, Axis CEO] John Hayes: ‘Taylor, the Foundation is your Foundation, use it.’

“I had always turned it down: my reasoning was, Axis does enough for me, and I wasn’t sure there is anything that could help Kaiden. I was WRONG!

“Kaiden started going to Demelza in Sittingbourne last year. We were extremely anxious about leaving him over night. He has no sense of danger at all. Our hospital consultants explained it like this: ‘If you put an item in fire, a normal person would keep away from the fire, but Kaiden would walk into the fire and sit in the fire to play with that item.’

“And because he also has epileptic seizures, it just wasn’t safe to have him in a normal bed. Demelza had a purpose-built specialist bed just for him, for children like him, something we have not seen or heard of. So I enquired with Demelza about the bed, the safety of the bed and most importantly, does Kaiden like it (he does!).

“When we were in the process of moving home, our wonderful [Foundation Trustee/Axis Divisional Finance Controller] Claire Pearce reached out to me asking if there is ANYTHING the Foundation could do for my family. The rest is history.

“My family and I would just like to thank the Foundation their support in providing the bed, it has taken a humongous amount of pressure off me and my wife. It’s very hard to put in words how thankful we are. Thank you!”

More about Kaiden

Kaiden, suffers with a disability called Dravet Syndrome, which is a rare and complex form of epilepsy. He requires 24/7 care at home and school and needs regular assistance at our charity partner Demelza’s hospice in Sittingbourne. Demelza’s home care team provide respite for the family too. including his sister Marla.

Because of related co-morbidities (including autism, mobility and sleep issues, low immunity and oxygen levels) and vulnerability to SUDEP (sudden unexplained death in epilepsy) Kaiden is also treated frequently at specialist hospitals including Evelina and Great Ormond Street as well as the family’s local hospital, Medway in Kent.

Up till now, he has slept in his parents’ room along  with all his vital equipment including Oxygen machine and bottles, medication, and seizure and oxygen monitoring systems.

As Kaiden, now five, grows and gets heavier it is increasingly hard to lift and carry him so the local council are re-homing the family to a larger home with hoists and lifts – and where he will have a room of his own.

And, thanks to the Axis Foundation, he now has a practical, safe cot too.

 

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Care

The Thomley Hall Centre

May 2, 2024By

Enhancing the lives and experiences of people with a disability

The Thomley Hall Centre is a lifelong learning and leisure centre which exists to enhance the lives and experiences of people with a disability, their families and the wider community. Thomley enhances the well-being of disabled people through delivering activities that helps develop the skills they need to run their day-to-day lives.

The Axis Foundation donated £10,000 so Thomley can build an eco-friendly Interactive Water Feature (IWF): a safe, fun and accessible place where people with and without disabilities in Buckinghamshire can enjoy water-based play.

Ewan Shinton, Thomley’s Chief Executive, told us: “A huge thank you to Axis, the interactive features of the IWF will offer experiences that are a huge amount of fun and developmentally important for our visitors. The majority of the people who visit Thomley are children with autism who have difficulties processing and integrating sensory input. The multi-sensory experiences provided by the IWF and water will be uniquely beneficial for them. We expect the IWF to quickly become our most-popular attraction and be used by everyone who visits Thomley.”

There’s more about The Thomley Hall Centre here

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Care

Ykids Children’s Charity

May 2, 2024By

Improving lives and futures of young people at risk

Ykids improves the lives and futures of local young people at risk through mentoring, projects, parent support groups and arts initiatives.

The Axis Foundation’s donation of £3,000 to the Bootle-based charity helped them refurbish Kingsley and Co, a steampunk-Victorian, explorer-themed children’s community bookshop, which is part of YKids’ literacy project to encourage young people to fall in love with books, storytelling and reading.

We are delighted with the support from the Axis Foundation which will help us to refurbish our new and bigger shop Kingsley and Co, enabling us to change even more lives through encouraging children to read and engage with story – Claire Morgans, Founder

 

Claire added: “Ykids’ vision is to raise ‘World Changers’ – young people who believe in themselves and have the skills, creativity and opportunities to make a difference in their own lives and in the world around them. Ultimately, we want them to grow up in an environment where they feel safe and loved and lead happy and productive lives.”

“Finding a place that two children with a huge age gap to enjoy is difficult, but we had that place in Kingsley. A place that felt like coming home to family. They helped me through some really rough times, more so than they probably even know” – a parent

Here’s more about YKids and Kingsley and Co

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Small child sitting with packages of pyjamasCare

Children’s Hospital Pyjamas

May 2, 2024By

Sweet Dreams for children in Hospital

Croydon-based Children’s Hospital Pyjamas collects and distributes brand new pyjamas to hospitals, hospices, hospital at-home teams and women’s refuges in the UK.

The Axis Foundation’s donation of £3,000 helped them purchase pyjamas for some of the 40 such organisations within the M25. At an average cost of £8 per pair, this means 375 children will have sweeter dreams in their new pyjamas!

“Thank you so much for your generous donation. Last year, the charity spent over £40,000 on pyjamas alone and, in order for us to continue to supply to these 238 locations, plus any new requests, we rely on the kindness and support of people like yourselves” – Ann Dunkley,  Operations Manager

Ann told us: “Children may arrive in A&E having had their clothing damaged, or in situations when there hasn’t been time to pack essentials. They may have their own pyjamas but need a fresh pair due to illness or accident. While in refuges, children may have fled a dangerous situation and might not have brought any clothing. Our pyjamas have also been used to dress children who have passed away, so their families can see them looking comfortable and at peace.”

To further support this great cause, Axis’ Administrator Danielle Glindon, used her Volunteering Day to help Children’s Hospital Pyjamas!

There is more about their work here

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group of young children reading booksCommunity

Wimbledon Bookfest

February 9, 2024By

Giving 2,000 children a free book to take home

Schoolchildren attending Wimbledon Bookfest World Book Day events in March 2024 can go home with a free book, thanks to the Axis Foundation’s donation of £10,000.

“Developing a love of reading for pleasure is incredibly important and has a lifelong impact on a child’s prospects. Children who attend BookFest events and go home with own copy of the book leave feeling inspired and excited about literature. We are incredibly grateful to the Axis Foundation for their generous donation; helping us to inspire and encourage the next generation of readers” – Fiona Razvi, Festival Director

As one teacher said: “The best part is children getting a copy of the book with each ticket; the next few weeks at school ALL children in the same class are reading the same book which leads to some great book talk and discussion and encourages their love and enthusiasm for reading” – Holy Trinity C of E Primary School

“The Axis Foundation is delighted to support Wimbledon Bookfest. We supported Bookfest because we believe that encouraging young people to read – for both pleasure and education – is vitally important. Giving every child who attends the World Book Day events is a real pleasure for us and we hope through our donation to help Bookfest inspire the next generation of readers” – Michael Hayes, Trustee of the Axis Foundation

More about Wimbledon BookFest

Wimbledon BookFest is a not-for-profit arts and education charity which runs a year round programme of events aimed at supporting literacy in schools and fostering the next generation of readers. Events for schoolchildren and young people include World Book Day events with children’s authors, an Introduction to University day for older students, the Wimbledon BookFest Young Writers Competition, and a series of school events during its annual ten day autumn Festival.  Last year over 13,000 schoolchildren attended BookFest events.  Find out more here

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Three little children planting lettucesDonations

The Visionaries 

January 31, 2024By

Creating hands-on outdoor learning space for children

The Visionaries help children, young people and educators to connect with nature. Whilst open to all, they focus on supporting young and marginalised people and those facing challenging transitions. The social enterprise is based at School 360 in Stratford, east London, near to Axis’ head office.

The Axis Foundation agreed to donate £9,500 towards buying raised beds and 50 fruit trees to help with the rewilding of School 360’s outdoor space. The overall scheme will serve as a hands-on, learning space fostering environmental consciousness and creating stronger connections to nature.

“Thank you so much. This will make a huge difference to the project. We are re-imagining the school’s grounds, to enhance the school community’s nature connectedness. This funding will contribute towards the rewilding of the school’s outdoor spaces, creating a dynamic environment that brings people together, improves community well-being, and supports the potential of the students”  – Max Girardeau, Director

More about The Visionaries Education CIC

The Visionaries is a not-for-profit social enterprise. They partner with schools, universities and other educational institutions to produce transformative nature-based programmes and adapt their learning environments to be more ‘nature connected’.  Through participating in their programmes, youths and adults report discovering a greater sense of purpose and belonging, feeling more hopeful and more equipped to create the future we know we need to live sustainably on the planet.

More here

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little boy with fair hair in white tee shirtCare

Helping a Little Boy with Rare Genetic Disorder

January 31, 2024By

Donation buys a sensory room to help Toby, a little boy with rare genetic disorder

Six-year-old Toby Conway has an incredibly rare genetic disorder called De Novo ZNF 292 syndrome. It is so rare, his doctors and consultants have never previously encountered a patient with this diagnosis. And Toby’s parents are unable to find any other parents in a similar situation to share their experiences.

Toby has autistic traits, speech delay and extreme hyper mobility, His abnormal brain structure primarily affects his short-term memory (so he has some educational challenges). He is physically weak and has a high risk of epilepsy.

Despite all his challenges, Toby embraces mainstream education and loves his school. His parents told us:

“Every day, he runs into school with a huge smile on his face; it’s priceless. He is honestly the most polite, infectious and caring little boy. He is a pleasure to be around for both adults and other children. His school is amazing, and we’re hugely grateful for their support.”

The Axis Foundation Trustees awarded Toby’s school (Northgate Primary School Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire) £10,000 to create a sensory room. This will not only help Toby’s sensory processing disorder but will also benefit the 100 neuro-diverse pupils at the school.

Thanking the Foundation, Toby’s father Mark Conway said: “This donation will make such a huge difference to Toby and all other pupils at his school, both neurodiverse and neurotypical. His school do an amazing job with limited resources, and their new sensory room will create a safe space for the kids that will be invaluable. Thank you so, so much.”

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Little Stars

January 31, 2024By

Providing essential baby items for disadvantaged, vulnerable families

Little Stars provides quality essentials for babies, children and pregnant women. And so they alleviate stress and financial pressures for disadvantaged, vulnerable families in Shropshire.

The Axis Foundation donated £3,175 to Little Stars’ Community Hubs Project. This donation will purchase 12 months supplies of nappies, wipes and baby toiletries.

“To receive this amazing amount of money from Axis foundation has ensured we can continue our Community Hub work, providing families with the essentials they need for their children.

“Our hub work is extremely important because we are out in the communities that are in need of this support. The money will enable us to expand our hubs as we now have the funds to be able to deliver the basic essentials that babies and young children really need. Thank you to the board for providing us with this grant” – Leanne Simcoe Founder and CEO

More on the Community Hubs Project

Little Stars created their Community Hubs Project in response to the growing demand for their services. There are currently four Little Stars community hubs, working with Early Help teams and local food banks, where families can access essential items

More about Little Stars

Little Stars helps the 26% of children living in poverty across Shropshire (research from End Child Poverty). They help disadvantaged families through their baby bank, community hubs and school uniform services. They provide quality pre-loved bundles, donated by the local community, supplemented by new equipment and basic provisions. Little Stars works across their community in partnership with midwives, social workers, early help teams, schools, food banks, and domestic abuse charities. They have, to date, supported over 1,000 referred beneficiaries.

There’s more here www.littlestarscharity.org

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Woman reading to two infants from a bookCare

Hug-a-Bug World (HBW)

January 31, 2024By

Positive emotional wellbeing for young people

Positive, relatable storylines in books; “I am Unique, “I am Brave” and “I Can Do It” affirmation hearts and tactile toys: these all help the emotional development of Hug-a-Bug World’s Early Years and young children. Setting the tone are adorable bugs Sedric Snail, Bella Bee and friends who support one another and learn as they go.

The Axis Foundation donated £15,000 to HBW to provide books, affirmation hearts and toys. And we will be working with them to reach children and families in areas where Axis, our parent property services company, works.

“At a time where Mental Health challenges in our younger generations is finally getting some attention in the media, we at HBW are forever grateful to the Axis Foundation for making it possible for us to engage with thousands of children, through their generous donation” – Julia Keys, Founder

More about Hug-a-Bug World

The HBW programme promotes positive emotional wellbeing for young people. This is proven to have a beneficial effect on academic focus, building good relationships, and development of empathy and understanding of each other and the natural world.

Hug-a-Bug World is currently working with 30 schools in the Royal Borough of Greenwich in London. They have also worked closely with the Holiday Activity Fund (HAF) programme in multiple UK locations. All children (10,000 +) take home a storybook, a Hug-a-Bug heart and activity sheets. They demonstrably increase their self-confidence, empathy, self-worth, resilience, and acceptance of themselves.

The Chairman of the Axis Foundation Trustees, Peter Varney, was very impressed by the good feedback from Birmingham HAF. So he engaged Hug-a-Bug World to deliver their HAF programme via Millwalls’ Community Fund – with similarly successful results.

See more about Hug-a-Bug’s amazing work here

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