Community

Positive Network

September 17, 2026By

Our minibus helps members stay connected and independent

Positive Network is a charity providing social activities and practical support, particularly for older members of the Caribbean community in Balham, London.

Our Trustees awarded £2,100 to Positive Network towards purchasing a second-hand minibus. The vehicle will help around 40 members travel to and from the centre, attend outings and hospital visits, and support the charity’s food bank activities.

“This is fantastic news – thanks so much. The ladies are currently taking Ubers, which is expensive but also hard for them to get out of. The minibus is going to make a huge difference, thanks to you. It is a reality now” – Steve Reeves, Positive Network

The charity’s minibus is an important part of its activities. Many members have mobility issues and use walkers or sticks, with at least eight members aged in their 90s. The vehicle enables members to travel to and from the centre and take part in hospital visits, outings and day trips.

The minibus is also used to collect food bank donations for distribution to members. More recently, the group has used its transport to visit schools and share members’ Windrush stories.

More about Positive Network

Positive Network was founded in 2002 and is based in Balham, London. The charity provides a place where mainly older Caribbean people can meet, socialise and take part in activities. Many members are former NHS nurses, and the centre provides an opportunity to connect with others, including members who live alone.

Activities include chair yoga, computer classes and bingo, alongside hot meals, food bank support and social outings. Positive Network also organises outings and food bank distribution for younger members of the Black community.

More here

 

 

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Community

Grace Cares CIC

June 16, 2026By

Refurbished pre-loved care equipment improves independence, safety and wellbeing of vulnerable people

Grace Cares CIC refurbishes and redistributes pre-loved care equipment, often from landfill, supporting vulnerable people while reducing waste and strengthening community care provision.

We provided £12,000 to fund specialist repair tools, safety testing equipment and storage. Our donation helped Grace Cares improve independence, safety and wellbeing of vulnerable people, while ensuring essential equipment is available quickly and affordably to those in need. This investment will directly support 250–300 people and benefit a further 400–600 individuals,

“We are incredibly grateful to the Axis Foundation for this transformative support. This funding allows us to increase our capacity, reach more people in need and ensure vital equipment is delivered safely and efficiently to those who rely on it” – Nicky Jones, Fundraising Assistant

More about Grace Cares CIC

Based in Staffordshire, Grace Cares CIC is a not-for-profit organisation committed to making care more sustainable environmentally, socially and financially. By rescuing equipment from landfill and redistributing it through community networks, the organisation generates significant social value while supporting older people, disabled adults and unpaid carers. Its work continues to expand through strong partnerships and growing demand.

There’s more about their work here

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white van centre with three people and balloons plus large signCare

MammaKind

June 16, 2026By

New van delivers essential items to families

MammaKind is a baby bank dedicated to preventing and relieving poverty for families with children under six.

Our grant of £5,000 helps MammaKind buy a dedicated delivery van for their “Bundles of Joy” project. The investment will enable the charity to deliver essential items directly to families in need, benefiting around 3,000 people in the first year, reducing financial pressure, improving wellbeing and giving children the best start in life.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Axis Foundation for this generous support. Having our own van will transform how we deliver our Bundles of Joy, allowing us to reach families faster and more efficiently.

“It means we can focus our resources where they are needed most — supporting children and parents through incredibly challenging circumstances. This donation will make a lasting difference to the families we serve” – Kirsty Lowe, Founder

More about MammaKind

Based in Lewisham, London, MammaKind is a baby bank dedicated to preventing and relieving poverty for families with children under six. Through its core “Bundles of Joy” service, the charity provides tailored packages of essential items — including nappies, clothing, toys, books and larger equipment such as prams and cots — working in partnership with over 40 frontline organisations including social workers, midwives and children’s centres.

With child poverty reaching up to 37% in the boroughs it serves, MammaKind’s work delivers measurable impact, with the majority of families reporting improved wellbeing, reduced financial stress and greater engagement with support services. The charity plays a vital role in improving health, development and long-term life chances.

There’s more here

 

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wooden platform by riverDonations

Holm Place Anglers

June 16, 2026By

Providing outdoor activity and inclusive community engagement through fishing

Holm Place Anglers provides free fishing experiences to children and adults, supporting wellbeing, confidence and access to nature through inclusive, community-led activities.

The Axis Foundation contributed £790 to fund seating equipment, aerator pumps, volunteer DBS, scaffold boards, and wood to repair broken seats. This will support around 300 1-hour fishing sessions in 2026, improving access to structured outdoor learning, promoting wellbeing and ensuring a safe, inclusive environment for all participants.
“Thank you to all at Axis for the very kind donation to our fishing club. This funding will help make a real difference to the children and families we will now be able to support and provide these valuable experiences” – Neil Ballard, Chairman

More about Holm Place Anglers

Located in Swale, Kent, Holm Place Anglers is a volunteer-led initiative that has been delivering inclusive fishing opportunities since 1977. The organisation works closely with local schools, including SEN provision, and continues to provide free fishing that supports mental health, learning and community engagement for all.
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Community

Simply Limitless 

March 31, 2026By

Supporting vulnerable individuals facing isolation, homelessness or financial hardship

Simply Limitless tackles loneliness, isolation, poor physical health, poverty and low skills.

The Axis Foundation has awarded £10,000 to Simply Limitless towards a new heating and hot water system for its community centre in Kidderminster.

“This support helps us create a safe, welcoming space where our community can thrive” — Ralph Pars, Operations Manager

More about Simply Limitless

Simply Limitless delivers programmes supporting over 250 people weekly, including mental health support, employability training, and inclusive fitness sessions.

The new heating system is essential to make the new centre fully operational, enabling services to return under one roof and provide a warm, safe space for individuals facing isolation, homelessness, or financial hardship—particularly critical during winter months.

Learn more about Simply Limitless here

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hall with ceiling lights and tables and chairsCommunity

Kelvedon Hatch Village Hall

September 23, 2025By

Supporting a vital community asset and keeping it safe

Over 150/200 people each week use Kelvedon Hatch Village Hall in Brentwood, Essex, including mothers and toddlers, teenagers, children and adults who enjoy a huge variety of classes, celebrations and activities here.

The hall needed re-wiring in order to achieve compliance and continue its vital role as a safe mainstay of the community. And the Trustees of the Axis Foundation were delighted to support their application. So, we donated £2,500 to pay for the materials involved in the rewiring of the Village Hall.

“On behalf of all of the Trustees of Kelvedon Hatch Village Hall I would like to thank the Trustees of the Axis Foundation for their kind generosity in agreeing an award of £2,500 to pay for the materials involved in the rewiring of the Village Hall. This means our valuable community asset can continue to serve our village – without your donation this would not have been possible” – David Hughes, Trustee

There’s more about Kelvedon Hatch Village Hall here

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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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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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disadvantaged

Edge Ministries

March 12, 2025By

Assisting ‘forgotten people’ in recovery from addiction

The Edge Ministries has four centres helping ‘forgotten people’ in the most deprived across North East Derbyshire.

The Trustees of the Axis Foundation were delighted to donate £3,370 to the charity. The donation will purchase a polytunnel and gardening tools plus seeds, plants and compost for Edge Ministries’ Community Wellbeing Garden at Staveley.

As a result of our donation, over 75 people will benefit from the Wellbeing Garden which encourages gentle outside exercise, improves mental wellbeing and reduces isolation.

The Wellbeing Garden, which supports people who are struggling with their wellbeing and those in recovery from addiction, is open 24/7 365. Volunteers and a qualified gardener manage the garden.

“This funding will make a huge difference in our ability to support people in recovery year round, by offering meaningful wellbeing activities in a friendly, safe and fun environment.  Thank you so much for the support of the Axis Foundation!” – Steve Martin, Chief Operations Manager

More about Edge Ministries

The Edge Ministries provides a friendly welcome, access to free food and to professional free social welfare advice as well as a range of social inclusion activities designed to improve physical and mental wellbeing, and an Open Living Room.

Their mission is to be a place of welcome for all, and to work with people to make a change in their lives, helping themselves out of their current situation into a better future.

There’s more here 

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Community

Swale Community Care Project

July 25, 2024By

Helping relieve poverty and financial hardship

Swale Community Care Project helps relieve poverty and financial hardship in the Swale area, as well as supporting local elderly people.

The Axis Foundation’s donation of £4,615 will be used to purchase kitchen equipment for their new community cafe. The cafe will provide a safe warm space where those in need can find company, food and clothing as well as information about services and service providers.

“Many thanks for the amazing news. We are grateful for the Axis Foundation’s support. The kitchen equipment is the heart of the cafe and our community services. The equipment will make a massive difference to the physical and mental health of our service users.

“With your help, we hope to create a collaborative space that becomes an integral part of the community to enable a warm meal, rest bite, warmth and a smile / laugh in a safe space” – Daniel Marsh, Trustee

The kitchen equipment to be purchased with our donation includes: a commercial microwave and toaster, an auto-fill water boiler and filter, a fridge, a freezer, dishwasher, air fryers and other fixtures.

Update from Swale Community Care Project 2025

“We wanted to say a big thank you for the opportunity and faith in our small local charity that has made a significant impact in supporting us open and continue to provide a range of services to those in need.

Whilst most [of the grant] was allocated to key kitchen equipment it has enabled us to provide an affordable menu, pay it forward free meals and daily free use of our community fridge and freezer.

Since our opening in October 2024 we have served 899 hot meals and 1408 hot drinks (excluding cold lunches and snacks). The community fridge and freezer are used daily by locals accessing donated food. Your support has enabled us to host sessions for Age UK, Dementia support, wellbeing counselling, MIND workshops, money matters sessions, Sateda Domestic Abuse meetings, Foster Carer support, Sittingbourne & Sheerness Helping Ukraine group sessions and many others.

All would not have been possible without support from organisations such as yours. So thank you again for investing in and supporting your local community.”

More about Swale Community Care Project

There’s more about the work of this new charity, Swale Community Care Project, here

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