Welcome to Axis Foundation, the charitable arm of Axis.

Monthly Archives: February 2018

Axis patrons hold one million pound cheque.

Axis Foundation milestone – one million pounds donated

February 21, 2018By Axis Foundation

Little charity celebrates donating a whopping one million pounds to small, local and impactful causes

In 2009 we started as a little charity with a big ambition: to give back to the areas that we are from and where we’ve grown, and to make a positive difference to the people and communities in those areas.

Fast forward to 2018 and the Axis Foundation is celebrating having given away one million pounds to over 110 such causes. PLUS we scooped the Corporate Foundation category of the Business Charity Awards!

“I set the Foundation up originally to try and formalise and capture all the elements of “Giving” that we were already doing right across the company, to say it has exceeded my wildest expectations would be a massive understatement” John Hayes: Trustee, Axis Foundation; CEO, Axis Europe plc 2018

Our Millionth pound!

Our donation in 2018 to South East London charity For Jimmy took our total donations over the one million pounds mark.

“Whilst the value (one million pounds) is nice, we like to think about all the people behind the donations. Those who have been helped and those who have contributed, through fundraising and generous giving. This donation milestone celebration represents all of them.” Peter Varney, Chairman, Axis Foundation

How the Foundation helps

Perhaps money can’t buy happiness, but our one million pounds has bought a lot of smiles, support and relief to those who need it most.

The Foundation has helped hospices and specialist nurses to care for those with life limiting illnesses; contributed to scientific breakthroughs that extend life; provided mobility to those without it; reduced social exclusion; funded adapted minibuses and provided a lot of care, equipment, therapy, outings and experiences.

And that’s just a few of our projects! The number and size of donations has grown each year but we have stayed true to focusing on small, local and impactful charities and causes. We are on an exciting philanthropic journey that is continues to gather momentum each year.

“What is really exciting is that we are growing all the time and giving more to people and organisations in the communities we work in identified by our kind and caring people.” – John Hayes: Trustee, Axis Foundation; CEO, Axis Europe plc.

Our Foundation fundraiser activities

The funds donated by The Axis Foundation come from an annual corporate donation from Axis Europe plc and funds raised through a charity ball and golf day as well as many fundraising events participated in by the people who work at Axis.

Thanks a Million!

Thank you to everyone who has supported us, worked with us, fundraised or given – indeed, thanks a million.

Gardening tools at Bright Star Welllbeing to promote good mental health

Community

Bright Star Wellbeing

February 12, 2018By Axis Foundation

Promoting good mental health and social inclusion

Bright Star Wellbeing is a charity which helps people with mental illness and also raises public awareness of mental health issues.

The volunteers here work with local people who may feel isolated due to disability, race, ethnicity or mental health. By offering recreational therapeutic activities, the charity aims to help them to mix within society and their local community – and so promote good mental health and wellbeing as well as bring about an end to their loneliness and isolation.

The clients at Bright Star Wellbeing had expressed a desire to form a gardening group and so be able to plant flowers in memory of one of their members who had recently died. And so our donation of £1,000 made in 2017 purchased gardening equipment and plants so they could realise their dream.

“We are so thankful to have received this donation as it means that the clients will be able to run their own therapeutic gardening group and honour the memory of their friend. This will assist us greatly in maintaining our groups and enabling us to support assist and empower those in need within the local community – to include all and exclude none” – Christine Pearce, CEO

Care

Paul’s Cancer Support Centre

February 8, 2018By Axis Foundation

Training volunteers to help cancer patients

Volunteers at Paul’s Cancer Support Centre provide emotional, physical and psychological support for 500 cancer patients a year. The Centre also has a Home Visiting Service for 100 patients who are too frail to make the journey to the premises in south west London.

The Axis Foundation has made two donations to Paul’s Cancer Support Centre. Our first donation (£3,300 in 2017) recruited and trained four massage therapists, three reflexologists and one befriender; our second (£2,500 in 2018) trained nine new Home Visiting Service volunteers.

“On behalf of the Trustees, staff, volunteers and clients at Paul’s Cancer Support Centre, I would like to thank you and your Fellow Trustees for all your support. We are truly grateful” – Scheherazade Ameer, Fundraising Manager

“Funding into our volunteers’ training is vital for us to provide support for cancer patients. We are so appreciative of the grant we received from the Axis Foundation. We cannot deliver our services without volunteers” – Marisca Ribeiro, Services Manager

More About Training

Scheherazade Ameer, Fundraising Manager, explained: “All our Home Visiting Service volunteers have to complete our high-quality, specially-designed 32-hour course. A nationally recognised expert in cancer and bereavement counselling has assessed our course as ‘a model of excellence’. We then match our Volunteers to Home Visiting Service clients once we receive their DBS approval.”

A Trainee Home Visitor told us: “Helping others is a humbling experience which also provides a great amount of satisfaction. I hope to gain a better understanding of the challenges those with cancer face so I can provide more effective and supportive massage treatments to them and contribute to improving their predicament, even if for a short while.”

A Home Visiting Service client said: “During a time when I was housebound, barely able to move about and seeking psychological and emotional assistance, this was the only local organisation who was able to provide face-to-face counselling in my own home; I am so grateful for that, and for how quickly it was organised.”

Care

Omega

February 4, 2018By Axis Foundation

Support for End-of-Life Charity

Omega, the National Association for End of Life Care, is a multi-award winning charity which helps families and clients who are to coming to terms with terminal illness. Their motto is: “Caring is everyone’s business.”

In 2018, the Axis Foundation donated £2,000 to Omega’s peer support groups including Chatterbox Befrienders.

“The clients we help are often socially isolated and benefit enormously from peer support. Omega groups are a gateway to other sources of help and information offered by Omega and our delivery partners,” explains Tom Memery, Development Director.

Chatterbox Update

In FY 2021/22, the Chatterbox programme worked with over 369 clients and helped and signposted an additional 71 potential clients to other services and specialist agencies.

Thanking the Foundation Tom said: “With your valuable support we have been able to raise the profile of the Chatterbox programme and target clients who need us most. We have further developed relationships with a growing number of referrers. We now work with over 180 individual referrers and referring agencies (40% from within NHS primary care).”

New Award 2022

In 2022, The Axis Foundation made a second award to Omega, this time to support their army of vital volunteers – over 335 of them!

Omega delivers inductions and monthly support groups to their volunteers via video link. The grant of £5,000 will upgrade their IT and help Omega support their volunteers – and recruit and retain more.

They will also use the grant to make some minor changes to install additional electrical sockets and a upgrade the lighting as well as buy more office furniture.

‘We value the relationship we have with The Axis Foundation. We have found Axis to be a discerning and very supportive grant making trust who take a particular interest in the good causes that they support. With their help, we can now upgrade our ageing ICT equipment and buy much-needed office furniture. This will help us support our volunteers and the vulnerable clients we serve,’ said Tom.

More About Omega, the National Association for End of Life Care, here