Care

Mindful Peak

March 7, 2022By

Support for young carers

Mindful Peak helps young carers to improve their physical and mental wellbeing through boxing and mindfulness. The charity has recently developed BAM! which fuses non-contact boxing training with mindfulness through one-to-one sessions, video and a specially developed App. They developed BAM! with help from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Barnardo’s.

The Axis Foundation donated £1,250 towards film videoing and editing as well as skipping ropes for boxing training.

“I’m delighted that the Axis Foundation saw the value in this project that supports a group of young carers who need this support now more than ever. Thank you and we look forward to delivering this project and sharing the impact” – Luke Doherty, Founder and MD

Helping Young Carers

Young carers face extra responsibilities at home often leaving them feeling lonely or as though no one else understands. They can feel isolated and often miss out-of-school activities or meet-ups with friends. And they often become anxious about the person they care for when they’re away from them. Mindful Peak helps young carers become better able to respond to the specific challenges they face.

More About Mindful Peak

Working in the London Boroughs of Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and Newham Mindful Peak is a not-for-profit enterprise dedicated to sharing a mindfulness-based approach to performance.

Luke Doherty founded Mindful Peak in 2019. Luke played Rugby for England. He gained a postgraduate degree in Law and Community Leadership and then trained as a mindfulness instructor.

In addition to supporting disadvantaged young people, Mindful Peak teaches mindfulness to elite athletes.They have worked with Saracens and Harlequins rugby clubs, Brentford football club, the GB Skateboarding and British Weightlifting teams among others.

More here

READ MORE
Children in Wellingtons on waterfall at Youth Adventure Trustdisadvantaged

Youth Adventure Trust

December 8, 2021By

Helping vulnerable young people gain vital lifelong life skills through outdoor adventure

Our three annual donations to Youth Adventure Trust help vulnerable young people gain resilience, confidence and new skills that will last a lifetime – all through outdoor adventure.

“We are so grateful for the support of the Axis Foundation and your help in enabling vulnerable young people from Salisbury to flourish. The young people on our programme need our support more than ever – we simply couldn’t provide our life changing programme without donations from our generous supporters like the Axis Foundation. Thank you!” – Louise Balaam, Director of Fundraising

Year 1

In 2022, our first donation, of £3,791 to Youth Adventure Trust enabled six Year 7 pupils from Salisbury to join Youth Adventure Trust’s programme for a year. During this time the young people attended residential camps and activity days which use outdoor adventure as a platform for development.

Year 2

Our Trustees then donated a further grant of £4,950 to fund the six pupils for their second year: they attended Coastal Camp and Forest Camp, stretching their comfort zone with activities such as paddle boarding, kayaking, climbing and sleeping out on the forest floor. By challenging themselves in a supportive environment, they learn that they are capable of more than they thought!

Year 3

And then we donated £2,030 to fund these same pupils, now in Year 3! The final year of the programme is four Pathway Days:  ‘Look Back Day’, ‘Give Back Day’, ‘Looking Ahead Day’, and ‘Celebration’. At graduation they receive their Pathway Packs including ASDAN certification. We wish them all well in their final year.

Award Winners

We were delighted to hear that Youth Adventure Trust was honoured with The Pride of Wiltshire Award in March 2023: county publication Wiltshire Life presents this award to organisations which have made a significant contribution to the county and will continue to be an asset for many years to come. Well done!

More About Youth Adventure Trust

Youth Adventure Trust helps up to 360 young people gain lifelong life skills a year. The programme is completely free of charge to the young people, their families and referral agencies.

Even more about Youth Adventure Trust here

 

READ MORE
men on building site community centre Dads LaneCommunity

Dads Lane Community Association

September 7, 2021By

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 

READ MORE
Community

St Luke’s Community Hub

September 5, 2021By

Helping vital community hub support those affected by poverty and homelessness

St Luke’s is a community hub based in Kennington in south London. It is managed by the West London Mission (WLM). The centre helps people affected by poverty and homelessness.

Their carpet in the common areas and stairwell here was very old and no longer fit for purpose. So when WLM approached the Axis Foundation for support to get a new one, we were delighted to help.

During the prep to lay the carpet, the floor underneath was found to be crumbling and in need of repair. And so the Axis Foundation’s donation of £2,243 repaired the floor and supplied and installed a new carpet for the benefit of service users and everyone who works at WLM St Luke’s.

“The folks at St Luke’s are absolutely thrilled beyond words to have a new carpet in the common area and stairwell.

“They are hugely grateful as no budget exists right now for such things. We badly needed it as it is a public space. It is now clean and welcoming, worthy of the staff and the service users – vulnerable folk in the local community.

“Hats off to Axis and the Axis Foundation. You and your team have made a huge difference” – Patrick O’Meara, Advisor to WLM

More about West London Mission and St Luke’s

WLM has been helping people facing poverty and homelessness since 1887. The link between homelessness and financial insecurity is as clear today as it was in the 19th century. People whose rent is in arrears are vulnerable to eviction and subsequent homelessness.

So, WLM St Luke’s aims to prevent homelessness by empowering people faced with financial and digital exclusion, low income and high levels of debt to feel confident, more in control of their finances and less isolated.

As they say: “Our focus is financial resilience and digital inclusion. We want our community to feel confident about managing their money and to gain the skills to get online.”

Enjoying thriving partnerships with local organisations and networks, St Luke’s offers computer and money management training as well as affordable desk space for local start-ups and affordable accommodation for low income workers.

There’s more about WLM St Luke’s here.

READ MORE
3 girls from Amateur Boxing Club, Swale Gloves pose in fight stanceDonations

Swale Gloves

August 28, 2021By

Keeping youngsters off the streets and out of trouble!

Our continued support for Swale Gloves Amateur Boxing Club keeps youngsters off the streets and teaches them core values. The Axis Foundation has supported this Amateur Boxing Club since 2016. Our yearly donations, which total £45,000 in 2022, help cover the running costs of the club keeping it affordable and accessible.

Swale Gloves, based in Sittingbourne, Kent, works with 150 local children and teenagers teaching them the art of boxing. Boxing encourages respect and self-discipline whilst encouraging children to have fun away from the computer screen.

“The funds from the Axis Foundation give us financial freedom and enable us to keep subscription costs down. We’ve been able to keep it at the same price for the past six years. This means we can stay open which is the most important thing. This £5,000 is huge for an Amateur Boxing Club like us. It’s nice to have some like Axis who really supports us” – John Williams, Founder

Our donations have replaced broken sports equipment, contributed to transport costs and helped pay the rent of the hall. Now that’s what we like to call heavyweight support!

2020 Update

“We were allowed to re-open at the end of July 2020. Luckily most of our members returned. It has been difficult as we have to try and social distance within the gym and we are not allowed any sparring or padwork. All the kids have been really great and kept on supporting us.

“Once again we would like to thank the Axis Foundation for your continued support. It means so much as it gives us financial freedom where we can just concentrate in providing a great environment for the local kids within our community. Your support has been even more essential this year as we lost 3 months worth of income due to COVID” – John Williams, Founder

2021 Update

“Swale Gloves is truly grateful for the help you have given us over the past six years.

“We were closed from November 2020 and able to re-open mid-March 2021. Luckily for us most of our members have returned… Our membership remains high, we have 152 members, 33 of which are female.

“But we have had to purchase a lot more equipment, each member has access to their own gloves and ropes, to enable us to put on training sessions in a safe and social distanced way.

“We are back sparring now. Plus, we have also started a new referral scheme with a local specialist school. This has gone very well: we have 20 members referred to us from the school. All off these members have various issues and cannot be in mainstream school. We are helping to work with them to improve their self-confidence and social interaction skills” – John Williams, Founder

Case study – Fawwaz Akingbogun

Fawwaz Akingbogun is a real success story for Swale Gloves Amateur Boxing Club. He came here as a referral from his school in 2018. He was constantly in trouble and was in danger of being expelled. And he also started to get in trouble with the police.

“Swale Gloves has helped turn Fawwaz’s life around. He totally embraced his training. Within weeks his self-confidence grew and he began to see that he had a lot more to offer the world. Three years on Fawwaz has just completed his A Levels and achieved great results. Fawwaz comes from a very underprivileged background: his family struggles to afford the training sessions. And so we decided we would let Fawwaz in for free.

“He has repaid us in full by turning his life around and giving himself a great future.”

Fawwaz says: “I started getting into to trouble at school a few years ago, my teacher referred me to Swale Gloves Boxing Club, since I have been there my confidence and self-belief has improved so much. I managed to leave school with great A Levels and am now looking forward to going to University to study Business.

“But I will never forget the help the coaches at Swale Gloves have given me, I hope they continue for many years having a positive impact on young kids’ lives.”

 

 

READ MORE
Girl standing in bedroomCare

Room for Justice

April 8, 2021By

We create a safe, warm space for a friend in need – a Room for Justice!

Clare Payne, Resident Liaison Officer at Axis, wrote to the Axis Foundation to ask for help on behalf of her friend Justice.

 “Justice is the sole carer for her nan, grandad and her mother who is blind. She is the kindest person who never complains about anything. She always puts everyone else first and I have never known her to ask for anything.”

“Justice can only work part time as she needs to be on hand for simple tasks, such as placing toothpaste on the toothbrush, cooking dinner, or picking up dropped items from the floor. Justice will never be able to go on holiday without her mother, never has a day off and will likely not be able to afford to move into her own property due to financial restraints of working only part time. As she is currently being furloughed , money is even tighter than it ever has been.”

Clare asked if the Foundation could help improve Justice’s bedroom, to make it a place where her friend could relax, away from the stresses of her everyday life. And the Foundation was glad to help both Clare and Justice. For the threadbare neglected bedroom we purchased a brand-new bed, bedding, curtains, poles and carpet. And Axis’ own people, including our Apprentices, decorated Justice’s room and improved the lighting too.

“The transformation has been incredible. Justice is so grateful for the help and support of everyone. I am truly grateful to the Foundation for reminding Justice that good things happen to good people and that her hard work every single day does not go unnoticed.

“That was the message I was trying to give her, and we have certainly achieved that,” says Clare.

READ MORE
Warehouse full of Christmas gifts for children living in povertydisadvantaged

Ambition Aspire Achieve: Newham Christmas Toy Appeal

December 18, 2020By

Helping local children and families living in poverty at Christmas

We have made two donations to Ambition Aspire Achieve‘s (AAA) Newham Christmas Toy Appeal.  In both 2020 and 2023 we supported AAA with donations of £1,000.

Our two donations to AAA’s Newham Christmas Toy Appeal bought gifts to help fill the Christmas stockings of 3,000 children living in poverty in Newham as well as hampers for 100 families.

Why we support Ambition Aspire Achieve

Axis’ HQ is in Stratford, east London, in the borough of Newham. Ambition Aspire Achieve is a Newham-based charity supporting disadvantaged, vulnerable and at-risk local children and families all year round.

The Axis Foundation supports small, local and impactful causes. So, in response a direct appeal from AAA to John Hayes (CEO, Founder and Trustee of the Axis Foundation) the Axis Foundation made a Christmas donation to AAA.

2023

“That’s really great news – the donation will go directly towards purchasing much-needed toys for the appeal this year” – Johny Boux, Chief Executive

2020

2020 was a difficult and challenging year for everyone because of COVID-19. And, for those living in poverty, based in temporary accommodation, who may have behavioural difficulties and be the victims of abuse, Christmas might have been just another miserable day. For some children there would be no family lunch round the table with crackers. No gifts. Not even a stocking.

Kevin Jenkins, OBE, Co-Ordinator of the Newham Christmas Toy Appeal, said: “Thank you for making this difference for our area’s most disadvantaged, vulnerable and at-risk children, especially in this the most difficult and challenging of all years.

“As all the available evidence confirms, it is the poorest families already in need who have suffered the most, and many other families, through no fault of their own, have been pushed into poverty as a result of the hardship and loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The appeal provided: 2,891 children with a Christmas stocking for Christmas morning – helping more children than ever before; 100 families (approx. 300 children) with a seasonal food hamper. With my sincere thanks, 2,891 times over.”

What the families said

“I need a card that gives you a big hug to show my gratitude for the lovely presents for the children. I have not worked for a while and worried as I don’t have money to spend on Christmas gifts and then the surprise made a huge difference!” – Parent with a disabled child

“I am so grateful to you and your team for all these gifts and the way you have supported my family. I am not working and not getting any benefits. We are spending my savings from my business before I became unwell. I would not have been able to buy anything for my girls but because of you, our Christmas is a happy one” – Parent

“I have struggled with my mental health this year and to be honest I don’t think I have thought about Christmas or presents. To receive this I am very grateful and it has made me very emotional that people are still looking out for each other. It has uplifted me” – Parent

“A massive thank you for our delivery of food and toys today. The children were so so happy and it cheered us all up after a hard week. My eldest said he was close to tears at how nice it was that someone would do that for us. Thank you so much to you and your team and anyone who donated. It really has helped make our Christmas. I hadn’t been able to get dessert or gravy for our Christmas Dinner because we have been isolating and I’m so pleased that we can now have some of the lovely things in the hamper” –  Grateful Parent

More about AAA here

 

READ MORE
Young disadvantaged children sailingCare

The Ahoy Centre

November 6, 2020By

Supporting vulnerable children

The Axis Foundation donated £3,750 to The AHOY Centre’s Time2Talk programme. Time2Talk provides 1-2-1 emotional and psychological support for vulnerable children. Many children at AHOY come from chaotic home-lives, with little guidance. And these Time2Talk 1-2-1 sessions improve teamwork, self-esteem and leaderships skills.

“On behalf of everyone at AHOY, thank you for believing in our work and helping us to continue to have a real positive impact on people’s lives.

“We have now added our mentoring Time2Talk services to all our main programmes. We will continue to embed this vital piece of support into all additional programmes.

“During the period of your grant, The Time2Talk programme was led by AHOY’s Lead Mentor and qualified Psychologist who worked with a team of qualified mentors. The mentors were also instructors on the activity programme.

“They provided emotional and psychological support to our vulnerable children whilst delivering “on the job” mentoring. And they could recognise any behavioural changes and react appropriately during sessions to support them”  – Danny O’Sullivan, Fundraising Manager

More about Ahoy

The AHOY Centre is based in Deptford, one of London’s most deprived areas. The charity enables disadvantaged and disabled young people to take part in water-based activities and train in life skills.

And there’s more about  AHOY here!

Lockdown update

During Lockdown, AHOY’s virtual hub provided online cooking, nautical theory, drama and fitness sessions for members. And AHOY also cooked and delivered over 1,600 hot meals for vulnerable families. Plus, they provided Covid Capsule activity packs to keep members progressing and engaged.

“As parents of an adult with autism and a learning disability, Lockdown was extremely difficult for us as a family. We were very concerned about T’s mental health. All his activities stopped and his normal routines ended. So we were immensely grateful to AHOY for keeping in touch with the Sailability students and for all the effort that went into reopening the centre” – AHOY parent

READ MORE
Kennet Furniture, man in high vis jacket in store room of furniture and white goodsCommunity

Kennett Furniture Refurbiz

September 8, 2020By

Aid for Families in Crisis

We might take them for granted, but white goods such as cookers, washing machines, and fridges are vital to families in crisis, where abuse and relationship breakdown may be factors, where a single parent is often caring for troubled children. White goods help such families live hygienically and eat healthy, home-cooked food. 

The Axis Foundation’s donation of £2,000 will contribute to Kennett Furniture Refurbiz‘s (KFR) Families in Crisis Project Fund whereby KFR will supply and install – free of charge to qualifying families  – essential large white goods which have been refurbished at their premises in Devizes.

KFR estimates that their Families in Crisis project will help 450+ people per/annum.

“Our charity would like to offer our sincere thanks to the Axis Foundation for the amazing donation towards our Families in Crisis project. Since reopening on the 1st of June, following the easing of  COVID-19 restrictions, our Crisis fund has provided 59 items of white goods to struggling families and individuals free of charge. According to the “Reuse Network’s impact calculator”, the cost of buying these items new, would have totalled nearly £9,000 and in doing so we have generated a 1718kg saving in C02 by refurbishing these items. We not only help families to survive, we also help the planet!”– Daniel Thompson, Operation Manager

More about KFR

Kennett Furniture Refurbiz (KFR) visits over 3,000 homes each year collecting and refurbishing furniture and white goods for re-sale to households with limited income in Wiltshire.

Environment protection 

Each year KFR also prevents over 150 tonnes of items of pre-owned furniture and white goods being sent to landfill by refurbishing them and finding them new homes.

Training and employment 

KFR also offers a wide range of volunteering opportunities and trains volunteers to become accredited white goods repair technicians, meaningful qualifications for employment.

There’s more about them here

READ MORE
Woman and child reading togetherDonations

Literacy Pirates

September 3, 2020By

Getting on board to support young children with their reading!

Literacy Pirates helps disadvantaged children who are falling behind in their literacy. Our donations to Literacy Pirates which total £16,500 in 2022, support  300 children, helping them with their reading and literacy skills via the volunteer programme, and also improved the premises of the Hackney based charity via Project Shipshape!

“We are very pleased to have Axis Foundation on board as a supporter! The money will go towards the costs of running our volunteer programme which is so integral to the success of our Learning Programme. Thank you once again for your support. It is hugely appreciated by everyone at The Literacy Pirates” – Triona Larkin, Head of Fundraising

In 2021, the Axis Foundation – with City Plumbing Community Fund –  donated £6,500 to Project Shipshape. Project Shipshape transformed the Pirates’ Hackney premises providing a fresh coat of paint covering recent graffiti, a new fascia and a sea-waves mural up their books staircase which has also had new titles added with input from the children, reflecting the diversity of the local area and centring stories from a range of authors and protagonists.

 

“The striking entrance, murals on the walls and the books staircase will all combine to inspire creativity and motivation. Thank you Axis Foundation for continuing to support children’s learning adventures in your local community.” – Triona Larkin, Head of Fundraising

More about Literacy Pirates

Local schools refer children to the Literacy Pirates. Here they attend a year-long after-school learning programme at one of the two fantastical centres, the ‘Ships’, in Hackney or Haringey, both in east London. Trained volunteers give the children extra help with literacy skills and support them with their reading. At the same time they help them complete exciting published projects such as books, films and podcasts.

With the help of the Literacy Pirates, children’s reading age improves over 50% faster than age-related expectations.

In January 2014 the Literacy Pirates opened their dedicated learning centre (the Ship) in Dalston and in January 2019 launched a second Ship in Tottenham, Haringey. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, they built a virtual ship in two weeks, and offered weekly activities during lockdown.

There’s even more here!

READ MORE