The ACT Foundation - Archive News

April 2008 Ro-Ro Sailing Project is an organisation which have yacht's designed to allow severely disabled people take an active part in sailing and not "just" be a passenger. The purpose built yacht's are fully wheelchair accessible and are the only ones in the world built for this purpose. They approached the ACT Foundation for funding towards life jackets and we were happy to grant a donation of £2,500.00.

April 2008 The parents of a 13 year boy from Suffolk applied to us for help towards adaptations to a car they had purchased. Their son has Muscular Dystrophy and is a full time wheelchair user. His conditions is now deteriorating and he is no longer able to transfer independently. The family were raising funds for a ramp to be fitted to the car which will allow them to wheel the wheelchair directly into the back of the car. The ACT Foundation were pleased to pledge a grant of £2,500.00 towards the cost of the adaptations.

April 2008 We were approached by Children 1st, a Scottish charity, for funding towards a Personal Development Course based on Mull, for 12 of it's teenage young carers. The course would give the opportunity for personal development as well as providing a valuable break for the carers away from their difficult home circumstances. The ACT Foundation were able to help with a grant of £2,000.000 towards the cost.

April 2008 In September 2007, The ACT Foundation pledged £20,000.00 to Disability Challengers towards their adventure playground at Farnham. We are very please to hear that the project is very near completion and that the facility will be fully operational for the first time on 7th April 2008.

March 2008 We were approached by the parents of a 16 year old boy from Staffordshire who has Cerebral Palsy and is unable to walk. As their son is now growing up he is becoming difficult to lift him from his wheelchair and into the car. A Turny specialist swivel seat with armrests would enable them to transfer him easily and allow him to travel in comfort and safety. We were happy to be able to help with a grant of £2,400.00

March 2008 Mapledown is a special needs secondary school based in Cricklewood, London and is for pupils ages 11 - 19 with severe and complex learning difficulties. It currently has 60 pupils on role. The school approached The ACT Foundation for a grant to help improve their outdoor play area which would provide their students with a stimulating environment. The school run an after school club which would ensure that the equipment was being used throughout the year. The ACT Foundation have agreed to help with a pledge of £5,000.00

February 2008 Reach Out Projects is a charity based in Hertfordshire which has been providing opportunities and experiences to people of all ages who have disabilities and special needs since 1981. They currently have three Canal Boats on the Grand Union Canal which are equipped with lifts to allow wheelchair access and specially adapted equipment to allow disabled users be involved with the workings of the boats and locks. Reach Out approached The ACT Foundation to see if we could help with a major project to improve their boat base by installing a tiered ramp leading directly from their new reception area to the boat mooring. The ACT Foundation were happy to oblige with a grant of £5,000.00

February 2008 Castle Morpeth Disability Association is based in Northumberland and was founded in 1987. They have a pilot scheme for computer training for older and disabled clients, which results in them being given a reconditioned computer to work on at home. Old computers are collected from organisations and waste disposal sites and younger, disadvantaged volunteers will be trained to build and recondition the computers. This will give them work experience and in turn will give them better employment prospects. The ACT Foundation were able to help this pilot scheme with a grant of £1,000.00

February 2008 We received an application for a grant from a 44 year old lady from Dorset who has chronic arthritis, diabetes and asthma. She desperately needed respite and had managed to raise £300.00 towards a break at Forresters which is is a respite centre for people who have experienced any form of mental distress. She was still £264.00 short of the full cost and The ACT Foundation were happy to grant the shortfall.

January 2008 The ACT Foundation were able to grant £1482.00 to a man from Berkshire who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1981. The grant was used to purchase a hoist to go into his bedroom which will help with transfers and alleviate some of the workload for his wife, who is his main carer.

January 2008 Bluebell Wood is a newly built childrens hospice in Sheffield. It has 8 bedrooms, 7 family rooms and 2 rooms for siblings. The hospice will be able to care for 200 children per year and began a phased opening for respite in November 2007. The ACT Foundation were happy to help fund some of their equipment in their medical room by granting a donation of £5,000.00 towards the costs.

January 2008 The ACT Foundation were approached by the family of a little boy from Lancashire who has a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, which affects all four limbs, and multi-focal epilepsy. It had been recommended that he be kept in a symmetrical position whilst sleeping which would keep him in a comfortabel position and also making it easier for him to breathe. Over time this would help prevent infections and dislocation of his hips. We were pleased grant a donation of £855.00 to purchase a Symmetrisleep sleep system.

December 2007 Tiny Tim's Children's Centre is a registered charity where children with Cerebral Palsy can go for treatment on a weekly basis and is completely free of charge. Treatment includes a range of neuromuscular massage, passive and active joint movement exercise, and in some cases force resistant exercise. The Act Foundation were approached for funding to help withequipment such as external decoration, ceiling tiles and automatic door openers as well as new fire doors. A donation of £1,000 was granted towards their new fire doors.

December 2007 The ACT Foundation were very pleased to be able to help a young man from London who suffers greatly from a communication disorder known as clustering, combined with stuttering. He had attended The Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children and had been assessed as being suitable for using a Voice-Amp system. This device will allow him to listen to his own voice at the same time as speaking and allow him to continue his therapy and self-help. £1,250.00 was granted to allow his family to purchase this piece of equipment.

December 2007 We received an application from the mother of a nine year old girl from Rutland who suffered from Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum, which is a life limiting condition. She is dependant on others for all her needs and is cared for at home by her mother full time and needs oxygen throughout the night. An O2 saturation monitor would give her mother peace of mind that her daughter was getting enough oxygen at times of need. The ACT Foundation were pleased to be able to grant a donation of £190.00 to purchase this equipment.

November 2007 We were approached by the full time carers of a lady with Cerebral Palsy to see if we could help towards funding for a stay at Vitalise over Christmas for her. Both of the carers were themselves going away and this lady was going to be left alone with no family living near. We were happy to award a grant of £550.00 towards the cost.

November 2007 The ACT Foundation were very pleased to grant a donation of £120.00 to help a man with Cerebral Palsy from London purchase a custon made lycra glove which will help him control his hand movements and provide him with sensory fedback.

November 2007 The Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (ASBAH) is a charity providing information and advice about spina bifida and hydrocephalus to individuals, families and carers. The Greenwich and District branch have a small holiday bungalow that they let out for respite breaks to their members. The bungalow was in desperate need of refurbishment and the ACT Foundation granted £2,972.00 towards the cost of installing a hoist and showerchair to enable even the most severely disabled person to use the facilities.

October 2007 The National Autistic Society is a charity which provides specialist individual care and support for 12 men and women aged 18-30 in two self contained residential houses. This year their aim is to fit sensory equipment in each of the houses "Quite Rooms". These rooms are where clients can enjoy "calm down" space and on occasions where it has been identified that clients behaviour is escalating towards an incident. The ACT Foundation were pleased to be able to grant an award of £1,500 towards the equipment.

October 2007 We were very happy to award a grant for £1,625 for a portable hoist, to a gent from Lincolnshire who has a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. This man falls out of his wheelchair occasionally and his wife can not help him back up from the floor due to a difference in their size. In the past she has had to call out the ambulance service or friends to help her lift him.

October 2007 We were approached by a gentleman from London who suffers from chronic complex needs which affects his mobility. He lives alone with help from a substantial package of care from the Primary Care Trust but wants to remain as independent as possible. He needs to be turned 3 or 4 times during the night to alleviate some of his pain and help prevent pressure ulcers but he didn't want a carer overnnight. A Baltic Bed is height adjustable so as to make his care easier, but also would allow him to turn over independently during the night. The ACT Foundation pledged a grant of £1,000 towards the cost.

October 2007 The Act Foundation were very pleased to be able to grant a donation of £5,000 to a small charity called Unity of Children, which is registered in the UK to benefit the work of the non government organisation Childrens Care and Protection Rwanda. This organisation works with the orphans of genocide and has set up the Nsinda Vocational Training Centre whose aim is to provide disadvantaged young people with vocational skills to enable them to find a job. The proposal is to expand the centre to enable 120 young people a year to be educated in vocational skills.

September 2007 We received an application from a gent who had suffered a brain tumour which resulted in blackouts and being left partially sighted. This gent had been self employed as a newsagent but was no longer able to see well enought to be able to continue. A Scanner Reader is a piece of equipment which can scan any page up to A4 size and which then "reads" the words back to you. The scanner has the ability to store at lease 200,000 pages. We were happly to grant a donation of £900 towards the cost of the equipment.

September 2007 The Meath Epilepsy Trust, based in Surrey provides support and a caring home for up to 70 adults with severe epilepsy who also have a learning and/or physical disability. The Act Foundation were pleased to be able to pledge £20,000 towards their refurbishment of some of their accomodation to provide bigger, single, en-suite rooms.

September 2007 We were approached by the mum of a young girl from Queensferry, in North Wales, to see if we could help with any funding for a specialist swivel car seat for her daughter, who suffers from cerebral palsy. Mum had been using a disabled turning circle to help her daughter into the car, but since the new law regarding children and booter seats came into effect, she was no longer able to use it. The ACT Foundation were able to help with a grant of £1,151.00.

September 2007 Disability Challengers is a charity whose aim is too support children and young people with any form of learning, physical or sensory impairment. They provide a range of fun and challenging activities for children of all ages. The ACT Foundation were very happy to offer support in the form of a pledge for £20,000 to Disability Challengers for their Big Play Appeal. Our grant will be used towards the adventure playgound for disabled children and young people.

August 2007 We were very happy to help the mother of a severely disabled young woman from Middlesex when she approached us for help funding some sensory equipment for her daughter. This young woman has multiple disabilities as well as learning difficulties and presents with challenging behaviour. Sensory equipment from SpaceKraft was identified and will help relax this young woman and so in turn reduce her challenging behaviour. Her mother is the sole carer and being able to stimulate her daughter in other ways with give her a little respite in her own home. The ACT Foundation granted an award of £450.

August 2007 The ACT Foundation were able to help a gent from the North West when he applied for a grant to purchase a duel wheelchair and scooter hoist for his car. This man had suffered a stroke and brain haemorrage 10 years ago and used a manual wheelchair or electric scooter for mobility. He and his wife used their car for longer journeys but were finding it increasingly difficult to lift either his wheelchair, or scooter into his car. The Backpacker hoist is used via a wired control on his car, or by remote control. An award of £1,998 was granted and will be used to help give this man and his wife back some independence.

August 2007 We were pleased to be able to offer support by way of a grant for £10,000 to Henshaws Society for Blind People. Henshaws College offers specialist further education for young people between the ages of 16 and 25 who are blind or visually impaired and who also have additional disabilities and educational needs. The grant is being used to help fund the second phase of a new 22-bed student accomodation which will include 10 rooms for wheelchair users and 2 self-contained, two bedroom "independence flats".

August 2007 We were approached by by the parents of a 12 year old girl for help in installing a hand-wash basin in their daughters bedroom. Their daughter has a rare genetic disorder called Falconi's Cystinosis which is a disease of the kidneys and means that she has to have dialysis every night. Hygiene and rigorous hand washing is paramount and the basin in her bedroom means that risks of infection are kept to a minimum. The ACT Foundation were happy to help with a donation of £765.

July 2007 We were happy to grant an award of £1,985 to a young lady from Shropshire who approached us for help with funding adaptations to her car through Steering Developments. This lady has an aggressive form of Rheumatoid Arthritis and had endured many orthopaedic operations. Adaptations to her car means that she is able to maintain her independance and mobility.

July 2007 We were approached for funding to purchase a mobility scooter for young woman who, after having meningitis as a child, was left with right sided weakness. The lady, from Stoke on Trent, has a small baby and will use a special harness to carry the baby whilst using the scooter. A grant of £1,180 was granted to purchase the scooter.

July 2007 The ACT Foundation were please to pledge £750 towards a Lightwriter with Dectalk for a gentleman who has speech problems caused by the effects of Parkingsons Disease.

June 2007 The ACT Foundation was approached by The Daisy Chain Project to help towards funding their Day Centre. Daisy Chain is based in Stockton-on-Tees and provides help and support for children with Autism and their families. The centre will eventually include an overnight respite facility. We were happy to pledge an grant of £5000 which will be used towards furniture and equipment for the centre.

June 2007 We received an application for a grant from a lady in Shropshire who had suffered Polio as a child and was having difficulty with independant feeding. We were able to grant an award of £750 which was used to help purchase a Neater Eater. A Neater Eater is an electric feeder that is programmed to serve food. It has many different operating modes to choose from for the movement of the spoon & for turning the plate and can be programmed for up to 5 individuals.

June 2007 We were very pleased to be able to help Treloar Trust by awarding a grant of £13790. The grant is being used to purchase a My Tobii eye gaze computer system which will allow the individual to operate a computer just by looking at the screen. One unit can serve many individuals by a quick and automatic calibration which is then stored as a personal file.

May 2007 The ACT Foundation was pleased to pledge a grant of £750 to young man who was injured in a road traffic and left a Tetraplegic. This man was having difficulty driving his adaped car due to lower limb spasms but had been using a MOTOmed exercise machine at the day centre he was attending, which had help reduce these spasms. The grant will be used towards the purchase one of the specialist exercise machines for the man to use in his home.

May 2007 We were happy to grant a donation of £320 to a boy of 10 from Enfield who is an insulin dependent Diabetic and whose parents are both disabled. The grant was used so that he would go on a respite break with Diabetes UK

May 2007 A grant of £500 was used to help an elderly couple from Scotland buy a power pack for their daughters wheelchair. The couple's daughter has Downs Syndrome and lives in a residential home. They visit her every day but had recently found taking her out in the wheelchair difficult due to their own poor health.

May 2007 The Orchardville Society is based in Belfast and is commited to working to ensure that a range of appropriate quality opportunities for social, personal and vocational develoment are made available to people with learning disabilities. We were approached to help fund catering equipment in a kitchen to train young people to give them skills used in the catering profession. We were pleased to grant £2,500 towards this project.

April 2007 The ACT Foundation was pleased to offer support to The Hollybank Trust by pledging £50,000. Our grant will help towards building Cliffe House which will be a home for life, for six adults with profound physical and learning difficulties.

April 2007 £1395 was granted to a young man with cerebral palsy to help fund a Mighty Mo communication aid. The aid will help him to integrate more fully into society, and he has recently been successfully interviewed for a part time post working for a charity.

March 2007 The ACT Foundation have pledged £5,000 to The Essex Autistic Society to help towards building residential accomodation for three adult service users with complex needs.

March 2007 A grant of £1342 was used to purchase automated window openers for a gent in the North West who suffers from Muscular Dystrophy. Having this equipment will enable the man to manage his own environment and comfort levels.

March 2007 We were very please to be able to pledge an award of £10,000 to The Garwood Foundation. The grant will be used to help fund a new annex to Rutherford School, which is a special school catering for children aged between 2 and 12 who have profound and multiple learning and physical disabilities.

February 2007 The ACT Foundation were please to pledge an award of £1000 to PICS (Parents Information & Contact Service) which will help fund a group stay at The Calvert Trust. The Calvert Trust is a centre specially equipped to allow disabled guests take part in activities they may otherwise be excluded from.

February 2007 Thrive is a national charity, founded in 1978, and makes use of gardening to change the lives of disabled people. They approached The ACT Foundation for a grant towards their Secret Garden Appeal and received a pledge of £2,500.

February 2007 The ACT Foundation were happy to support the extension of the Sussex Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Centre by pledging £5,000 towards their appeal. Part of the extension will provide a larger excercise room which currently only allows 7 people per class.

January 2007 - The Dame Hannah Rogers School provides a boarding school education for children with profound physical disabilities and has been been working with young children for over 200 years. The ACT Foundation were pleased to pledge an award of £30,000 towards an project to upgrade the bedrooms and bathing facilities for the students.

January 2007 - We received an application for a grant to fund a respite break for a disabled lady from The Midlands. ACT were happy to pledge £440 towards a break at a John Grooms specialist hotel catering for people with a disability.

January 2007 - The ACT Foundation were pleased to pledge support of £1695 towards an excercise machine for a 35 year old gent from Scotland. The Thera Live machine will allow this severely disabled man to passively move his limbs which in turn will help improve his circulation.

December 2006 - A grant of £749 was used to purchase a piece of specialist play equipment called a Super Pethna training aid for a seven year old girl from the Birmingham area who has Autism and a profound learning difficulty.

December 2006 - The ACT Foundation pledged a grant of £5,000 to The Cedar Foundation which is a charity based in Northern Ireland and works with people with physical disablilities. The grant was used to purchase furniture and fittings to a residential facility.

November 2006 - 29th November saw the opening of the new sportsclub at WAMDSAD which The ACT Foundation pledged a donation of £5,000 towards in March of this year. The aim of WAMDSAD is to provide sports and recreation and an active social environment for their members, who are both disabled and able bodied.

November 2006 - ACT were happy to pledge £1,250 to St Albans Junior PHAB Club towards funding a residential trip to a specialist centre for some of their members. PHAB Club is a registered charity whose aim is to bring children with phisical disabilities together with able bodied children to take part in activities together.

November 2006 - We received an application for a grant for a little boy from Wales who suffers from a rare condition called Smith-Magenis Syndrome. This little boy has severe feeding difficulties and the grant was used to purchase a special unbreakable mirror which would be used to promote imitation and also encourage him to touch and taste new foods.

November 2006 - The ACT Foundation pledged £10,000 to Inspire towards their Boulevard Project. The Boulevard Project will provide training, recreational and social activities for people with learning disablilities from North East of Scotland.

October 2006 - The ACT Foundation were pleased to grant an award of £1950 towards the cost of a Cougar Electric Cycle for a gentleman from Derby who surrers from Muscular Dystrophy

October 2006 - A grant of £525 was awarded to the parents of a 10 year old boy from Lanarkshire who suffers from Angelman Syndrome and epilepsy . This young boy wakes frequently through the night and the grant was used to purchase a heated water matress which will comfort and help him to sleep

September 2006 - ACT pledges £2,500 for specialist communication system for a man with Cerebral Palsy

September 2006 - Helen Ley House is a specialist nursing home in Leamington Spa, which offers respite care for people with Multiple Sclerosis. ACT awarded a grant of £4,800 to help towards their much needed refurbishment.

September 2006 - The ACT Foundation were please to pledge £2,500 towards a specialist bath for a 10 year old girl from Chesterfield who has a rare chromosomal abnormality and other complex disabilities.

August 2006 - We are delighted to announce that Trustees of The ACT Foundation have approved an award of £50,000 towards the cost of a new residential block for Prior's Court Foundation based in Thatcham, Berkshire. Priors Court is a school which caters for children between the ages of 5 and 19 who have been diagnosed as being on the Autistic Spectrum.

August 2006 - The ACT Foundation took pleasure in awarding £4,500 to BASIC (Brain and Spinal Injury Centre) based in Salford near Manchester. The grant was used to purchase a specialist exercise chair for use in their auto-therapy gym, BodyBASIC at the Neuro Care Centre.

August 2006 - Cam Sight is a registered charity based in Cambridge which supports local visually impaired people to live independently. The ACT Foundation awarded a grant of £1,000 towards their Living Skills Training which covers food preparation and cooking in a specially designed kitchen. The grant was used to buy kitchen equipment which included a talking microwave.

July 2006 - ACT grants £ 5,450 for half the cost of a specialist wheelchair for a teenager from Chesterfield with cerebral palsy.

July 2006 - The Act Foundation was pleased to donate £2,000 to West Sussex Mind towards a conversion which will provide 3 extra counselling rooms and two group meeting rooms.

June 2006 - Scope is granted £5,000 to buy equipment for Rutland House School which is a special school for children with cerebral palsy.

June 2006 - The ACT Foundation awards a grant of £2.000 to United Response which will be used to purchase communication aids for disabled with no speech.

May 2006 - Rehability in Co. Antrim receives grant of £1,500 towards new computer system.

May 2006 - ACT pledges £10,000 to The Federation of London Youth Clubs towards converting wheelchair accessible accommodation at Woodrow High House .

May 2006 - MENCAP in Ipswich is pledged £2,500 towards extension to a bungalow which will provide respite care.

March 2006 - ACT pledges £10,000 to The Eyeless Trust to help fund respite holidays for blind children

March 2006 - WAMSDAD receives a grant of £5,000 towards a new sports hall for the disabled.

February 2006 - ACT is delighted to announce the extension of its partnership with Treloar by extending its funding of the rehabilitation engineering unit for a further 3 years at a cost of £500,000. In addition ACT has pledged a further £500,000 towards new halls of residence at Treloar College.

January 2006 - Ovingdean Hall School for the deaf receives a grant of £7,237 towards a performing arts studio

December 2005 - The Link Centre for Deafened People is awarded a grant of £10,000

December 2005 - The Trinity Appeal for the homeless in Winchester is awarded a grant of £5,000 towards a new hostel

November 2005 - Mike Street OBE is appointed Chairman of The ACT Foundation following the retirement of Ted Gostling.

November 2005 - ACT awards The Hampshire Autistic Society £5,000 to help set up an IT learning suite

September 2005 - ACT awards a £4,300 grant to SIGN to provide sign language resources to deaf children

August 2005 - Action For Kids is awarded a grant of £100,000 towards its appeal to raise money for new premises.

July 2005 - ACT donates £100,000 to The National Star College in Cheltenham to help fund Cleeve Bungalow a new childrens home on the site.

June 2005 - ACT awards Holyport Manor School in Maidenhead a grant of £7,706 to purchase a "smart wheelchair".

May 2005 - Brighton Society for the Blind are awarded a grant from ACT of £4,177 to fund equipment for the blind.

April 2005 - Corbet Tey School, Essex, a specialist school for children with disabilities are awarded a grant of £20,000 by ACT to fund a sensory room and library.

April 2005 - Wavemakers sponsored by ACT holds its national awards ceremony at the Sound Café in Leicester Square.

April 2005 - ACT renews its partnership with Whizz Kidz and increases support to £100,000.

March 2005 - The Lord Tunnicliffe is appointed as a Trustee. Denis Tunnicliffe joined BOAC as a pilot after graduating with a maths degree from University College London. He flew for 6 years before joining the management team of British Airways and he held senior positions in industrial relations, planning, procurement, marketing and strategy. In 1988 he became Managing Director of London Underground and served in that role for ten years before becoming chairman of LU and the Chief Executive of London Transport, a position he held until its break up in the year 2000. In 2002 he joined the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority and was for two years its part-time non-executive chairman. On 1 April 2003 Denis became part-time non-executive Chairman of the Rail Safety and Standards Board, and more recently joined the House of Lords as a Labour working peer.

February 2005 - SENSE are awarded a grant of £11,300 to help with the refurbishment costs to a care home for the deaf blind.

February 2005 - ACT awards a grant of £4,155 to The Rochadale Cycling Club to buy a rickshaw to allow disabled children to enjoy cycling with the club.

February 2005 - ACT awards The Disabilities Trust a grant of £25K to furnish its newly completed rehabiliation unit in Ely.

January 2005 - Airways Charitable Trust Limited announces that it has changed its name to The ACT Foundation. See our Press/Web Release for more information.

November 2004 - ACT provides a £200K grant to Seeability (www.seeability.org), formerly the Royal School for the Blind, towards the construction of Windmill Court in Honiton, Devon, which will provide 8 supported living apartments for young adults with disabilities.

November 2004 - ACT provides a £50K grant to Hollybank Trust (www.hollybanktrust.org.uk) towards the refurbishment of a new residential unit in West Yorkshire for young adults with disabilities.

November 2004 - ACT agrees to partner with John Grooms (www.johngrooms.org.uk) and Dame Hannah Rogers School (www.damehannah.com) in Devon to provide post school residential units for young adults with disabilities.

October 2004 - Royal School for the Deaf, Cheadle are awarded £10,000 towards the cost of funding and equipping a sports hall www.rsdmanchester.org

October 2004 - ACT awards the Orpheus Centre, a residential school for the disabled in Surrey, a grant of £16,400 to fund disabled access conversion costs www.orpheus.org.uk

August 2004 - ACT pledges £1m to White Lodge for the rebuilding of its respite cottage.

August 2004 - ACT partners with Whizz Kidz for the provision of mobility aids for disabled children.

July 2004 - ACT provides £500K over 3 years to Treloar Trust to help fund the Rehabilitation Engineering Unit.

July 2004 - ACT to fund the refurbishment of Willow and Jasmine, children's houses, for The Children's Trust

June 2004 - ACT pledges £100K towards the new International Children's Hospital at Moorfields

May 2004 - Our new website goes live.

May 2004 - ACT purchases school in Sao Paolo for the use of Meninis do Morumbi

April 2004 - ACT becomes the first grant partner for Wavemakers (previously Child of Achievement).