Posted on Monday 30 Sep

Kayaks, or the Kids and Young Adults Klub special needs support group, is one of many charities which have been helped by the Hays Travel Foundation. The charity was offered a grant of ten thousand pounds to help take a large group of members of all ages away for a week of fun at Thurston Outdoor Education Centre.

We recently visited Kayaks recently to see how they were getting on after the trip to Thurston and handed out certificates to those who went on the adventure. Mandy Sousa, Manager of the Hays Travel Foundation said:“ It was lovely to hear the stories from their recent visit to Thurston, which the Foundation’s grant supported. Some of the children had never stayed away from home before, never climbed trees, lots formed new friendships.”

Malcom Osbourne, Chair of Kayaks, said: “For us as a charity funding is often difficult to come by. We’re in competition with others but for us to be granted an opportunity to go to a place like Thurston, from a very local foundation – it was one of these opportunities which very rarely comes along - we were so pleased that we have got it and for us it means the world. We would like to thank the Hays Travel Foundation. Without foundations like the Hays Foundation we couldn’t carry on doing what we do. We really appreciate it.”

Posted on Monday 07 Oct

Creative Kids works to advance education in the UK by promoting arts opportunities and providing recreational activities to young people, empowering them to achieve their full potential.

In June this year, the Hays Travel Foundation granted Creative Kids £8,000 to help support their afterschool programme. With crucial funding coming to an end, the donation received will allow the charity to allow 14 children to continue taking part in their afterschool programme.

Creative Kids founder, Cary Lightfoot, had this to say about our help – “The Hays Foundation has given local children in need a very special opportunity to access free arts education during the school holidays and after school. The grant fund has made a significant difference to parents who are struggling either financially, emotionally or physically - this is evident in the positive feedback we receive from both parents and children and noticeable improvements in children's confidence and overall wellbeing”.

This is the second year we have supported this programme and we are really pleased to hear all the positive stories about the impact the project has on the children and their families.

Posted on Monday, Sep 30

Wetwheels Foundation aims to build the confidence of disabled people by offering them the opportunity to access the sea in a fun, safe, stimulating and rewarding way using specially modified, fully accessible powerboats.

This year, the Hays Travel foundation granted the charity £5,000 to help with the running costs of 10 days of Wetwheels events in the North East and Yorkshire area. We recently visited the project and experience first-hand the impact it has on young people. Some of the children have life limiting conditions and for them, feeling the speed of the boat, the smell of the ocean breeze and the touch of the sea is an unforgettable experience.

Peter Richardson, Chairman and founding director of Wetwheels Yorkshire CIC, said this after our visit: “It was really great to receive the support that we got. The grant we received set us on the right path this year, allowing us to get lots of young disable people on the water”.

We were really impressed with the impact that this activity has on the children and look forward to hearing more about the success stories the charity will have.