An organisation which aims to put thousands of smiles on faces is celebrating after benefitting from two grants which will help it continue to do good work throughout the county.
Absolutely Together, which is part of the Absolutely Leisure Group, a registered charity, works with families who have children and young adults with additional needs. It provides these families with free access to exciting activities, which they may otherwise be unable to enjoy.
The first grant of £13,000 has been received from the Wooden Spoon charity and will enable Absolutely Together to purchase two twin-seat karts, one of which will be located at the karting track at Rogue Leisure in Aylesbury. The specialist karts give those with additional needs the chance to experience the thrill or karting by having as much control as possible, or by being a passenger whilst a Rogue Leisure instructor whizzes them safely around the track.
Absolutely Together has also received a £4,000 grant from the Heart of Bucks Foundation, which aims to improve the lives of those in the county. The grant will be used to provide free leisure vouchers to the families Absolutely Together supports. The vouchers can be used at all of Rogue Leisure’s facilities, as well as a wide range of other local attractions, such The Goat Centre and Odeon Cinema.
David Brind, Group Manager at Absolutely Leisure, commented:
“Those who have children and young people with additional needs often face physical and financial restrictions on the activities they are able to enjoy as a family, which can lead to social isolation, mental health problems and an inability to get their children active. Through Absolutely Together, and in particular our 1,000s of Smiles campaign, we aim to change that and give these families experiences they can enjoy and cherish, whether that’s a game of bowling, a few laps of karting, a visit to the theatre, or a trip to a local attraction.
“A huge thank you to the Wooden Spoon charity and the Heart of Bucks Foundation for their generous grants. The funding really will help us reach and help more families in the local area.”
Those who would like to participate in Absolutely Together’s scheme and receive free access to leisure facilities simply need to email smiles@absolutely-group.co.uk.