Festive Fundraiser

Flamingo Chicks is passionate about using the physical and wellbeing benefits of volunteering to improve health and quality of life, provide opportunities for education, to increase skills and creativity – in particular to socially isolated, older and disabled volunteers.

YOUR help this Christmas, would fund our Queen’s Award Winning, Intergenerational volunteer programme to provide a range of opportunities including:

• Care home art workshops for 20 residents –  making sensory props with knitting and crochet and painting backdrops to brighten classes.  
• Term-long Work Experience for 10 x post-16 disabled students
• Agents Of Change 2 Youth Council meetings for 40 change-makers, breaking down barriers to inclusion and fighting for a fair future for disabled children
• Tree Planting days at 2 settings where we deliver classes (such as Children's' Hospice South West), getting volunteers out into the fresh air and improving local community spaces, whilst enhancing our planet

We are thankful to have 506 intergenerational volunteers actively involved in our work.

Why? 

We are experiencing a record high in demand for our work and have managed a 48% increase in the number of children through our workshops along with regular classes up by 25%.

At the same time, isolation, loneliness and depression have reached record highs following Covid-19 with the British Journal of General Practice reporting substantial increases in anxiety and loneliness in over-60s. Disabled people are also significantly underrepresented in volunteering.

Our programme has dual impact: combatting social isolation amongst through inclusive volunteering AND directly supporting disabled children to enjoy regular physical activity with their peers. The project fosters connectedness, reduces loneliness and supports mental wellbeing.

• 100% of disabled volunteers felt volunteering with Flamingo Chicks had a positive impact on their mental health. 
• 67% of over 55's said volunteering had a positive impact on their sense of belonging to the community. 
• 85% of volunteers said FC had made them re-evaluate what disabled children/adults are capable of. 

“We love our volunteering partnership with Flamingo Chicks. It gives our residents focus and purpose, they absolutely love being able to enjoy expressing their creativity knowing it will help disabled children dance. They’ve been making sensory props and it gives them so much joy to imagine the young people being transported to magical worlds thanks to their artistic talents. It has really boosted morale and helped us engage a wider range of residents in arts activities.” Abbie Ward, Activities Co-Ordinator at Badminton Place