The Access Group raises £376k for National Deaf Children's Society

The Access Group have raised a total of £376,495 for the National Deaf Children’s Society as its chosen Charity of The Year.

A leading charity for the UK’s 50,000 deaf children, the National Deaf Children’s Society specialises in providing support, information and advice for deaf children and young people and their families, as well as advice for professionals working with them.

Access Group employees voted for the National Deaf Children’s Society as their charity of the year after a compelling nomination from two Access employees, Adam and Kayleigh Freeman, whose three-year-old son Henry was born profoundly deaf and had received life-changing support from the charity.

The funds raised is after 2 years of fundraising by Access Group staff with every pound raised matched by The Access Group.

All funds raised will help the National Deaf Children’s Society to continue providing a range of vital services for deaf children and young people and their families. In addition, the money raised could also fund some of the charity’s initiatives, such as Deaf Works Everywhere, the charity’s campaign to support deaf young people to achieve fulfilling careers, Deaf Child Worldwide, which helps deaf children and young people access education in some of the world’s most disadvantaged communities, and the Make a Change Fund, which awards grants to deaf young people for community projects.

During the charity partnership, Access Group staff will be providing ongoing support to the National Deaf Children’s Society team by sharing their expertise in business software solutions on a pro bono basis. In return, the National Deaf Children’s Society has been delivering deaf awareness and British Sign Language workshops to The Access Group staff.

Chris Bayne, CEO of The Access Group, said: “I am astounded by the amount our people have raised for the National Deaf Children’s Society, a charity that is so important to us. It’s a testament to how much the team has been touched by Henry’s story as well as how other children are affected by deafness in the UK.

“Giving back is something that’s so important to us as a business which is why we elect a Charity of the Year. Giving our people the chance to decide which charity to support always makes it that extra bit special as it means the whole team can get behind a cause they’re really passionate about. The National Deaf Children’s Society does such vital work to support deaf children, and we’ve seen firsthand how they’ve supported Adam, Kayleigh and Henry. We’re so pleased to be able play our part in helping the charity continue its great work. An exciting new Access Foundation will be launched this year giving us the opportunity to expand our charitable support in the UK and the Asia-Pacific region.”

Susan Daniels OBE, Chief Executive of the National Deaf Children’s Society, said:

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone at The Access Group for a truly fantastic partnership. It’s been an absolute pleasure to have worked with you over the past couple of years.

“The astonishing sum you’ve raised will enable us to carry on building a world without barriers for every deaf child, from providing parenting courses for the families of deaf children, to supporting deaf schoolchildren through our dynamic roadshow, to giving sign language lessons to teachers in India.

“Finally, I’d like to give a big shout-out to little Henry, who has kept us all inspired and entertained throughout lockdown, and his wonderful parents, Kayleigh and Adam. Without them, this incredible partnership may never have happened.”