AFK - Working With Disability

For the first time in AFK’s 30-year history, two women will lead the charity.

Miriam Deakin has been appointed Chair of the Board of Trustees, with Katie Cavanagh appointed Chief Executive Officer. Both take up their roles with immediate effect.

Together, they will lead AFK’s work supporting disabled children and young people with specialist mobility equipment, and helping neurodivergent young people move into paid employment.

Read more: https://www.afkcharity.org/stories/afk-appoints-first-woman-leadership-duo

Good luck Matt Coyne and Team Ivy! 💜🏊‍♀️🚴‍♀️🏃‍♀️

Tomorrow, Ivy and her brilliant team are taking on the Superhero Series Triathlon to raise money for AFK.

Brogan, Acer and Tali will be supporting Ivy around the course as they tackle a 150m swim, 3km bike and 1km push or run together.
They’ve already raised an incredible £1,250 for AFK, helping us support more disabled children and young people with the equipment and opportunities they need.

We’ll be cheering you on every step, pedal and splash of the way! 💜
Support Team Ivy and help them raise even more for AFK 👇
https://www.justgiving.com/page/ivytri

Team Ivy Triathlon for AFK - Working With Disability Help Matt Coyne raise money to support AFK - Working With Disability

AFK Beach is back for 2026! 🏐

This year, we’re switching it up with a new format, new locations and more chances to get your team on the sand.

We’re delighted to team up with and .uk to bring back our favourite summer fundraising event, helping us support disabled and neurodiverse children and young people.

We’re also winding back the clock with photos from AFK Beach 2023, a brilliant reminder of the teamwork, energy and summer spirit that makes this event so special.

AFK Charity Championships Day

🏐 Thursday 23 July, 10:00am to 5:00pm

SideOut Beach Volleyball Club, Leyton

London Bridge Evening Series

🏐 Friday 3 July, 5:30pm to 9:00pm
🏐 Friday 7 August, 7:00pm to 9:00pm
🏐 Friday 28 August, 7:00pm to 9:00pm

Marlborough Sports Garden, near London Bridge

Bring your colleagues together for mixed 5-a-side beach volleyball, team building and a brilliant summer social with purpose.

Find out more and enter a team: afkcharity/beach

See you on the sand.

🙏 Celebrating Our Amazing Employee Volunteers
This Volunteers Week, we want to take a moment to shine a spotlight on our incredible employer partners who support AFK. We are super grateful for the time you put in to enabling disabled and neurodiverse young people to access your workplace, gain employment skills, and improve their confidence and independence. Thank you for everything you do. You make a real difference. 

Small changes can remove big barriers.

This World Autism Acceptance Month, we’re focusing on how workplaces can better support autistic people to thrive.

Everyone experiences work differently. Adjustments should remove the barriers an individual faces, not follow a one-size-fits-all checklist.

Here are some workplace adjustments that can make a real difference:

• Flexible working
Fixed hours or locations can create barriers. Flexibility can help remove these.

• Clear structure and communication
Unclear tasks or changing expectations can create barriers. Clear instructions and consistency make a difference.

• Sensory environments
Noise, lighting or busy spaces can be overwhelming. Quieter spaces or small changes to lighting can help.

• Consistent workspaces
Hot desking can create barriers for some people. Having a consistent workspace can support comfort and focus.

These changes don’t just support autistic people, they help create better, more inclusive workplaces for everyone.

If you’re thinking about how your workplace could do more, we can help.
👉 https://www.afkcharity.org/our-services/edi/

Heading into the weekend with a callout to all the amazing Games Aid members to remember to vote for your selected charities soon. Your support makes a massive difference to charities like ours.
Meet T-Jay. He is 13 and has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. He loves gaming, swimming and going out with his friends. With the help of our funders AFK was able to fund this very special all-terrain powerchair. We were thrilled when his mum sent us this photo and massage.
"T-Jay is loving the chair! The amount of opportunities this has given T-Jay is endless! He loves to be able to get out and about with his dog Koda who he absolutely adores! He has been on a trip to a theatre in London to see the lion king with school which was an amazing experience for him. We can not thank you again for all your help, to most this is just a chair to use and TJ it’s his independence and means he can access the world like every one else".

We're proud to say that we have been shortlisted for the Games Aid2026-2027 charity partnership programme🎮♿️

Did you know that if you work or study in the UK Games Industry, you can register as a GamesAid member and be eligible to vote for AFK when the charity ballot opens on 13th April

You can register as a member at https://www.gamesaid.org/get-involved/become-a-member/ until 12th April. Its simple (and free)

We are currently receiving an unprecedented number of urgent requests for specialist mobility equipment for disabled children and young people from all around the UK so your support makes a huge difference. 💜