The Roxi Foundation hosted a fantastic fundraising fiesta at The King and Queen in Highworth, writes Ele Spreckley.
The Roxi Foundation’s mission is to help Swindon’s young people who may be neurodiverse get timely and accurate diagnosis.
Their journey started because of Roxi, founder Matt Pound’s daughter. Roxi excelled at school but had anxiety related to attending and had incredibly impulsive thoughts. Matt and the family fought for answers to help Roxi, who told them she didn't want to live.
Eventually she was referred to have an Autistic Spectrum Condition assessment; however, the wait for that was 18 months. After the diagnosis she was finally given some help but there was still more to it. Roxi was later referred for an ADHD assessment but the wait time again was going to be over 12 months.
The family made the decision to go private and the diagnosis was made within 6 weeks. Upon receiving her diagnosis appropriate medication and support was given. Roxi’s life changed and the difference was unbelievable, she was focussed, attending school, revising and is on track for good GCSE results this summer.
The foundation’s wish is that every neurodiverse person receives the support they need to thrive and this is what they are fundraising for.
As you approached The King and Queen you were greeted by welcoming and colourful balloons. The pub was filled with happy faces decorated with gorgeous glitter and face paint. Following the chatter and excitement through to the garden you could see that the joy continued. Colourful bunting guided you out towards a stage where throughout the day speeches were made, raffles were announced and live music was performed.
But could all this be overstimulating? With neurodiversity at the heart of The Roxi Foundation, the organisers made sure that there was an accessible sensory space. As you entered the quiet space you could feel the peace which came with it. There was an area with calming colouring activities as you entered followed by an enclosed dark area, lit up with colour changing lights and filled with comfortable blow up seating for anyone who wanted some peace or needed a moment.
Founder Matt expressed to me at the end of the day that he knew the day was a success because there were lots of neurodiverse people in attendance at an event which isn’t normally accessible for them.
Taking you back to the outside fiesta, the space was filled with sunshine and activities including fabulous fete classics like the lucky dip, hook a duck and smack a rat. Food and drinks were available throughout the event. Dizzy Donuts, GlamoRose Cakes and jacket potatoes.
The event transitioned perfectly from daytime to early evening with the raffle and speeches being followed by a live saxophonist and DJ creating an incredible live house combo. The floor space quickly filled with people of all ages dancing and appreciating the music.
Highlights of the event were special guest appearances made by fan favourite Bluey! Children (and adults) lit up as they interacted with the character. Another highlight was the raffle announcement, participants cheered for joy celebrating when they won. The raffle had 18 incredible prizes donated by local businesses. One woman shouted "YES! YES! YES!" as her number was announced.
The event was an overwhelming success, and there is hope for many more accessible events like this to come as The Roxi Foundation grows and supports Swindon’s neurodiverse community.
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