Axis Volunteers Created a Calming, Sensory-Friendly Space for Students at Perrymount Primary School
From the 26-29th of August, a team of Axis apprentices volunteered to renovate ‘The Rainbow Room’ at Perrymount Primary School in collaboration with L&Q, Magic Makeovers and Amber Construction.
The Rainbow Room will serve as a sensory-friendly space for students with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) who need a calming space to decompress during the school day. It replaces a previous space that was small and unfit for purpose, offering a brighter, more spacious area that supports Perrymount’s mission of providing inclusive support for all students.
The project involved the removal of old décor including large cork boards, repainting the room in calming pastel colours and constructing new furniture to create areas for collaborative working areas and spaces for quiet activities such as reading.
Natalie Chant from Perrymount Primary School expressed her gratitude for the completion of the project and said:
“On behalf of our school community, we would like to extend our deepest gratitude to all our partners who have supported the creation of the Rainbow Room—a dedicated space for children who face challenges integrating into mainstream classrooms due to sensory and cognitive differences.
This nurturing environment is already making a profound difference, enabling children to develop vital survival language skills, strengthen social communication, and access an inclusive, neurodivergent pathway towards mainstream education.
The generosity, commitment, and collaboration shown by our partners have been truly life-changing for our children and their families. We are deeply moved by the impact this shared effort has created, and we thank you wholeheartedly for supporting us in this journey.”
Thank you to our apprentices listed below who worked hard to make the project possible. Also, colleagues Andy Pay and Phil Rogers who supported coordination and David Leonard who expertly supervised the apprentices throughout the week.
- Chace Barnett
- Benn Maggs
- Ebony Leon
- Moawia Mohamed
- Libbie Maggs
- Nancy Shrigley
- Alana Sanders
- Finlay McEnroe
In total, our apprentices contributed 224 volunteer hours to deliver this project. Not only will the renovation be of great benefit to the students of Perrymount Primary School, but it was also an enjoyable experience for the apprentices involved.
Chace said that “It was nice to see the change in the room, with the bright colours and overtime seeing the progress. It has been nice working on site with other Axis Apprentices and helping other people.”
This sentiment was echoed by other apprentices, including Mo, who said “This has been my first volunteering experience, and I’ve really enjoyed it, I’ve met new people and I’d never done painting before, but I’ve really enjoyed it.”
Apprentice Mentor David Leonard expressed his pride in the apprentices who took part, saying “Perrymount school, what a fantastic project! The apprentices who attended the redecoration of this room should be very proud of themselves. They turned up as some school leavers, first, second and third year apprentices and they left as a well oiled team who had to confidence to just get stuck in and help each other when needed and they all respected each other’s comments and took them on board.”
These reflections highlight the mutual benefit gained through our volunteering projects. At Axis, we encourage all our team members to get involved in volunteering and offer a paid day off every year to volunteer. Through this, our team members are able to not only provide valuable services to the community but also challenge themselves to develop new skills and connect with others.
