17th September 2025
Supporting Retirees with Burmantofts Community Friends
Working to Alleviate Social Isolation and Poverty
On the 10th of September, Axis team members visited Burmantofts Community Friends in Leeds to volunteer in support of their lunch club programme and present them with a monetary donation.
Burmantofts Community Friends is a charitable organisation based in one of the most deprived areas of Leeds that supports over 500 individuals aged 50 and over. They aim to reduce social isolation and poverty in the local area by delivering weekly activities, meals and affordable trips.
During the visit, Axis volunteers helped to serve their weekly lunch and host a game of bingo. We were also able to present Burmantofts Community Friends with a £1000 donation. £250 will go towards buying small Christmas gifts for their clients, the majority of whom are octogenarians, helping to combat the social isolation they face during the holidays. The remaining £750 will help fund a day trip to the coast in Spring 2026.
Thank you to the Axis team members who volunteered:
- Kate Thomson
- Vera O’Driscoll
- Emily Scott
- Sophie Hall
Following the visit, Kate said “We all had such a wonderful day and it’s amazing to see how much Burmantofts Community Friends means to all the lovely members.”
Team members from Burmantofts Community Friends expressed their gratitude for Axis’ support, with Volunteer Coordinator Sabahat Faris saying “On behalf of our entire staff team, volunteers & members we want to say thank you for your day with us yesterday. We’ve gotten lots of great feedback and we really appreciate everything you did yesterday and for your kind donation.”
This sentiment was echoed by CEO Tom Armstrong, who said “Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to travel to us and support our lunch club this week. Our members thoroughly enjoyed spending time with you, and the staff team had wonderful things to say about your help. It’s truly appreciated.”
We hope this visit will be the start of a long and fruitful relationship with Burmantofts Community Friends and provide an opportunity to support their efforts to improve the wellbeing of people in their community.
