Charity spotlight: Ataxia and Me

At A Good Thing, charities are what drive us forward. We were set up in order to boost brilliant UK charitable causes that are delivering powerful and much-needed work right across the country. We knew there can be a lot of wealth (and waste) sitting within businesses, and we also knew how great the need was within the UK charitable sector.

We currently have thousands of brilliant good causes registered with the A Good Thing platform, but we’d like to pick just one on this occasion to highlight: Ataxia and Me.

Who are Ataxia and Me?

Ataxia and Me is run by patients, for patients. It offers to support to those with ataxia – and also to those who care for them.

We passed the mic over to Alan Thomas, founder of the charity and someone living with Ataxia, to tell us a bit more about the condition and the birth of the charity. Ataxia is a rare disease, and (as Alan emphasises) “is not a foreign taxi!” In fact, it is “the most serious health condition you’ve never heard of.”

Originating from the Greek term ‘a taxis’, ataxia is the word used to describe a group of neurodegenerative diseases that affect balance and coordination. Unfortunately, ataxia is an incurable condition which gets progressively worse over time, meaning those living with the disease become more reliant on others for their needs.

 Diving into how the charity works, Alan explains:

“Ataxia and Me is a small charity based in west Wales, with a global following! We are a charity established by and run by patients and volunteers.”

The charity has transformed over the years, but its roots have remained the same, as Alan tell us:

“We set the charity up to be as flexible and positive as we could, although we don’t have the normal (rigid) membership: we are very fluid, and people can come and go at their own pace. We know that patients with a rare health condition can feel overwhelmed with information. We are a place to welcome anybody, and to convey information at a time that the patient, family member or carer needs – to empower them to live with a ‘life-limiting’ rare disease.”

Over the years, Ataxia and Me has been working hard to raise awareness of ataxia in many different ways, as Alan explains:

“We have found it very useful to be invited to many health-related events, to present a talk or hold an information stand, or even take part in online seminars. Many of these are organised in the high-end rare disease, genetics and health world – which is evidence that we are doing something correct!”

Ataxia and Me and A Good Thing in partnership

Ataxia and Me has worked alongside A Good Thing for many years now, it was one of the first-ever charities to join the platform – and has been reaping the benefits of meaningful donations. Alan told us more about how this has blossomed:

“We heard about A Good Thing via social media and thought straightaway ‘what a great idea’! We got involved right away. To date, we have received many donations, including squishy taxis which we use to promote awareness at health-related events and which have been well received across the pharma community. We have also received donated umbrellas, which were passed on to community transport groups and older people’s groups.”

Alongside this, donated notebooks have been passed on to local writing and home-schooling groups to utilise; a variety of items including luxury boxes have been used to make hampers or “posh presents” which were spotted under a Christmas tree at a local restaurant.

A Good Thing and Ataxia and Me share the same goal of capitalising on business ‘waste’ and turning it into something useful. Alan echoes this by saying:

“We’re very creative and positive in using donations in the community to help others, and reusing items in many different ways.”

It’s brilliant to see the impact of these donations, especially when they help charities like Ataxia and Me to drive its mission forward. Donations via A Good Thing also extend the lifecycle of products, meaning less to landfill and more to a good cause!

How to support Ataxia and Me and other charities

We hope Ataxia and Me will continue benefiting from what the A Good Thing platform can offer for a long time to come. If your company has items gathering dust in your workplace, consider creating a free account with us so that you can make an impact on charities just like this one in your community.