Entertainment Swindon

The Roxi Foundation hosted a fantastic fundraising fiesta at The King and
Queen in Highworth on Saturday 3rd August. The venue was filled with happy faces decorated with gorgeous glitter and face paint. Colourful bunting guided you out towards a stage where live music was performed throughout the day.

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 calm. An area with calming colouring activities led into an enclosed dark area, lit up with colour-changing lights and filled with comfortable seating for anyone who needed a space to self-regulate. Founder Matt said, “For us, the day was a success because there were lots of neurodiverse people in attendance at an event which isn’t normally
accessible for them.”

The sun shone all day with activities including fete classics like lucky dip, hook-a-duck and smack-a-rat. Refreshments were available all day from delicious doughnuts, ice cream and sweets to jacket potatoes, all from local vendors.

The event transitioned perfectly from daytime to early evening with a raffle draw and speeches being followed by a live saxophonist and DJ creating an incredible live house combo which had people of all ages dancing to the music.

Special appearances from fan favourites Bluey, Belle and Ariel had children and adults lit up as they interacted with the characters. Participants cheered for joy celebrating when they won the raffle,
which had 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 more accessible events like this to come.

To find out more visit http://www.theroxifoundation.co.uk.