We are delighted to introduce you to Stronger Voices Together, a podcast series dedicated to exploring the diverse world of disability and inclusion, brought to you by John Lyon’s Charity and hosted by blind broadcaster, journalist and disability activist Lucy Edwards.
Mark your calendars 📅 and get ready for A New Perspective, as our debut episode launches next Tuesday, 23rd April. Episodes will be released every two weeks and will be available audibly wherever you find your podcasts and can be watched on the John Lyon’s Charity website as well as on YouTube and Vimeo.
Through Stronger Voices Together, we aim to amplify the voices of D/deaf, visually impaired, neurodiverse, and disabled children and young adults, as well as their families, schools, and the organisations working with them.
In each episode, Lucy engages in dynamic conversations with experts, advocates, and young people, delving into critical topics and unravelling the narratives, challenges, and successes within the realm of disability.
We look forward to you joining us on this journey towards a more inclusive society, as we champion inclusive opportunities and promote positive change.
Join in the conversation and let us know your thoughts below! Stay tuned by following or subscribing to Stronger Voices Together wherever you find your podcasts and turning on your notifications to be notified when the first episode drops next Tuesday 🔔
At John Lyon’s Charity, every day is Children’s Day 💫
Today, on National Children’s Day, we join others across the country in celebrating children and championing their rights, wellbeing and potential.
At JLC, improving the life chances of children and young people across North and North West London isn’t just part of our mission; it’s been at the heart of everything we do for nearly 35 years.
Since 1991, we have approved 5,655 grants to 1,814 organisations and charities, supporting vital work that has reached countless children and young people. We are immensely proud of the impact these partnerships have made, and continue to make, in our communities.
We’re committed to taking our grantmaking even further – strengthening our support, deepening our impact and creating even more opportunities for young people to thrive.
Watch this space for what’s coming next 💫
The countdown to half-term starts now 🥅🏀🛝
If your organisation or special school is planning holiday activities during the May half term and need extra funding, we’re here to help.
Organisations can apply for up to £5,000 to support:
🌟Drop-in activities
⚽️Sports projects
🎨Arts activities
🎭Family activities
🚂Trips out of London.
Apply by 1st May 2026 to secure funding! Link in bio 🔗
📷: @scarabeusaerial by Amy Murrell
Meet the Team 💫 This week, we're spotlighting our Senior Communications and PR Manager Florence Battersby-Bates.
In this blog, Flo shares highlights from her journey in the world of PR, and reflects on the responsibility at the heart of charity communications. Drawing on her experience at John Lyon’s Charity and a decade in PR, she shares why storytelling is less about visibility and more about amplifying the voices of the organisations and communities we support; and how small, thoughtful communications can make a powerful difference.
You can find the full blog on our website - link in bio 🔗
Get to Know the C.O.O 👩🏼💼💫
Ever wondered what a typical day looks like for a Chief Operating Officer? Meet Amira Kadaan, the COO of John Lyon’s Charity.
In this blog, we sat down with Amira to learn more about her typical day as COO, her experience within the third sector, her advice for newcomers and her experience at John Lyon’s Charity so far.
Read the full blog via the link in our bio 🔗
Talking about money is rarely easy– especially for charities 💰
For many charities and community organisations, it can feel uncomfortable to ask for funding, difficult to justify costs, or daunting to put precise figures into a proposal.
Join us for the second instalment of our webinar series Chat with Matt, a one-hour interactive webinar designed to open up honest, practical conversations about budgets, costs, and funding requests.
Matt Keane, Partnerships & Capacity Building Manager, will be joined by Karen Millen, Director of Impact & Grant Practice. Together, they will share insights from a funder’s perspective, drawing on the real financial realities faced by charities and funders alike. This session creates space to explore those “tricky” questions about money in a supportive, transparent environment.
Register your free spot via the link in our bio 🔗
We asked primary school pupils about what they’re currently reading, their favourite books, and why reading matters. Here’s what they had to say 📚💫
💡Did you know: We filmed this video at The Hub @ Greenford Library, Ealing’s newest community-managed library.
Saved from closure, the space has been revitalised by local residents in partnership with Young Ealing Foundation, transforming it into a vibrant hub offering far more than traditional library services.
The library is open 2x a week, and the space hosts community programmes including parent-carer coffee mornings, knit and natter, careers support, adult education, and children’s activities.
We are delighted to have supported @young_ealing on this partnership.
Head to @thehubatgreenfordlibrary to find an event near you💫
Happy International Children’s Book Day!🦁📚
At John Lyon’s Charity, it is our mission to support children and young people through education, and reading is a huge part of that.
Today we celebrate the magic of stories and the children who bring them to life.
To mark the occasion, John the Lyon paid a visit to The Hub @ Greenford, Ealing’s newest community-managed library 💫
Thank you to Stanhope Primary School for joining John the Lyon for a fun day at the library 📚
🙌 We loved delivering an inclusive communications training workshop with the wonderful team at @johnlyonscharity this month!
Together, we explored the science of communication, different communication styles, and practical ways to create more inclusive spaces in our everyday work 💬💛
Thank you for supporting icandance! It’s always inspiring working with a team so committed to inclusion and getting to be a part of influencing John Lyons Charity and the communities they serve.
This Neurodiversity Celebration Week, we are delighted to Lyonize our Office Assistant Intern: Lola!
Lola joined the Charity in September 2025 through our Inclusive Internship Initiative – offering internship placements for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Lola is a bright young woman with autism, who loves pizza, cycling and going to the gym. She has previously worked as a Nandoca at Nando’s, which gave her the people and organisational skills that supported her in role. Having successfully completed her internship with us, we sat down with Lola to learn more about her time at JLC, swipe to find out what she had to say.
It has been such a pleasure working with Lola and seeing her grow.
Stories like Lola’s are exactly why initiatives like our Inclusive Internship Initiative are so important. They help create meaningful opportunities for talented young people with SEND to gain workplace experience, build new skills and take the next steps in their careers.
We wish her all the best with her next role.
We've got a new film! Inspiring moments from children at Dairy Meadow Primary School in Southall who worked with poet-in-residence @mrbreis to find their voice, and their inner performance poet. It's part of our WordCraft project - performance poets in residence for primary schools, funded by John Lyon's Charity and supported by Ealing Learning Partnership. The best bit? BREIS is back in Dairy Meadow Primary School again this year!
👏 👏 👏
Did you know we will be working with over 5,000 children and young people this year? Each year, our performance poets go into classrooms, assemblies and libraries so that more young people can discover the power of their own voice and speak out. Watch this space to find out where our next poet in residence will be.
Thank you @benjonesfilms for capturing the energy of the brilliant Dairy Meadow children.
Hit the link in our bio to watch the full (6 min) film of these brilliant young poets nailing it.
🎬 ❤️ 📽️
#PoetsInSchools #ThinkBig #Southall #DairyMeadowPrimary #PoetEducators #BREIS #PerformancePoetry
Happy International Women’s Day 💜
Today, the team at John Lyon’s Charity is sharing photos of our younger selves - a reminder that every woman once started out as a girl with hopes, ambitions and big dreams. Those early aspirations are exactly why the work we support matters.
This year’s theme, “give to gain” is a powerful reminder of JLC’s mission: using grantmaking to expand the life chances of children and young people. Through the incredible organisations we fund, girls and young women are discovering their talents, building confidence and creating opportunities for their futures.
We’re proud to play a small part in supporting charities and organisations that help the next generation of girls believe in what’s possible.
Here’s to every girl with big dreams 💫
