The Octopus Foundation is a charitable organisation based in Medway. Established in 2016 by 4 Directors, 2 of whom are directly involved in the day-to-day management and face-to-face delivery of the organisation. Between us, we have over 75 years of community work experience.
The Octopus Foundation works with those who are often on the periphery of mainstream service provision and can ‘fill the gap’ often left by over-prescribed services. We also work with those who just want to get out, meet new people and either try something new or revisit something old!
Office: 01634 712884
Mobile: 07513 045198
The Octopus Foundation is a charitable organisation based in Medway. Established in 2016 by 4 Directors, 2 of whom are directly involved in the day to day management and face to face delivery of the organisation. Between us, we have over 75 years of community work experience. We have worked with vulnerable people experiencing a diverse range of issues and challenging behaviours. Engaging children from the age of 5 through to centenarians, our beneficiaries include children with behaviour problems affecting their education, young offenders within the criminal justice system, adults with autism and other learning difficulties and those living with dementia. Mental health experience includes those suffering from depression, those who self-harm or are at risk of suicide, those previously or currently experiencing childhood or domestic abuse, addiction, and a range of diagnosed mental health conditions. We have also had first-hand experiences with mental health illnesses and the recovery process, from varying personal and professional perspectives which is invaluable for genuine empathy and understanding.
Volunteers are also recruited to support our delivery and are essential to it. Our current volunteers have a wealth of life experience as well as knowledge and experience of mental health issues. This, combined with their practical craft skills, enables us to deliver a broader range of activities using varying specialisms. Their input is invaluable to The Octopus Foundation. We often recruit our volunteers from within our own projects, as a constructive progression route from their participation in a programme. We believe this to be an innovative and positive recruitment process as our volunteers already have a good understanding of our methodology and ethos, as well as being genuinely empathic to the needs of new beneficiaries.
The Octopus Foundation has delivered several grant-funded initiatives, including those from The National Lottery, Comic Relief, Kent Community Foundation, Groundwork Kent & Medway, The Pargiter Trust, The Henry Smith Charity, Chatham Maritime Trust, The Allen Lane Foundation, The Colyer Fergusson Charitable Trust and the Co-op Community Fund. We have an excellent record of project management including monitoring, evaluation and reporting.
The Octopus Foundation works with those who are often on the periphery of mainstream service provision and can ‘fill the gap’ often left by over prescribed services. We also work with those who just want to get out, meet new people and either try something new or revisit something old!
Our primary goal is to improve mental health and emotional wellbeing by building confidence, skills, independence and resilience of people who have or who are at higher risk of having health issues, by providing opportunities for them to come together, share experiences and give to others.
We work collaboratively with local authority services, national charities and other charitable organisations which share a similar ethos; to support those who are often on the periphery of mainstream or popular service provision. Organisations we work with include; Medway Council, Medway Maritime Hospital, Kent & Medway Armed Forces Network, Medway Social Isolation Network, Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI), ‘wHoo Cares’, WALT, Slough Fort, The Paramount Foundation and Kent Muslim Welfare Association. We have built strong links within our community which is crucial to the success of our projects and our development moving forwards.
Office: 01634 712884
Mobile: 07513 045198
