The Elizabeth Foundation

17/06/2026

Another exciting day here at The Elizabeth Foundation! Today, we were delighted to welcome Peter and his beautiful 1971 Triumph Stag, known as Staggy.

Before we headed outside to admire the car and hear the engine roar, Peter visited each of our classrooms to meet the children and answer some of their questions. They were eager to find out all about it – from what colour it was and whether it was noisy, to the all-important question of whether it had a roof that folds back like Peppa Pig's car!

Peter is part of an incredible community group known as JOOH Prom Service., which is made up of passionate car owners who generously offer free prom rides to young people around the general Hampshire area. Their kindness helps support families in our local communities who may not be in a position to hire a stretch limousine or Hummer, ensuring that more students can enjoy a memorable and special prom experience.

Thank you, Peter, for sharing Staggy with us. The children thoroughly enjoyed getting up close to such a wonderful classic car and they have been chatting non stop about it all afternoon.

17/06/2026

What an incredible day our preschoolers had yesterday exploring a massive double-decker bus!

The children were full of excitement as they climbed aboard and discovered all the different parts of the bus. Experiences like these spark curiosity, encourage questions, and bring learning to life in the most memorable way.

A huge thank you to Colin from Stagecoach for taking the time to visit us and make this fantastic learning experience possible. The children absolutely loved it, and it's safe to say there were plenty of future bus drivers among them!

15/06/2026

Over the past two weeks, our preschool children have been learning all about different modes of transport. Today, thanks to David from Infinite Origins Ltd, they were treated to a very special experience at The Elizabeth Foundation involving a real 18-tonne lorry!

Not only did David teach the children about staying safe around lorries – including identifying blind spots and listening out for the different sounds a lorry makes when turning left, right, or reversing – but each child also had the opportunity to operate the tail lift and even sit in the driver's seat, beeping the horn at our CEO, Julie, in her office!

To the children's delight, our two Teachers of the Deaf, Rachel and Aimée, had a turn riding on the tail lift, which certainly brought plenty of smiles and laughter.

A huge thank you to David for taking the time to visit us today and for giving our little ones such a memorable, hands-on learning experience. It was wonderful to see them putting their newly learned vocabulary into practice and bringing their topic of transport to life.

13/06/2026

Unfortunately, one of our teams can no longer make it to our upcoming Quiz Night. This means that we, unexpectedly, have one more table available.

If any of our supporters would be interested in forming a team of four and coming along, please get in touch with the Fundraising Team ([email protected]). Tickets are £40 for the team.

12/06/2026

We were thrilled to welcome Tamsin from Edtech.Direct to The Elizabeth Foundation yesterday. Tamsin came for a tour of our Family Centre, and to see how we use technology to support young deaf children learning in our classrooms.

Tamsin brought in some of the products that Edtech stock, and even got a chance to treat some of our little ones to an impromptu demonstration from Cubetto, a cute little robot that has been designed as a screen-free introduction to coding for young children!

12/06/2026

We were saddened to hear of the passing of David Hockney, one of Britain's most celebrated artists and a proud Bradfordian.

In 2000, David kindly agreed to become Patron of The Elizabeth Foundation's Bradford centre for its first year, helping to launch a vital service for deaf children and their families. As someone who experienced significant hearing loss himself, he understood the importance of early support and communication, saying he was "delighted to be associated with the new centre and the opportunities it will bring to children and their families."

While our Bradford centre is no longer operating, the vision behind that service lives on. Through our online programme, Let's Listen and Talk, and our annual summer programme, we now support families of deaf babies and preschool children across the UK from our base in Portsmouth.

We are grateful for David's support during an important chapter in our history and extend our condolences to his family, friends and all those inspired by his extraordinary life and work.

12/06/2026

The countdown is officially on for The Elizabeth Foundation's Summer Fayre!

Join us for a fantastic day packed with games, activities, stalls, tombolas, refreshments, and plenty of opportunities to catch up with old friends and make new ones. We're especially looking forward to welcoming back many of our former pupils and families for what promises to be a wonderful community celebration.

📅 Date: Sunday 5 July
🕒 Time: 11:00am – 1:00pm
📍 Location: The Elizabeth Foundation

We're thrilled to announce that we'll be joined by the brilliant Adam the Magic Music Man, who will be putting on a truly magical show for our little ones. The fabulous Dream Team will also be returning with everyone's favourite characters, and we'll be enjoying fantastic live music from the Wildcat Wailers. We're also delighted that Hampshire Police will be joining us on the day.

🎟️ Grand Raffle Prizes Include:
⭐ Two Sunday tickets to Victorious Festival
⭐ Four tickets to We Will Rock You
⭐ Four tickets to Dorset Adventure Park
⭐ Four tickets to Thorpe Lakes
⭐ Two tickets to Goodwood Horse Racing
⭐ And many more fantastic prizes!

Can't make it on the day? No need to worry! You can still support The Elizabeth Foundation and be in with a chance of winning one of our amazing prizes by purchasing raffle tickets online:

👉 https://elizabeth-foundation.org/product/grand-summer-draw-tickets-2026/

We can't wait to see you there!

11/06/2026

We have received a grant from Awards For All – part of the National Lottery to support our project, “Vocal Foundations: Cornerstones of Community Inclusion”.

Funding will help us to deliver our on-going family-support project , helping anxious families from the point of a child’s diagnosis of deafness. We will welcome families with deaf babies and toddlers, providing them with practical strategies and empathetic guidance to develop communication, knowledge and emotional resilience, with families building new friendships within a caring community that will enable them to thrive together.

11/06/2026

Have you got your August Bank Holiday sorted?

If not, we've got some exciting news! Thanks to the generosity of Victorious Festival, we're giving away two tickets for Sunday 30 August as part of our upcoming Summer Fayre Grand Raffle.

For your chance to win, simply purchase your raffle tickets using the link below. Not only could you be heading to one of the South Coast's biggest festivals, but you'll also be supporting The Elizabeth Foundation at the same time.

🎟️ Get your tickets here: https://elizabeth-foundation.org/product/grand-summer-draw-tickets-2026/

Victorious 2026 weekend is going to be HUGE 💥 we recently added over 200 acts, including the incredible Indie icons White Lies ✨

We've also announced, brand new areas: Little Johnny Russell's pub & The Bandstand presented by Wightlink Isle of Wight Ferries 🙌

Plus, line ups for Under The Trees, Kids Arena, World Music Village, Henry's House and so much more!

Don't miss out on the ultimate festival weekend 👉
https://bit.ly/4l88frV

10/06/2026

As we move into the warmer summer weather, many families will be heading out to enjoy a day at the beach, swimming pool, or local beauty spot.

Sadly, every year there are tragic accidents involving children and water, and this summer has already seen several heartbreaking incidents across the UK. That's why teaching children about water safety from an early age is so important.

We're delighted to have copies of the Gogglehedz water safety books, created by Olympic swimmer (and friend of The Elizabeth Foundation) Katy Sexton, available to purchase at £7.95. These fun, engaging books help children learn vital water safety messages in a way they can understand and remember.

For deaf children, water safety can bring additional challenges. They may not hear shouted warnings, lifeguard announcements, or other sounds that alert them to danger. Helping deaf children develop confidence, awareness, and understanding around water is especially important.

All proceeds from book sales will go directly to Katy to support her ongoing work promoting water safety education.

Books are available from The Elizabeth Foundation. We would be grateful if payment could be made in cash where possible so that we can pass the funds directly on to Katy. If you'd like to purchase a copy, please speak to the Fundraising Team or send us a message ([email protected]).