Over the past 5 years, we have supported hundreds of candidates with long-term conditions to help them secure meaningful employment. We have over 2000 individuals signed up to our bespoke Candidate Support Program, and were committed to providing practical help and guidance that is unique and tailored to their individual needs. This includes support with CV writing, interview skills, identifying transferable attributes, confidence-building, and many other tools to support them along their employment journey. Alongside this, we have matched 125 people with meaningful employment, and helped an even greater number secure places on inclusive training and upskilling programmes that will lead to paid work in the future.

However, the pandemic, cost of living crisis, and economic instability have cumulatively taken a severe knock-on effect on the charitys finances. We have seen the number of people desperate for our help rapidly rise, but been under extreme pressure to fund our services. As a result, we have had no choice but to downscale our bespoke Candidate Support Programme in order to survive, and even with our small, dedicated team working to obtain financial stability, we can no longer deny that our operations might not be sustainable.

The next few months are critical for our charitys survival, at a time when our services are desperately needed by individuals more than ever before. We receive NO government funding or official income streams, which means we simply cannot continue without asking for the generosity of the wider public and organisations. For there to be a future for Astriid and our services, we are asking you today to directly support our work.

You can support us by making a one-off donation, signing up to be monthly donor, or by taking part in our upcoming fundraising challenges. Keep an eye out for our annual Astriid Challenge announcement coming soon, where we invite you to take on individual or team challenges (the quirkier, the better!) and raise funds for the charity. To find out more, reach out to Fundraising Lead Kat Gower at kat.gower@astriid.org.

Were proud of what weve achieved so far, even under difficult circumstances. Weve contributed to official guidance, released ground-breaking research reports, worked directly with many UK businesses and organisations, and most important, helped hundreds of people with long-term conditions change their lives for the better by finding fulfilling work. The charity is run by subject experts with powerful lived experience of long-term conditions and who know how to create real and sustainable change it would be devastating for a lack of funds to stand in our way.

At a time when facilitating disabled people to find meaningful employment is more pressing than ever, we have helped to make the Invisible Talent Pool, Visible. But we urgently need your help to keep going.

Please, if you are able, donate and support us today.

From everyone at Astriid, Thank You.