This year marks a significant milestone for Worthing-based organisation, asphaleia. With a mission to impact as many children and young people as they can, asphaleia delivers services in locations across Sussex that support children and young people to fulfil their potential. asphaleia started with four staff all sharing a passion for meeting the needs of children and young people and a willingness to take a risk.

From those beginnings, asphaleia now comprises a limited company and a registered international charity. The three different ventures sitting within the company are; care, fostering and training. asphaleia action, our charity has been pioneering new projects to meet ever increasing needs of young people both in the UK and internationally for almost 20 years.

On Wednesday 2nd of April, asphaleia hosted an Appreciation Event as part of its 25-year celebrations. Staff, professionals they work with, and friends of asphaleia gathered at Perch on the Pier to celebrate 25 years of impact and also reflect and share memories.

It was a special time, with the sun shining and views of the sea, guests enjoyed refreshments, delicious food, and some memorabilia on display.

Five tables represented each venture that has been a part of asphaleia’s 25-year journey; action, fostering, care, boost and training. On each table were examples of different projects, fundraisers, research projects, and current programmes, amongst other items.

Guests also wrote messages on a board that will be displayed in the asphaleia offices, alongside the framed card of messages written to Dave, asphaleia’s Founder, to celebrate 10 years of asphaleia.

Jeni, Communications Manager at asphaleia, said, ‘The event was our opportunity to say thank you to current staff, the people we work with, and those who have been a part of our journey over the years, and we want to express further gratitude to everyone who attended. There was a lovely atmosphere and lots of great stories shared!’

‘It was great to attend the event and celebrate such a successful organisation,’ said Rachel, from Rooms Worthing, ‘asphaleia have strived to better the lives of so many young people in the last 25 years, and we love supporting their partnership with Chichester Festival Theatre.’

asphaleia's Appreciation Event at Perch on the Pier

As far as the 25-year celebrations go, we’re only a quarter of the way into 2025 and there’s more to come! Including creating a collaborative recipe book to celebrate the way in which gathering around a table and sharing food from many different cultures has been central to asphaleia’s services over the years.

Stories are also being shared on the organisation’s blog across the year to highlight key moments, and past and present projects, and people from the years gone by.

asphaleia runs a monthly open day where people can find out more about the services they deliver, including supported accommodation for 16+, further education programmes for 16-18 year-olds, and you can also find out about becoming a foster carer in their small and supportive agency team.

Find out more about the open day and follow the 25-year stories on their blog by visiting their website: www.asphaleia.co.uk.