A collage of 3 photos on a purple background. The Lightyear Foundation logo sits at the top and the RTE Toy Show Appeal logo is the bottom right corner. The bottom image shows a group of students lined up in front of a fire truck. The top left image is a student smiling at the camera at a steering wheel wearing a fire helmet and the final image shows students looking out of the airport window with a man in a hi-vis coat

Students from Longstone School recently visited Belfast City Airport for a Work Inspiration Trip exploring engineering and technology.

They were introduced to airport operations, took part in hands-on STEM activities, and visited the on-site Fire and Rescue Service. 

#rtetoyshowappeal

Fuelling Future Engineers - F1 Engineering Lightyear Labs The Smiley Charity Film Awards is the world’s biggest campaign to promote cause-based films. Nearly half a million members of the public have voted in the…

The organisations with the most votes will win People's Choice in their category. Head to the Smiley Charity Film awards website to cast your vote before the Ceremony on the 23rd April.

Thank you!

A graphic with a blue background and white text that says 'We are a Finalist!' with Smiley face daisies and the Smiley charity film awards logo in the corner

Voting closes for the Smiley Charity Film Awards on 23rd April!

We are finalists for the People's Choice Award but we need your help and support.

SEND in STEM: Co-producing inclusive STEM We are delighted to welcome you to the next SEND in STEM Network event, hosted by the Lightyear Foundation. Location: Manchester Deaf Centre, Teddy Webb Hall, M13 9GH Date: April 22nd Time: 2pm-5pm The theme for this event is co-producing inclusive STEM with disabled and neurodivergent young people....

Our fantastic speakers will get us thinking about how we can work together to create accessible, inclusive STEM spaces and experiences where young people have real agency. 

Link to sign up: https://forms.gle/e5StMCKQyKx7nr9JA

#sendinstem #sendinstemnetwork

A promotional graphic for the Lightyear Foundation’s SEND in STEM event. The background is white with green and purple curved shapes and bubble-like circles. In the middle are three images, the first is someone holding a kettle with steam whilst wearing lab goggles and protective gloves. The second is a group of people from the network wearing lanyards and gathered together for a photos. The final image shares a young person talking with a microphone in front of a Lightyear Foundation banner.

Sign-ups are closing THIS FRIDAY for next week's SEND in STEM Event! We're excited to see you at the Manchester Deaf Centre on April 22nd, 2pm-5pm.

Signs for Science- BSL Launch Lightyear Foundation is delighted to welcome you to the launch of a new set of accessible resources designed to support deaf, disabled and neurodivergent young people to engage in STEM learning, including videos of useful BSL signs for key STEM concepts and supporting materials available on our webs...

We will finish by exploring the challenges in delivering the science curriculum to deaf students and a Q&A session.

Link to sign up:

We will begin with a short introduction to BSL and how it can support communication and participation in STEM. We will explore existing STEM-related signs before introducing our new BSL STEM resources.

A pink, purple and blue graphic explaining the Signs for Science BSL launch event, with a QR code to register for free in the corner

We would love to welcome you to the launch of a new set of accessible resources designed to support deaf, disabled and neurodivergent young people to engage in STEM learning, including videos of useful BSL signs for key STEM concepts and supporting materials available on our website.

This World Autism Awareness Day, we are grateful and proud to be led by autistic voices - within our staff, our Lightyear Youth Group, and our Board. Their perspectives and expertise are not just valued, they shape our work and help open up the world of STEM.

#worldsutismawarenessday

A child is smiling widely at the camera and holding up a sheet of paper with gold tape on it. We can see other people walking around in the background. The child is wearing ear defenders and glasses and has a sunflower lanyard around their neck

At Lightyear Foundation we celebrate the incredible diversity that exists within the autistic experience and how different autistic lives can look. We understand how important it is that autistic people get the support they need to access the joy, wonder and opportunities that STEM can provide.

Signs for Science- Makaton Launch Lightyear Foundation is delighted to welcome you to the launch of 10 new STEM concepts developed with the Makaton Charity for use with children with learning or communication difficulties. We will begin with a short introduction to Makaton, exploring how it can support communication and participatio...

The session will include an introduction to Makaton and who uses it, some tips for effective signing and communication, we will then explore existing STEM-related Makaton concepts before introducing our 10 new concepts. 

Link to sign up:

A pink, purple and blue graphic explaining the Signs for Science Makaton launch event, with a QR code to register for free in the corner

We're delighted to share that we have developed 10 new STEM concepts with The Makaton Charity and we will be launching them at our online event on 23rd April.

Fuelling Future Engineers - F1 Engineering Lightyear Labs The Smiley Charity Film Awards is the world’s biggest campaign to promote cause-based films. Nearly half a million members of the public have voted in the…

The organisations with the most votes will win People's Choice in their category. Head to the website below to cast your vote before the 23rd April.

Thank you! 

A reminder that we are finalists for the People's Choice Award for the Smiley Charity Film Awards, but we need your help and support to be voted People's Choice.

A promotional graphic for the Lightyear Foundation’s SEND in STEM event. The background is white with green and purple curved shapes and bubble-like circles. There are five circles with the speakers headshots in them with their names and companies

Only 4 weeks to go until the Lightyear Foundation welcomes you to Manchester for our next SEND in STEM event! 

We'll have talks, workshops, and plenty of tea and coffee - sign up now to get all of the details.

https://shorturl.at/eSGsD

#SENDinSTEM #sendinstemnetwork

Students are enjoying the immersive pop up planetarium dome. One student is in the foreground in a wheelchair, we can see images projected on to the backdrop, the room is very dark and everyone is in shadow. Along the top and bottom is a purple graphic background and the Lightyear Foundation logo is at the top.

In January we visited Melland High School with our Immersive Sensory Science experience (funded by Howmet Aerospace) where students got the opportunity to visit the pop-up planetarium dome.

Students were very excited ahead of entering the dome, with many saying, “Wow!” when they went in.

A graphic with a yellow background and white text that says 'We are a Finalist' with a Smiley face daisy and the Smiley charity film awards logo in the corner.

We need your support!

We are finalists in the Smiley Charity Film Awards for the People's Choice Awards but we need your vote.
 
Fingers crossed! 

smileycharityfilmawards.com/films/fuelling-future-en...

We are committed to changing the narrative - celebrating the neurodivergent people in our community and the invaluable contributions they make every day.

However, this week also serves as a reminder that many neurodivergent people still face significant barriers in education, the workplace, and wider society.

We are proud to have neurodivergent people within our team, our partnership organisations, and among the young people we serve. 

Different ways of thinking bring the creativity, insight, and fresh perspectives that science and technology thrive on.

A group of students and teachers are gathered around a race car in a workshop, smiling and with thumbs up to the camera. The Lightyear Foundation logo and Neurodiversity celebration week logos are at the top of the image

This week is Neurodiversity Celebration Week.

At Lightyear Foundation we are privileged to work alongside deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent colleagues and collaborators who shape our mission and our impact.

These resources have been co-developed with deaf colleagues and informed by real classroom practice, and we’re excited to be launching them soon.

Watch this space!

#SignLanguageWeek #BSL #InclusiveSTEM

Drawing on what we’ve learned through work in deaf schools and mainstream schools with units for deaf students, we have been developing a set of new accessible STEM resources.

Over the past year, Lightyear Foundation has been extending our STEM programmes to better include deaf young people, working alongside our brilliant deaf team members Kirsty and Naomi.

A large group of people are arranged behind a desk in a meeting room. They are all wearing lanyards, smiling at the camera and signing for the camera. It says 'Sign Language Week 2026' at the bottom in purple text and the Lightyear Foundation logo is in the top right hand corner.

Sign Language Week (16–22 March) is a celebration of British Sign Language and the vibrant culture and community of deaf people across the UK.

At Lightyear Foundation we are all about smashing stereotypes, we are dedicated to removing barriers and creating inclusive, empowering opportunities in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) for disabled and neurodivergent children and young people.

A collage of images on a purple background with the Lightyear Foundation logo and British Science week text. Images from top left, clockwise include a student blowing up an orange balloon. The next photo shows two students in a classroom leaning on a desk, playing a game. The bottom right image shows a student dropping coloured ink with a pipette. Bottom left picture shows a woman being filmed with lighting and a camera. The final image shows a group of people smiling at the camera together.

British Science Week is running from 6-16th March and this year the theme is 'Smashing Stereotypes, celebrating the diverse people and careers in science and engineering.

Students from SGS Pegasus School recently visited Tilbury Douglas for a Work Inspiration Trip exploring engineering and construction. They were introduced to the company’s work and learned about the build process, the different roles involved, and the importance of health and safety. 

#howmet

Lightyear Foundation | Making STEM Inclusive for Disabled Children Help break down barriers to STEM for disabled children and young people. Your donation supports inclusive education, hands-on workshops, and lasting impact.

But we cannot do this alone.

Your donation helps us reach more young people across the UK with inspiring, practical STEM opportunities that can shape their futures.

Donate today via our website lightyearfoundation.org/donate

We design and deliver hands-on, inclusive STEM experiences that spark curiosity, build confidence and open pathways into science, technology, engineering and maths. From accessible workshops to partnerships with leading STEM organisations, we ensure no child is overlooked.