A fundraising event saw people of all ages take on 100 rounds of taekwondo to raise money for an organisation supporting neurodiverse children in Swindon.

The event hosted by the Swindon Taekwondo Alliance took place on Sunday, July 21 at Badbury Park School, to raise money for The Roxi Foundation - a non-profit organisation on a mission to help families bypass lengthy NHS waiting lists by paying for private ADHD and autism assessments.

The Roxi Foundation was set up by Matt Pound and his wife after it took seven years to get their daughter Roxi diagnosed with autism and ADHD, eventually having to pay for a private assessment.

During this time, her family says she was labelled “naughty” and “not a very nice person” by one mental health specialist and she began running away from home and self-harming at the age of 10.

In secondary school, she was called a “troublemaker” and was excluded for being unable to attend classes, causing her “so much unnecessary trauma” fighting to get a correct diagnosis and the right support, which she eventually got just before taking her GCSE exams in her final year.

On Sunday, there were 17 people taking part in 100 rounds, split into 45 seconds of semi-contact sparring with a 15-second break between rounds and they raised £1,030 on the day, with donations still coming through on the JustGiving page.

Roxi’s dad Matt Pound said: “There was a lot of laughter and smiles throughout the day but also a lot of sweat, some bruises and even a little bloodshed. There will be a few sore people for a few days after. Everyone showed a huge amount of resilience taking on and completing a challenge that is so physically and mentally demanding.

“Leanne and Paul from North Wilts Taekwondo approached us earlier in the year after hearing about what we were trying to do and wanted to support us. They had already planned to do the 100 rounds of sparring challenge and decided to make it sponsored in aid of The Roxi Foundation.

“North Wilts Taekwondo is a really inclusive club and actually have some neurodiverse members, Roxi used to be a part of the Taekwondo club when she was little and it was a great way for her to keep fit, learn some self-defence and be a part of a really wonderful community.”