New purple logo for Through the Roof

At Through the Roof, the Christian disability charity, we have updated to a new Through the Roof logo, with purple as the main colour, to be more accessible.

We'd been increasingly conscious that, from an accessibility perspective, our old main charity colour of red could be difficult for those with colour-blindness, or with dyslexia, to engage with. We wanted to improve this, so we explored different colour combinations, contrasts and shades.

We chose purple as the main colour, supported by green and blue – similar to our existing logo – and a lighter colour to replace the red: golden yellow.

Purple is increasingly being used to represent disability in the charity sector: SCOPE, the major UK disability charity has a purple logo, and the initiative 'Purple Tuesday' is a day when businesses are encouraged to consider their disabled access. So purple seemed like a good choice. 

The overall design of the logo remains the same: with four coloured roof tiles, laid over each other to form a star shape, with text saying 'Through the Roof' in white on the front tile. This choice of roof tiles reflects the charity name, which is based on the accounts in the new testament of a disabled man being lowered through a roof by his friends, who had removed the roof tiles so he could meet Jesus. The different angles and colours show that God uses all the different gifts and projects of his Church to build a community that includes everyone: disabled and non-disabled, UK and international, as we are ALL God's people.

Our newsletter Vital Link rebranded in November 2024, to include the new Through the Roof logo in purple, with an updated design.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on what colours work, or do not work, for you. Accessibility is so important, so please let us know of any issues to our main office: info@throughtheroof.org

Online talk: Ramps, steps and toilets!

Do you have questions about how your church buildings could be more accessible?

Watch this space for a practical, down-to-earth guide from consultant Occupational Therapist and Roofbreaker, Dr Patricia Eyres. We hope to publish a new resource to capture Pat's professional advice for churches, in late 2026 TBC. 

Pat gave a fantastic online talk in June 2026:

A Practical Welcome: Ramps, Steps and Toilets!!
Monday 1st June 2026 on Zoom

Speaker: Dr Patricia Eyres, Occupational Therapist
Host: Our Roofbreaker Team.

Churches and individuals had a chance to ask questions and get practical advice on how to make church buildings accessible and find out about resources for this, whatever their context. 

Coming soon!: a new published resource from Dr Pat Eyres with practical ways to make churches a more welcoming space for everyone.

Online talk: Communicating with Non-speaking Children

Ever wondered 'How do I communicate with non-speaking children?' 
Watch the video to find out how! - watch this 5 minute taster clip on TikTok, or see link below for the full 45 minute talk.

Online talk: Held
Monday 9th February 2026
7.00 - 8.00 pm (UK time) on Zoom

Speaker: Evangeline Thanaseelan, a speech and language therapist
Host: Roofbreaker Children and Youth Ministry Network
Cost: FREE of charge
Watch the talk: See the full talk on communicating with non-speaking children on YouTube here.

Share in Evangeline's knowledge and expertise with non-speaking children; hear about practical resources to use.

Evangeline is a Roofbreaker disability champion who works as a speech and language therapist in Birmingham. She has a passion for helping to communicate with children and young people with additional needs, and finding ways to truly hear and embrace every child and young person’s voice.

Here are topics the talk covers:

Further information: To find out more about the Children and Youth Ministry Roofbreaker Network, please email Carol@throughtheroof.org

Know and Grow Makaton Taster Sessions

We were thrilled to have Janneke Klos from the Christian learning disability charity Count Everyone In joining us for a series of regional events, organised by our Roofbreaker networks.

Janneke says...
Makaton is a communication programme designed for adults and children with communication needs. In these practical sessions, we will explore how Makaton signing can be used to make the Gospel more accessible. We will learn some basic Makaton principles and some of the Christian signs.

There were five free online taster sessions of one hour, running between January and March 2026, organised to bring together Roofbreakers and others from different parts of the UK. In each session, Janneke taught us signs in Makaton, so we were able to sign the Lord's Prayer by the end of the session! It was a very powerful and enjoyable experience. 

If you missed the sessions, don't worry! Janneke and Count Everyone In are continuing to offer online Know and Grow Makaton training for a fee: visit Count Everyone In's online booking site.  

And if you want to learn the Lord's Prayer from Janneke in Makaton, you can access a video of it free in the 'Worship for Everyone' Lord's Prayer resources in the Songs for Schools series - which is also available to churches with a CCLI copyright license. 

News release: Through the Roof Celebrates 1000th Roofbreaker

Through the Roof recently registered its 1000th Roofbreaker, and calls on others to join this growing initiative, as we celebrate the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3rd December 2025.

What is the Roofbreaker movement?

Supported by three years of funding from Benefact Trust, Through the Roof provides resources, training and support to volunteer disability champions – or Roofbreakers (named after the Bible account in Luke 5) – to journey alongside disabled people in UK churches.

Despite the potentially destructive name, the purpose of Roofbreakers is to build up the Church – embracing everyone as made in God's image and enabling disabled people to be fully involved in building God's Kingdom.

Our 1000th Roofbreaker!

The 1000th Roofbreaker to sign-up was Clive at the FIEC Leaders Conference in Blackpool.

Clive and his wife, Hannah, have a wonderful daughter, Chloe, who is 20 years old, and is a wheelchair-user with a learning disability. Clive said that Chloe has taught him many things in life – the most important of which is that we are ALL made in the image of God.

Clive and Hannah would love to see others in the Church engaging with the subject of disability inclusion, for each to be a community where everyone knows the reality that everyone is made in the image of God and ALL are fearfully and wonderfully made.

('Made in God's Image' was the 2025 theme for Disability Awareness Sunday, which can be celebrated on any Sunday! To access free disability inclusion resource for churches, follow this link to our Disability Awareness Sunday page.)

Transforming the Church

Through the Roof’s Chief Executive, Tim Wood, declared, "It is great to reach this significant milestone, but we can't stop there! We want to see a Roofbreaker in every church. In the UK, the number of young people under 18 is about the same as the number of disabled people. If we think about how much time, resources and energy goes into children and youth ministry and compare that to disability ministry – there's a huge difference! That's why we're so committed to supporting people who want to be ambassadors in their local context".

Jo Luck, Senior Grants Officer for Benefact Trust, said: “Through the Roof’s Roofbreaker initiative is transforming churches into truly inclusive communities. Reaching 1,000 Roofbreakers is a milestone worth celebrating – it reflects a growing commitment to ensuring disabled people are fully involved in church life. Everybody should feel empowered and have equal opportunities to thrive, and that’s why we feel privileged to support Through the Roof with this vital work.”

Tim concludes, "Through the Roof wants to ensure that we're all reaching out to those who get overlooked, to make sure everyone finds their place in God's family. We want to enable disabled people to use their gifts to disciple others and bless the Church. We'd love more people to join us in making a difference."

Be part of the change

Join 1000+ Roofbreakers so your church can be blessed by the full involvement of disabled people: visit https://www.throughtheroof.org/roofbreakers/ (social media @TTRChangesLives).

More about Through the Roof and Benefact Trust

Through the Roof trains and equips churches and other organisations to be inclusive of people across the whole spectrum of disability. Watch the video ‘Why every church needs a Roofbreaker’ on YouTube (@TTRChangesLives) to find out more.

Benefact Trust is one of the UK's largest grant-making charities and awarded a record £25.5 million to churches, charities, and communities in 2024. Its funds come from its ownership of the Benefact Group – a specialist financial services organisation. Follow Benefact Trust on social media @benefacttrust, or visit their website for more information.

Luke 5 award from Oscar who can access the Bible by himself!

Oscar is a 19-year-old young man with Down Syndrome, who is also Deaf. More importantly, he is a follower of Jesus. 

Breaking down barriers

Oscar loves the stories of the Bible, but because he can't hear and is unable to read due to his learning disability, he had never been able to access the Bible by himself. He has always relied on it being read to him and explained to him in British Sign Language.

But now everything has changed… Oscar’s favourite Bible animation series, Superbook, has just been made available with British Sign Language translation!

This is life-changing for Oscar, and to celebrate the difference this has made in Oscar’s life, his mum Karen has helped him to nominate makers of Superbook for a Luke 5 Award for Disability Inclusion. Through the Roof were delighted to give the Luke 5 award from Oscar to Christian Broadcasting Network UK (CBN). 

How it all began: lead up to the Luke 5 Award 

CBN first piloted one episode of Superbook with BSL interpretation and asked for feedback. Members of Through the Roof’s Deaf Ministry Network gave feedback, and CBN responded magnificently in every possible way. The result is excellent, and Oscar’s mum’s reaction says it all… 

“I'm so over-joyed with this - I feel quite tearful!... Oscar is unable to read so cannot access the Bible by himself. He relies on it being read to him and explained.  Watching Superbook by himself has helped him to develop his faith and love for Jesus because it is so visual and engaging, causing his knowledge of the truth to grow.” 

Karen goes on to say, “I asked him just now ‘Why do you like Superbook?’ He looked up at me and said ‘Because it’s about Jesus. I want to follow Him’ and went back to carrying on watching the episode!” 

CBN's response: more translation and a video!

CBN were delighted with the Luke 5 award from Oscar, and very touched by his story. Luke Hancorn, Director of Mission Advancement at CBN, said:   

“On behalf of the entire team here at CBN UK, I want to extend our heartfelt thanks for nominating Superbook for a Luke 5 Award. What an incredible encouragement it was to receive your message!” 

“Reading Oscar’s story truly moved us, it touched every heart on our team. We feel so blessed and inspired to hear how Superbook in British Sign Language has played such a powerful role in his journey with Jesus. Stories like this are exactly why we do what we do.”  

“We’re excited to share that we’re about to begin translation of Season 2 into British Sign Language – a milestone we’re celebrating with great joy.”   

CBN were so thrilled that they made this fantastic video with Oscar and his Mum! Watch it now to hear from Oscar himself the difference BSL makes.

You can watch all of Series 1 of Superbook in BSL on YouTube @SuperbookUK. To find out more about the series, visit: www.superbook.uk  

Please pray and advocate for all media to be made accessible to people with hearing loss – and other impairments – so that all have equal access.  

If you'd like to be an advocate for disabled people in church, or just show that you're positive about disability inclusion, please consider becoming a Roofbreaker disability champion in your church or community.

If you are a disabled person who wants to celebrate a person or ministry that has supported you to be included more fully in Christian life, consider a nomination for the Luke 5 Award for disability inclusion.

 

 

Winter 2025 Vital Link Newsletter: When Hope Rolls In

Welcome to the Winter 2025 Vital Link newsletter from Through the Roof.

Our 2025 series concludes, exploring the Disability Awareness Sunday theme: 'Made in God's Image'. 

This issue, we focus on the final keyword in our 2025 theme: 'Image'. So, as we prepare for Advent, we remember how God came down to Earth, bearing a human image, in Jesus.

• Hear how Harriet in Uganda had her self-image restored by hope
• See Deaf priest Neil Robinson preach in sign language (BSL)
• Be reminded that it's never too late to celebrate Disability Awareness Sunday!
• Meet our new staff member, Revd Faith Mendy, and new trustee, Amanda Say
• Read our Chair of Trustees share how God 'looks at the heart', not our 'image'
• Reflect on finding hope through disappointment, from our in-person retreat
• Hear about TTR holidays, retreats & events, including our Jan. '26 virtual pilgrimage
• Read author Emily Owen's final thought in the series on being 'made in God's Image'
• And get all the latest International Mission updates - including a recipe request!

Download your PDF copy (with alt text and reading order, to support screen-reader use).

Note: There have been updates to dates for two Upcoming Wheels for the World trips, so the dates in the PDF are now revised to:

• Dates: 20th–29th May 2026, Destination: Ghana (Accra), Partner: Royal House Chapel International.
• Dates: 26th August–5th September 2026, Destination: Rwanda (Kayonza & Kamonyi), Partner: FoH Rwanda.

All other trips and events are still as per the dates in the Winter 2025 Vital Link PDF.

Please email Kathy Birch Kathy@throughtheroof.org to apply or get more information.

Alternative formats

Vital Link is available in many different, accessible formats:

• large print, Word file, braille, audio link, CD.

Contact us on 01372 749955 or email info@throughtheroof.org to request one of the above accessible formats.

• As above, there is the PDF with alt text and adjusted reading order
• Or read Vital Link onscreen with the Joomag viewer below:

When hope rolls in: Wheels for the World in Jinja, Uganda

In September 2025, our Wheels for the World team travelled to Jinja, Uganda, bringing mobility, dignity, and the love of Christ to over 250 individuals. Each day was filled with unforgettable moments of transformation and hope.

Faith Mendy, Though the Roof's International Missions Manager, shares how God brought 'hope on wheels' to disabled people in Uganda. Working with local charity partner, Petra Foundation Christ Ministries, many lives were transformed by gifting wheelchairs and Bibles.

Harriet's journey from surrender to renewal

In a modest church in Jinja, Uganda, a woman named Harriet sat quietly among the congregation. At 70 years old, she had lived with the effects of polio since childhood. Her mobility was limited, and the years had been hard. Though surrounded by children and grandchildren, Harriet had recently fallen ill and felt her strength fading. She believed her time had come.

From Harriet’s viewpoint, sat in her new wheelchair...
I came to church that Sunday with a quiet heart. At seventy, after living with polio since childhood and falling ill again, I felt my strength fading. Surrounded by family, I wasn’t afraid—I was simply ready. I wanted to dedicate my life to Christ, to prepare for what I believed was the end.

When the pastor mentioned a wheelchair distribution, I gently declined. What use is a wheelchair now? I thought. I’m ready to go.
But the following week, something changed. I met the Wheels for the World team—strangers who spoke with such warmth and welcoming, it stirred something inside me. Why do they care so much? I wondered. Their kindness made me reconsider.

That last day of the distribution I thought to myself that morning. Get yourself together and go, what do you have to lose. I went with a bit of dread, I received a wheelchair, a Bible, and a prayer. As I sat in that chair, I thought to myself, maybe I’m not done yet.

Days later, they visited me at home. I sang my heart out and danced, sitting on the wheelchair to honour them for how they had given me hope. I thanked them in my language, my heart was full and I will carry them in my heart forever: “God has given me a new lease on life.”

 

Please pray: for Harriet, and all those who received mobility and the Gospel on the 2025 Jinja Wheels for the World mission. 

 

Carol Dyer, who was our UK team leader in Jinja, shares stories of other lives transformed by the gift of hope...

Favour’s Story: A Little Girl with Big Courage

On Day 2, we met five-year-old Favour, who lives with Spina Bifida. Her quiet strength moved everyone. With determination, she climbed into her new wheelchair—step by step, foot by foot—until she sat upright, beaming with pride. The crowd erupted in applause.

The next day, Favour joined Sunday school for the first time, clapping and singing joyfully. “Her courage was contagious.” Her story reminds us that every child deserves a place in the house of God.

Zeresi’s Journey: From Disappointment to Independence

Three years ago, Zeresi, then 14, was denied a wheelchair and given crutches instead. Leonard, a disabled volunteer, explained that using her legs would strengthen them. She returned this year transformed—stronger, mobile, and attending school. “Thanks to Leonard’s wise words, Zeresi is now a happy and much more mobile young lady.”

Christine’s Testimony: Faith in the Face of Trauma

Christine, a schoolteacher, was brutally attacked and left disabled. Despite years of pain, she radiates faith. We adapted a wheelchair for her, and prayed together. “Christine knows and loves God and she radiates Jesus.”

Why Support Matters

• “All went home in a wheelchair or crutches—with God’s word in their hands.”
• “It is in His strength that we serve.”
• “Receiving a wheelchair will help them work and be part of their community.”
• “Her presence showed us how vital it is to create spaces that welcome those with disabilities.”

Your donations and time can change lives. Will you join us?

Your prayers and support are vital

Online talk: Learning Disability and the Body of Christ

What if church was a place where everyone, of every ability, could give and receive as part of one beautiful Body?

Hear about one community’s journey toward belonging and mutuality, with practical insight into how total communication practices can create space for every voice. Through the stories of an adult and a child with learning disabilities, we’ll explore what this vision looks like in practice—and how you can begin building more inclusive, connected communities in your church.

'Learning Disability and the Body of Christ: A Journey for All Ages'

A recorded online talk (40 minutes)

Speaker: Vitoria Schoeps, a Roofbreaker disability champion, shared the journey she and her church community in Swindon have been on.

Listen to the talk online: Follow this link to hear Vitoria's talk 

This talk will inspire churches and ministries with a passion for making church accessible to people with additional needs, using signs, symbols and sensory input, to explore and grow in faith together.

We are launching an Learning Disability Roofbreaker network—a space to connect, share resources, and support one another. We've seen a growing number of people who share a passion for learning disability inclusion—through personal experience, family life, ministry, or community work. Whether you are well along the road, or just beginning the journey, join us to connect and share experience and support. We'd love to hear your ideas on what would be most helpful in your context.

Here are a few possibilities we’re considering:

• Regular online events with a resourcing/training focus
• A WhatsApp group for encouragement and support
• An online platform for sharing everyday resources
• Connection with a small group of “buddies” working in similar contexts or regions
• In-person events (either formal awareness-raising or informal catch-ups)

Listen to the recording of Vitoria's talk and join us in our new Learning Disability Roofbreaker network to help shape the future of this exciting way to do church.

👉 Listen online here: Follow this link to hear Vitoria's talk

God bless

Katie and the Roofbreaker Team

 

Together on Pilgrimage: Windows of the Soul virtual retreat

As we entered New Year 2026, all were invited to join a Virtual Pilgrimage The Windows of the Soul, over three afternoons on Zoom. Using the imagery of church windows, it was an opportunity to retreat into ourselves and reflect on the following: 

1. To the North, to reflect on the key values in your life.
2. To the West, what is dying off or should be let go.
3. To the South, the things that give joy and sustain you.
4. To the East, the things that are new and developing.

We were led through the virtual Pilgrimage The Windows of the Soul by its creator, David Smith: a former physiotherapist whose mobility was affected after a stroke. 

Previously a keen walker and cyclist, David became interested in pilgrimage and initiated Bible-based virtual spiritual journeys, to bless those with restricted movement. 

Find out more about David's virtual pilgrimages at:  https://pilgrimageoftheword.org.uk/ 

Email together@throughtheroof.org to be on the mailing list for in future Through the Roof retreats (online or in-person).  

 

 

About Through the Roof's groups, retreats and holidays

Through the Roof (TTR) offers accessible, supported retreats and group events, as well as online small groups, as times of fellowship for disabled people and for all, in an atmosphere of joy and togetherness. These are opportunities to be refreshed spiritually through reflection, meeting with others and spending time being refreshed.

Find out more about Through the Roof retreats and holidays, visit https://throughtheroof.org/holidays-and-retreats/

Find out more about Through the Roof's regular online afternoon fellowship groups: Together in the Lounge, monthly on Tuesdays; and Together at Home, twice monthly on Thursdays.

If you would like to find out more or join us for any of our other online groups or in-person events, please do email us at together@throughtheroof.org