Autism Parents Together

Tees Valley based charity, Autism Parents Together, has won a £250 grant from the Venator Community Fund.

The charity, which started in 2019, aims to support children and young adults who have either been diagnosed with or are undergoing assessment for autism spectrum disorder, along with their parents, carers and siblings.

It does this by holding events and activities that are adapted to the needs of the children by dimming lighting, reducing noise and limiting the number of people that attend.

Event days range from soft plays, fishing, gaming, swimming and climbing. Each event supports between 20 and 80 children, depending on the activity.

Autism Parents Together also has an online support group on Facebook with over 2,000 members, enabling parents of children with additional needs to chat to others who are going through similar experiences and create their own support networks.

The £250 grant has been put towards a soft play session, which is open to families at subsidised prices to make sure that everyone can join in.

Nicola McBean, CEO at Autism Parents Together, said: “When I was going through the process of my son being diagnosed with autism, I just felt there were services and support missing which would have helped me at the time.

“In 2019, me and three other parents decided to set up Autism Parents Together, to provide support to not only the children, but the parents and carers too.

“We are really grateful for the funding which we have used towards a soft play session. It has helped us to grow even further and secure more much needed events for families of children with additional needs in the North East.”

For more information about Venator’s Community Fund please follow us on Twitter and Facebook @VenatorFund.