Spectrum Winter/Spring

Spectrum WINTER / SPRING 2023

Autism Together Model

We’ve gained national accreditation for our training methods

Raby fun day

Sun an d gam our Chi es with ld Family ren & Service

Walking El Camino

How two of our staff took a 500mile fundraising pilgrimage to Spain F E AT U R E

New Growth Step inside our Garden Centre & Cafe which has reopened its doors with a new vision, led by the people we support

Spectrum NEWS

/ TER W I NR I N G SP UE ISS

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S TA F F S U C C E S S

Staff rewarded for 10 and 25 years’ service IN December, staff and managers gathered at Oak House to say thanks and well done to staff who had completed 10 and 25 years at Autism Together.

Our CEO, Sue Stubbs, shook hands with each person and presented them with a certificate, gift vouchers and a thank you letter, before everyone had the chance to mingle and enjoy cake and refreshments.

Dawn Kirby (pictured with Sue Stubbs), Janette Alkins and Julie Logan were all awarded for 25 years’ service.

10 years’ service awards were also given to Hema

Fryar; Laura Edwards; Gaynor Partridge; Gary Pringle; Sandra Gough; Paul McKeown; Neil Burton; Matthew Smith; Joanne Fitzgerald; Annette Letts; Chloe Porshke; David Leece; Paul Edge; Denise Williams; Emma Crabb; Doreen Thomas; Christina Thomas; Marie Bower; Nicola Beamish; Fraser Brown; Joanne Wharton; Denise Gill; Linda Flood; John Benson; Shaun Evans; Sarah Williams; Peter Elton; Neil Murphy and Dean Ravera.

Congratulations to everyone who was recognised for their long service.

D AY S E R V I C E S

MEET RABY’S EARLY CHRISTMAS GIFT...

WE had a wonderful early Christmas present over at Raby Gardens in December... a new baby alpaca was born!

It seemed fitting that our manger should have a newborn at it over Christmastime, and the people we support decided they would like to name the little guy Buddy - after the main character from the Christmas movie Elf! Due to the very cold temperatures at the time, the vet recommended we keep mum and baby in their own shed, with a heat lamp and hot water bottles to keep them both cosy.

We’re glad to say both mum Davina and her baby cria are doing very well.

As the weather got a little milder in the week before

Christmas, Buddy was able to explore outside of his shed and get used to his new home.

He met the rest of our alpaca herd and was bonding with his big brother, Alfie - who has recovered well from a recent leg operation.

Manager Sarah Nelson over at Raby Gardens gave us more details about the new arrival, saying: “Mum Davina gave birth with no issues.

“Two of the people we support, Mathew and Lynsey, both helped at the birth, keeping Buddy warm with towels, rubbing him and making sure he was alert. They even offered to take their own coats off to put around him.”

Looking good Buddy! We’ll bring you more ‘Alpaca Updates’ soon.

Spectrum NEWS ACHIEVING OUTCOMES

A WORD FROM OUR CEO

SUE STUBBS

Meeting train driver is ‘dream come true’ for person we support STAFF from our Autism Training & Advisory Service (ATAS) arranged for a visit with Merseyrail so that Laura could meet a ‘real life’ train driver – something she has always wanted to do!

Yvonne from ATAS said: “We met Jan (manager of the train guards) at New Brighton train station. Jan was delighted to meet Laura and gave her some goodies including a furry train, a keyring and a Merseyrail cap.

“The train pulled in and Steve the train driver met with Laura. Steve has been a train driver for 36 years and Laura was invited into the driver’s cabin which is not usually open to members of the pubic.

“Then she met Craig, the chief guard, who let Laura hold the ‘Tee key’ which is used to unlock all the train doors.

“Laura was so excited and so happy, it was a very joyous occasion for everyone.”

Well done Laura, and big thanks to Merseyrail for making her day.

AS we begin 2023, I am looking forward, with hope, to a year filled with positivity and growth for Autism Together, leaving the trials and struggles of the pandemic behind us.

As I looked back on 2022, I reflected on yet another challenging year. While it started with high levels of Covid across our services, it was encouraging that, sofar this winter, we have seen low-levels of infection, and have at last been able to announce the end of mask-wearing, except in outbreak situations.

I must tell you now that this will be my final column in these pages, as I am stepping down from my role as CEO of Autism Together at the end of January.

When I took on the chief executive role back in autumn of 2019, I could not have expected that I would be steering the organisation through some of its toughest challenges and hardest days.

I have been so proud to be CEO of such a brilliant staff team But I am immensely proud to have been able to work alongside such a dedicated group of staff and management. People are what makes an organisation and I have been so proud to be CEO of such a brilliant and genuinely committed staff team.

The past 3 years have seen wonderful team spirit and cooperation shown right across our services. Summing up our amazing staff is this comment from a parent of someone we support, who said: “I am forever grateful to the caring, patient, inciteful, creative, cheerful staff!”

I couldn’t have put it better myself. And I’d like to say a special thank you to the people we support for inspiring me each day with their creativity, spirit, and desire to experience all that life can bring them, thanks to the daily support and care given by our wonderful staff.

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Spectrum NEWS CO-PRODUCTION

CELEBRATING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF OUR RIVER PARK TEAM IT has been a busy few months of accomplishments for the people we support over at Port Sunlight River Park.

Hot on the heels of delivering a sensational Halloween Trail for the public to enjoy, the team based in the Heritage Centre and Cafe building have been judging a national autism award, working towards a ‘Relationships’ ASDAN, and getting interviewed by BBC Radio Merseyside!

The team were asked to be judges of this year’s Autism Leaders List Awards, having been winners themselves last year. They had to look at 10 shortlisted nominees and give comments and scores to see which of the entries they thought was the most deserving of this year’s prize.

The group found it an involving and worthwhile project and were even invited to join in the celebrations at the online awards ceremony to see this year’s winners crowned.

And then, in December, Steven, Jake, Liam and Mr C – plus Activity Manager Mike Stormes – all took part in an interview with the BBC’s Phil Cooper (pictured right).

It was all part of a 1-hour special on autism for Radio Merseyside with the lads talking about their personal autism experiences.

Well done to the whole group for their excellent year and our support staff for guiding and encouraging them throughout.

Autism Together’s Green Guardians AUTUMN saw the first meeting of Autism Together’s Green Guardians.

Launched by our Business Development Director, Angie Kemp, this group of staff, managers and people we support came together to discuss and put in place ways in which Autism Together can make changes to help address the climate 4

emergency that the world is facing.

Angie said: “The timing was excellent, as it coincided with COP27 (the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference), and we felt that our pledges and ideas to reduce the organisation’s carbon emissions by saving energy, reducing waste, recycling more and using water

wisely will certainly make a difference to the areas that we work and live in.

“With the ideas that we gathered, we will be writing a strategy which we will communicate with everyone and ask the whole organisation to get involved.”

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This has g. been amazinof The best dayer the summ holidays by far

“

“

Sunshine and smiles at Raby Gardens for Family Fun Day Looking back on a day of joy at Raby last summer with our Children & Family Service 6

www.autismtogether.co.uk

IN THE COMMUNITY

With our activ“ities, if a child is

overwhelmed and has a meltdown or displays behaviour that is different, no-one minds

“

fantastic time was enjoyed at the end of summer 2022 as we hosted our second annual Family Fun Day at Raby Gardens.

Run by our Children & Family Service, alongside our Raby CVS team, it marked the end of the summer residency for the children’s service at the gardens and was a great opportunity for the children, their parents and siblings, to come along and enjoy the day together.

The previous year the kids all wore raincoats for the fun day, but luckily we had great weather this time. Everyone loved feeding and petting our cute alpacas, goats, pigs and bunnies, while exploring the gardens, playing with sensory toys, enjoying their picnics and just having fun.

Lynda Maxwell is the manager of the Children & Family Service, and said: www.autismtogether.co.uk

“The aim of the day is to give parents an opportunity to come and enjoy a fun day knowing their child is in a nonjudgemental environment, which is safe and secure. Many of the children are “runners” and have no fear or sense of danger. So many of our parents are unable to access mainstream activities because of the often unpredictable nature of their child’s behaviour and the fear of being judged by others. For many parents just going to the park can be a really stressful experience.

“With our activities, if a child is overwhelmed and has a meltdown or displays behaviour that is different, no one minds.

“As one parent said: ‘We’re all in the same boat.’ So families can relax and just enjoy the said everyone moment together.”

“When’s

the next one??

“

A

who attended!

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Garden Centre REO PEN S

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www.autismtogether.co.uk

Celebrations as our

Garden CentreS R EO P E N

In the autumn, our much-loved Bromborough Pool Garden Centre & Cafe opened its doors again, having been closed for much of the pandemic

B

ased in Bromborough Pool Village, near Port Sunlight, our garden centre offers a chance for the people we support to gain valuable workplace and social skills, while serving customers and working behind the scenes.

Managed by Autism Together, the business first opened in 2012 and has always been popular with customers from the local community.

During the pandemic, the garden centre closed its doors, along with most other shops. As a service supporting autistic people it was

www.autismtogether.co.uk

governed by different safety rules and so was unable to reopen its doors at the same time as other businesses.

Staff at Autism Together used this extra preparation time to develop the skills of some of the people we support to take a greater role in the daily running of the business, particularly in the café area.

Under the leadership of managers Emma Turner and Mike Christiansen, many individuals worked hard in the build up to reopening, gaining awards in customer service, completing 9

Garden Centre REO PEN S

training in food hygiene, checking fridge temperatures, correct lifting and carrying techniques, and more.

The Garden Centre itself stocks a range of perennial plants and flowers in outside areas, including a greenhouse and polytunnel behind the café area.

Our vision involves people we support being at the forefront of all we do...

Alongside the flora, there are gift items for sale created by many of the talented people we support, made in the charity’s woodworking and ceramics departments.

Mike Christiansen, who leads the café team, said: “A highlight for many of our visitors is the café itself. There, a team of autistic volunteers, supported by Autism Together staff, are on hand to take orders, prepare food and drinks, 10

and serve customers at their table.

“Our menu items include a full choice of teas, coffees and cold drinks, a selection of sandwiches and toasties, and a range of cakes and treats for those with a sweet tooth. There’s even a children’s meal deal.”

“There is a free car park next to the Garden Centre site which overlooks the village cricket pitch in picturesque Bromborough Pool. The village itself is well worth a visit as it was created as a model village for workers at Price’s Candles, and pre-dates nearby Port Sunlight.”

Emma Turner, manager of the garden centre, said: “We would like to invite customers old and new to come along and visit our reopened garden centre and café in Bromborough Pool Village.

“Our new vision involves the people we support being at the forefront of everything we do here. They have been involved in planning our menus, what plants we sell, where we place them out for sale, and even with our new branding.

“The garden centre’s aim is to provide opportunities to help the people we support develop a range

of social and business skills, including numeracy and communication.

“Our goal is to support our team to eventually get work outside of Autism Together.

“We are a non-profit charity and all money made is invested back into the people we support and their activities.

“The people we support really enjoy sharing what they have learnt with customers, so we do hope to see you at our garden centre and café soon.”

Bromborough Pool Garden Centre & Café is open Monday to Friday, from 10am to 3.30pm.

More details on Bromborough Pool Garden Centre & Café can be found at our dedicated Facebook page. www.autismtogether.co.uk

Where to find us...

For further enquiries about any of our wide range of services, please contact us.

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Address and contact info Bromborough Pool Garden Centre & Café 3-4 The Green, Bromborough Pool Village, Wirral, CH62 4TT  0151 643 1359 www.bromboroughpoolgardencentre.co.uk FACEBOOK-SQUARE @BromboroughPoolGardenCentre

About Bromborough Pool Village AUTISM Together has an important presence in Wirral’s historic Bromborough Pool Village.

Bromborough Pool was developed from 1853 as a village for the workers at the factory of Price’s Patent Candle Company. The completed village comprised 142 houses with a church, school, institute, shop and library for Price’s workforce.

www.autismtogether.co.uk

It actually predates the more famous nearby village of Port Sunlight, which started in the 1880s. A number of the beautiful buildings in the village are now used by Autism Together to provide services to the people we support, such as the old church and Giles Shirley Hall. It has also been the site of our Summer Fun Day.

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Meeting together

Friendships have been made

Like the location

Meeting Together Forum celebrates its decaversary The people we support recently celebrated more than 10 years of the Meeting Together Forum

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ecently, our joint discussion group for people we support and staff celebrated its 10 year (+1) anniversary!

Known as the Meeting Together Forum, this group has come together roughly once a month since 2011

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to discuss a wide range of ideas and items relating to our organisation, in order to give the people we support an outlet and opportunity to ask questions and give opinions on their care and on how the charity is run.

Chaired and organised by Julie

Nice to look at policies

Logan, Autism Together’s Quality and Assurance Manager, a range of different individuals, management and staff have been part of the forum since it started. While the forum had to take a break during the pandemic, it returned in 2022, which has allowed www.autismtogether.co.uk

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Like sharing good news

Like the drinks and snacks

the group to belatedly celebrate the ten-year anniversary of the Meeting Together Forum, just 1-year late!

The anniversary meeting was combined with a party for the forum members, but there was business to attend to as well.

Michael, Clare, Keren, Ken, Graeme, Clayton and Stephen were all in attendance to represent the people we support, while Julie, Ian, and Callum represented the staff.

Firstly, the group had a chat about what they enjoyed about meeting together.

After finalising planning details for the next two disco nights at Giles Shirley Hall, the group discussed ideas for the future of the forum.

Ken asked if the group could arrange

some days out together or other activities. Mike suggested they could go bowling one night after a meeting, a sort of team-building session. What a great idea!

As part of the meetings, the forum often look at an easy-read policy document and give their thoughts on it.

This month they looked at the CQC’s report about reduction in restraint.

Clare, Mike & Ken read sections talking about how some organisations might use restraint, seclusion and segregation in services like hospitals or care homes for autistic people, people with learning disabilities and/or mental health conditions.

Like reviewing paperwork

www.autismtogether.co.uk

During the group discussion, everyone felt that they were supported very well by their staff at Autism Together.

Ken said, if he is feeling down or not in a good mood, he knows that he can talk to his staff team who will support him.

Mike said he finds it comforting to know he can talk to his staff team and they will help him if he needs it. Clare said she has a good staff team whom she can talk to.

The group finished this section of the meeting with a chat about how all Autism Together’s staff receive regular training, in order to refresh their knowledge and ensure they give the very best support they can. All agreed this is a good thing.

Get to know what is going on

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Meeting together

Meeting Together Forum are helping out with staff recruitment Four members of the group have taken part in interviews with potential new support staff

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www.autismtogether.co.uk

their interests.

Other questions involved asking the candidates how they like to keep healthy and what their favourite foods to cook were.

Kate Knight from our Human Resources team (pictured above right, next to Julie), organised the interviews

As an organisation, we “recognise the importance of

the people we support giving feedback and sharing their thoughts and ideas about the support they receive from Autism Together

“

SINCE autumn, different members of the Meeting Together Forum have taken part in a very important part of our work at Autism Together – interviewing for new support workers.

First up was Clayton, who came into our head office to help the HR team pick potential new staff.

Clayton is no stranger to interviews, having also been involved in the process to choose a new staff member to support him. On that occasion the candidates visited Clayton at home, but this interview took place more formally, at our Oak House central office.

Beforehand, Clayton was excited and told his friends at the Meeting Together Forum that he was looking forward to interviewing alongside Julie who chairs the Forum. But, he also mentioned he wasn’t happy at having to iron a shirt for the occasion!

Clayton came prepared for the interviews with some questions he had written in advance.

These included discussing his own hobbies and interests drumming, listening to music and going to the zoo - and asking the candidates about

alongside Julie Logan, our Quality and Assurance Manager.

Julie said: “Clayton shared some great skills while interviewing for new staff. I’m pleased to say that Clayton helped us identify three candidates to become support workers and they have all been offered a position. Well done Clayton!”

Next up was Stephen who followed his housemate Clayton in donning a shirt and tie and heading in to our Oak House head office to speak to three people

interviewing for support worker positions.

Kate said: “It was wonderful to have Stephen join our interview panel today. Every time he spoke to a candidate they lit up and seemed to love answering his questions.”

Clare was the next of the Forum members to speak with hopeful candidates at interview.

Clare (pictured below left, working at our Bromborough Pool Garden Centre) enjoyed the whole interview process, meeting the candidates and asking questions too.

Kate said: “As an organisation, we recognise the importance of the people we support giving feedback and sharing their thoughts and ideas about the support they receive from Autism Together.

“That this feedback process begins right at the beginning of a staff member’s journey with us, is of real value and can only improve the standard of service and support we are able to provide.”

If you would like to apply for a job at Autism Together and work with autistic adults each day, you can learn more and apply via our website: www.autismtogether.co.uk/jobs

www.autismtogether.co.uk

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autism together model

POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR SUPPORT TRAINING

We’ve received accreditation to deliver our bespoke autism training across the UK

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ver the last few years we’ve been working hard to gain national accreditation for our bespoke staff training programme, designed specifically for organisations which support autistic people.

We called our new course the Autism Together Model or ATM for short, and we were thrilled to have recently received approval and accreditation from the British Institute for Learning Disabilities (BILD).

BILD is an organisation which certifies that the needs of people with learning disabilities are properly understood and met, while ensuring the quality of related services are maintained to exacting standards.

This recognition means our new course is now a viable alternative to existing training courses for staff working in care, with a specific slant towards autism support.

The course does this by marrying the organisation’s existing methodology, known as the Together Approach, with a Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) philosophy to help understand how a person’s autism diagnosis and their environment can jointly impact on their behaviour.

Stuart Lyons is our PBS lead and, alongside training manager Michelle Walklett, has pioneered this course

www.autismtogether.co.uk

and brought it to successful national accreditation in just two years.

Stuart says: “Our ATM course teaches staff that when an autistic person displays behaviours that challenge others, this is a valid attempt to get a need met when environmental barriers, skill deficits or communication issues are blocking the way.

“The benefit of the ATM course curriculum is that it enables staff to ‘join the dots’ of all the different

aspects of autism and behavioural support, while promoting quality of life for the people they support and gaining important approaches to use in their jobs each day.”

As an organisation, we believe there are real benefits in developing our own training model, in terms of increased organisational reputation, sustainability and growth.

The course and its accreditation

should help further raise Autism Together’s profile as a leading specialist autism support organisation, with commissioners, inspectors, local authorities and peer organisations.

Michelle Walklett explains: “As we are now able to deliver this training in-house, this will save the organisation over £13,000 a year in costs of external training resources and licensing.

“What’s more, we will now have the opportunity to deliver and licence noncompetitor organisations to use the Autism Together Model by accessing training directly from our charity.

“This training will take the form of 1-to4 day courses, annual refreshers, train the trainers, trainer relicensing and course workbooks, enabling Autism Together to access a new funding stream to invest in future projects with few overheads, as the workforce and resources required are already available to us.”

We plan to begin rolling out ATM training to other organisations from summer 2023.

We will update you on how we are getting on with this in future editions of Spectrum and via our website.

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FUNDRAISING ADVENTURE

OUR PILGRIMS’ PROGRESS

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www.autismtogether.co.uk

Last summer, two of our support staff undertook a 500-mile pilgrimage, crossing two countries and the Pyrenees mountains to raise money for Autism Together.

Paul Baker met up with them on their return to find out more…

I

n late May of last year, two of our staff members headed off to the South of France to begin a massive 500-mile walking challenge through the Pyrenees mountains, raising money for Autism Together and a greater awareness of autism along the way.

Claire Quinlan, an Activity Leader at Raby Gardens, and Hannah Fulton, a former Senior Support Worker at Raby Hall, were inspired by a movie called ‘The Way’, starring Martin Sheen, to complete a popular pilgrimage route: El Camino De Santiago.

This gruelling trek took them through the Pyrenees range, through tough terrain and changeable weather, into northern Spain, before heading out onto the flat Meseta in scorching heat until finally reaching their destination in Santiago.

Hannah has since moved jobs, but Claire remains a popular and familiar face to everyone who visits Raby Gardens where she has a close affinity with all our farm animals, especially the alpacas. Indeed, her adventurous spirit and love of the outdoors has led to her being nicknamed ‘Claire Grylls’ by her co-workers.

There are quite a number of routes open to pilgrims along ‘The Way’ and Claire and Hannah chose Route Napoleón which first heads into the Pyrenees mountains, a more strenuous route but with rewarding mountain views.

33-days and over 500-miles later, the girls had completed their Camino and were awarded their medals and certificates, or ‘Compostelas’, written in Latin and proving they had completed this epic journey.

Back in Raby Gardens we took some time to chat with them about their month-long journey along this historic trail.

Why did you decide to walk the Camino?

Claire: I think for us it was a massive challenge for our fitness and also tied in with the fact we could fundraise for Autism Together and make people more aware of autism. We got a shock, I think, from all the different countries and the people we spoke to, how little people

www.autismtogether.co.uk

know of autism.

Hannah: As soon as we finished watching it [the movie ‘The Way’] we just knew that we wanted to do it.

C: It’s just such a special experience – spiritual, emotional, physical. Just from watching it we said, let’s book it for next year.

Did you feel nervous in advance, how much research did you do?

C: I wouldn’t say it was nerves, I was more excited.

H: I was excited but I felt like we didn’t really know what we were getting ourselves into.

C: I did all the research, so of a night I planned the route and how many miles per day, and wrote it all down. I’m more the organiser.

H: You booked all the places we were going to stay.

It was a massive challenge for our fitness and also to make people more aware of autism C: We booked our first 10 nights, because it was so busy the first few stages, so we always booked ahead, some nights we were literally booking on the day, but it was hostels. Our first night in Saint-Jean it was just a woman’s house and we rented a room. And when we walked over the Pyrenees into Roncesvalles we were in a dormitory with about 150 people, which was an experience!

We were in bunk beds and [next to us] we had two French fellas in their 60s, and that was quite an experience being so close to someone, and they were just getting their clothes off and getting changed!

H: They gave us French sweets though, it was a friendly atmosphere. We weren’t expecting to be that close to someone else.

It’s a communal experience, walking the Camino, I guess that’s something

you have to get used to?

C: Yeah, it took us a bit of time to get used to. When we got into the swing of it the communal dinners, that was really something we looked forward to, sharing everyone’s experiences and talking to people from all around the world.

H: The only thing was the dinners were between 7 and 8 o’clock, so we’d have to stay awake, but we’d be so tired.

C: And it would be like a set menu, so if you didn’t like it, that was it! So, one night we were in a little town and Hannah’s main was cow’s tongue and chips - and it literally came out like a tongue on a plate!

H: It was soft. I thought it was a horrible texture.

C: It was very tender, I enjoyed it. I liked it, but we were that hungry, we just had to eat it.

H: If you didn’t eat it, they got quite offended, you know? I felt so awkward. I was like, oh God, I don’t want to say.

C: But it’s the communal way and you pay €10 for a three-course meal with a bottle of wine and a bottle of water.

So, you’re thankful for what you get because you’re that hungry, and in Spain on a Sunday it’s hard to find somewhere to eat because everything shuts down.

So some days we were really hungry just looking for food.

H: We’d have all our stuff in our bag and then we’d have to go shopping, you know, the day before and then fill it up with food.

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What sort of training did you do to get prepared or did you feel like you were pretty much ready for it?

C: We’ve got our walking group, the Raby Ramblers, so we do a walk every month with them and then we were just doing Snowdonia all the time, Moel Famau.

Anything really – long walks, short walks, running. But then some people go and they don’t do anything.

I think we were really prepared for the fitness and we did well, especially on that first bit. Over the Pyrenees it was 12 miles, constant uphill. Yeah we did well, in a good time on that as well.

They’ve got two different [main] routes… the Napoleón route, the one that we took, that’s the more challenging route. And they’ve got a low-lying route.

Yeah, there’s like 20 different ways you can do the Camino now. We did the original, the 500-mile tough one. A lot of people start from different areas, so you’ve got your Portugal Camino, you’ve got your Bilbao, your Finistere, the Northern way.

H: Some people that went the way that we did, skipped the Pyrenees and just started straight from the next town, Roncesvalle, I think because the Pyrenees is so challenging.

So as long as you walk the last bit, you get your certificate?

C: 100 kilometres, from Sarria, yeah. We found when we hit Sarria, the atmosphere changed, for us.

You didn’t enjoy it as much that way?

C: The spirit of the community for me went, I think it was more of a touristy thing then, where before we had our little group didn’t we, that we saw along the 18

way.

H: We’d see them every two or three days.

C: Yeah, we’d always stop and chat and stuff, and when you see people: “Buencamino!”, but after Sarria that just stopped.

So, what was the weather like?

H: The first two weeks was really nice, wasn’t it? Dead hot, but bearable. Once we got past O Cebreiro it changed and it was just raining.

C: When we started in France it was raining, going over the Pyrenees, it was

I think the spirit of the Camino definitely helped us, and the spirit of everyone else cold. We had gloves on and everything, all our winter stuff. And then when we came down into Spain it would be like 45 degrees by 2 o’clock.

So, we’d be getting up at 4 o’clock in the morning and starting, trying to beat the heat. We were walking in the pitch black, but we managed. But it was tough going in that heat and we were lucky really because like a day after we got to Punta Darena there was a forest fire behind us.

We could smell it. So we were lucky we got through that.

Could that have been the end of your journey?

C: Yeah, they closed The Camino for safety – because it was just so barren and hot. It’s very challenging. People don’t realise how very challenging it is. Quite a few people unfortunately lost their lives while we were out there.

Did you see any interesting wildlife there?

C: There’s lots of signs saying there’s wolves and bears. We saw loads of birds of prey. We saw a deer and a deer carcass. Yeah, we were just looking and thinking it’s got to be a big predator to have dragged it down here.

So, they were around there, but luckily we didn’t see anything.

H: We got to a hill and it had all barbed wire.

C: Oh yeah, bear fencing – barbed wire to keep the bears away from the sheep. It must have been about 3 metres thick of barbed wire. Obviously, we were walking on the bear side! All the sheep were safe!

So, we looked around and our pace picked up a little bit, but no, we didn’t bump into any hungry bears.

In terms of practicalities, I guess you can only take a certain amount of clothing so do you have to do loads of laundry along the way?

C: Yeah. We’ve literally got a couple of tops, a couple of pairs of shorts, a pair of pants, 3 pairs of socks, couple of bits of underwear.

When you get to your place in the evening you’ll handwash, or a couple of Euros to throw some in the machine. But we didn’t really struggle with anything like that.

How did you find the flatter sections of the route?

H: Really hard.

C: It was because of the straightness of it.

H: On one day, we walked for 10 miles without stopping in a straight line and it was just mentally draining. There was just nothing.

C: It wasn’t even fields, it was just barren.

H: I just wanted to sit down, but Claire was like ‘we just have to keep going ‘til we see something’. We got to a café at the end and we sat there for hours and www.autismtogether.co.uk

OUR PILGRIMS’ PROGRESS

we were like, ‘oh, we’ve still got four more miles!’

C: Yeah I’d say the most challenging bit was that. We love up and down, the forests and the mountains - absolutely beautiful. But we struggled at that bit.

And the towns… you’ll be walking for miles and you can see it in the distance and it’s just not getting any closer! But it is an amazing experience. I can’t big it up enough.

How were you sharing autism awareness along the way?

C: We were telling people what we did [at Autism Together] because people were amazed that we could have the time off.

I think because a lot of the younger guys were starting further on or doing sections, because of work commitments.

So, we explained about the charity, and how we took a sabbatical and how we’re fundraising.

H: They were amazed that we’ve got a farmland where the guys can come down for the day. They said that they’d never heard of anything like that before.

C: Yeah, yeah. We were talking to one man and his dad from Tasmania – Sam and Jeff.

They were just absolutely amazed.

They knew about autism, we offered little tips and stuff, because their niece or nephew was autistic and he said, ‘I’ve never thought of doing that and he was just amazed’.

H: They got a bit emotional, didn’t they?

When we were telling them about our jobs. He just said, ‘you’re two nice people’.

C: Yeah, he said, ‘I can’t believe there’s something like that, that these guys can go to and just live a normal life’. And we were speaking to people from Spain or Korea and it’s all institutionalised there.

The guys from Korea, they just couldn’t understand it, I don’t think they could get their heads around it, a place like Raby, because they’ve nothing like that.

So, I think we’re very lucky to have something like this, where we live, and www.autismtogether.co.uk

how far we’ve come for the guys, it’s amazing.

Tell us more about the people you met along the way, like the US journalist?

C: Jane Wells, yeah, she tricked us.

H: She did. She got our whole life story.

C: Yeah, we were being interviewed and we didn’t even know.

H: But someone donated on our [fundraising] page saying ‘I’ve donated because I heard your story through Jane Wells’. But Jane had introduced herself to us as Jane Waddell, different second name.

So, when she said Jane Wells we searched on Facebook and there she was. And she’s written all about us, it’s crazy, and we didn’t know – very sneaky.

C: We’d see them, wouldn’t we? Every day pretty much, walking along or at a cafe, having a coffee and stuff.

So we’d be saying hi and stuff, we just got talking about where we were from and they said they were from California, and I said, ‘oh, my uncle lives in California in Thousand Oaks’, and she was gobsmacked because she lived just around the corner from him.

So that’s how we got talking, and then one day she was just asking how did we get the time off work and that’s how it snowballed.

Then we told her all about what we’re doing and why we’re doing it and next minute all these donations started coming in from America. But yeah, she’s a lovely lady. She was very nice, but very sneaky!

So how much did you guys raise in the end?

H: I think it was just over £1,100.

C: We also had the donation of £10,000 for the tractor off a generous donor and she’s since donated another £10,000. So we’re going to get a trailer that the guys can sit in, and we can take them on trips round. Plus, the Just Giving page, so we did really well.

When it all started I thought we’re never going to get a tractor. I thought a couple of hundred pounds and then this lady, she was so impressed with what we do. I was gobsmacked.

So, did you feel anything spiritual on the journey, as it’s a pilgrimage?

C: Yeah, that was emotional at the end for us both. But even on the walk, every village, town, they always had a church. So, every now and again we would go in them. I’d say that I felt spiritualized and reenergised from just going in and sitting there, and having a bit of reflection.

H: I think the positive attitude of everyone that we met was spiritual as well.

C: Yeah, everyone was happy. I think the spirit of the Camino definitely helped us, and the spirit of everyone else. And a few ‘spirits’ along the way!

So, would you do it again or another pilgrimage?

C: Definitely, 100%, yeah, I’ll do it tomorrow.

H: I’d do them all. We said in 5 or 10 years we’ll do it again!

If you’d like to donate to support the work we do at Raby Gardens, you can make a donation via our website: www. autismtogether.co.uk/donate/ 19

CHRIS SHOWS HE IS A MASTER OF THE TRACTOR

Paul Baker chats to one of the people we support who has passed his tractor training

C

ongratulations are in order for one of the people we support at our Raby Gardens and Woodlands site for gaining a qualification in using our tractors.

Chris completed his training course to be able to use our two tractors, which he took alongside Raby activity leader Claire Quinlan and Joe Peters from our Estates & Facilities Team.

We spoke to Chris after he was presented with his certificate to find out more about what he learned on his course and what other jobs he likes doing around the Raby grounds.

Chris, you recently completed the tractor training and gained your certification. What are you now able to do with the tractors?

The orange one, we use to move chickens or for the midden. The midden is the muck heap. We’ve got three big muck heaps down the bottom [of Raby Gardens]. So if you were going to do it by hand, it takes quite a lot of time.

And I can easily move stone for any projects or jobs that need to be done, instead of doing a whole entire job of moving a few tonne of stone by wheelbarrow.

Sometimes we use the orange tractor to fill that up and take it down. So it speeds the job up as well as giving other people more tasks. And we also use the tractor, the blue tractor, for the same job.

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www.autismtogether.co.uk

Some of the other guys do sit on the tractor… just so they can enjoy sitting on a tractor.

What did you have to do on the training? What did they take you through?

Just checking oil, the maintenance of things, if anything is broken, write it down. Yeah, the general maintenance of the tractor and the competency of driving.

When you use the tractor, you have to take into account that if you’re taking a heavy load, you have to keep your counterweight quite low so it has an equal balance, so it’s not going to be tipping over or falling over.

They talked about the health and safety, so if you’re going up a steep slope always go quite slow, or uneven ground you just take it slow, because with speed you could tip it over.

And always be aware of your surroundings, because down here you’ve got other people that could run out in front of the tractor, so

you have to be on constant alert to make sure you don’t accidentally run anyone over.

So just be constantly alert and when reversing as well, always check behind you.

How long have you been coming to Raby Gardens and Woodlands?

I think it was 12 years since I’ve come down to Raby. I’m quite happy working in all areas, from maintenance to animals, horticulture and woodlands as well.

I like to broaden my knowledge and horizons and I’m happy to help people and staff in other areas.

What do you think you’re going to tackle next? What’s your next challenge?

We’ve been working on the bird hide, probably other projects that’s going on like another alpaca shed.

Well done to Chris on mastering his tractor skills and for being such an important and helpful member of our Raby group.

www.autismtogether.co.uk

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SUPPORTERS & FUNDRAISERS

Dad takes on wild swimming challenge, while watching out for lake monsters!

HUGE congratulations to Paul Egan for taking on a massive wild swimming challenge in aid of Autism Together.

Paul swam 3.7 miles across Bala Lake in North Wales – the longest natural lake in Wales – raising £850 for our charity.

His son, also called Paul, accesses our services at Raby CVS and Gallagher House, where the funds are to be split.

Paul, a trained lifeguard, was aiming to complete the gruelling swim in under 3 hours, and managed it in a fantastic 2 hours and 35 minutes. Paul said: “We smashed it!”

The epic swim was not without its dangers. Apart from the tiredness involved in swimming that far, Paul had to manage the cold temperatures of the glacial lake, which extends down to depths of up to 138ft.

And, along with the giant pike that

UPCOMING EVENTS www.autismtogether.co.uk

thrive in the dark waters, there is a legend that Teggie – a prehistoric creature and Wales’ answer to the Loch Ness Monster – patrols the depths.

Fortunately Paul made it across the lake unscathed, though he reserved special thanks to his friend Billy Girvan for providing vital support during the swim. Billy rowed alongside Paul in the support boat, acting as spotter and photographer too! Paul said: “If it wasn’t for Billy, none of this would have been possible.”

Pictured above (l-r) is Billy, Paul and Chloe Jones from Autism Together’s Fundraising team.

Paul is now considering an even bigger challenge this summer.

Watch this space…

TESCO XMAS BAG PACKING WE had great fun and a celebrity endorsement during our Christmas charity bag-packing day at Tesco in Heswall.

Huge thanks to everyone who supported our event, which took place a few days before Christmas.

Lots of people got in touch to volunteer to give up some of their time to help pack shopping bags for customers and raise money for Autism Together.

Some of the people we support also joined in - like Liam, Steven and Jake from our River Park team (pictured top).

Even Olympic gold-medallist Sam Quek showed her support (photo above-right)!

In total we raised over £650.

A fantastic festive effort from all concerned.

If you’d like to undertake a fundraising challenge for us, contact Chloe for more details and help. Call 0151 482 3136 or email: fundraising@autismtogether.co.uk

APRIL Autism Acceptance Month

JUNE 11th - Wirral Coastal Walk

AUGUST 5th - Inflatable 5k at Ashley Hall, Altrincham 21

SUPPORTERS & FUNDRAISERS

MARATHON MAGIC IN October we said thank you and congratulations to three runners who all completed the 2022 London Marathon, running on behalf of Autism Together.

Colin Robinson completed the marathon in just under five hours and said of the event: “Absolutely amazing experience!

Crowd were unbelievable kept me going. Aching today though!”

Monika Treagust’s time was five hours, 45 minutes and she even met our other runner, Tyra, along the way! What are the chances?

Monika said: “The crowd was just amazing. Sonya has been amazing support… and the champagne at the end was just perfect!

"At mile 20 I meet with Tyra who works for you, it was just chance as she saw my top. Was rather nice to chat to her.”

Tyra Gordon, who works as one of our relief staff, managed to complete the marathon in six hours, 25 mins, with a minimum of training.

She said: “Thanks to anyone who donated, the money is going to an amazing charity that is close to me and my family and we couldn’t be more thankful.”

A fantastic achievement from all our runners.

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www.autismtogether.co.uk

Brave fundraisers in 110ft abseil down Wirral lighthouse IN the autumn we held a daredevil abseiling event which was a huge success.

Amongst the brave people prepared to abseil 110ft down the side of Leasowe Lighthouse on the Wirral coast to raise money for our charity were a young lad (Henry, pictured far right), a lady in her 70s (pictured right), some Bearded Villains, a gang of Merseyside Ghostbusters and many more besides!

In total we raised over £3,000 for the people we support.

Thanks to everyone who took part, all the friends and family who came along for moral support, and everyone who gave money towards these fundraising efforts.

Leasowe Lighthouse was actually built in 1763 and is the oldest brick-built lighthouse in the UK. Big thanks to Friends of Leasowe Lighthouse for helping with the arrangements and the day's smooth running.

Look out for another exciting fundraising event like this coming later this year.

We’re so grateful for all your support! www.autismtogether.co.uk

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About

Autism Together is one of the country’s leading providers of services and support to autistic people and their families. We campaign on behalf of all people affected by autism, we encourage our supporters to get involved with fundraising and volunteering, and offer comprehensive training and job development to our employees. We work with businesses across the region, providing autism awareness and acceptance training through our award-winning Autism Training & Advisory Service, and offer a range of advice services to families, carers and autistic people.

Our Services

We support around 400 autistic people. Our Residential Services offer registered residential care in a range of housing across the North West.

Community & Vocational Services (CVS) provide training, work experience and valuable life skills for autistic adults. Our Supported Living team supports individuals to increase their independence.

ENVELOPE admissions@autismtogether.co.uk

Workshops and courses

We host regular autism-related events and training opportunities for families, individuals and employers. These include our autism advice sessions, and workshops where families, carers and autistic people can get advice and support. Since the pandemic we offer these services in person or online, to suit the individual.

ENVELOPE training@autismtogether.co.uk

Children and Family Service

Our Children & Family Service aims to provide a range of family support, including activities for children and young people on the autism spectrum with a range of clubs available for ages up to 18. We also offer one-to-one, autism-specific support for children, siblings and families.

ENVELOPE cfs@autismtogether.co.uk

Join our team

We are one of the largest employers in Wirral, specialising in providing support to autistic people.

We offer full, paid training, a competitive salary and extensive benefits package. We want to meet enthusiastic individuals to help us provide excellent care to the people we support, at locations across Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales.

ENVELOPE recruitment@autismtogether.co.uk

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