Together Magazine - Winter-Spring 2025 by AutismTogetherUK

Pathway to work

Welcome to our new magazine... Together!

Hello and thanks for picking up a copy of Autism Together’s new-look magazine, ‘Together’.

Having produced our own in-house magazine, ‘Spectrum’, since 2016, we thought it was time we updated our editorial offering with a fresh new design, outlook, and title.

The name ‘Spectrum’ certainly summed up the broad range of work we do to support the varying needs of many different autistic people.

Now, ‘Together’ speaks to how we work alongside autistic people, through coproduction and collaboration. It also draws directly from our organisation’s name and, as such, we will continue to highlight the very best stories from across our charity - encompassing staff, supporters, and the people we support.

Huge thanks to our talented Graphic Designer Anna Roberts for creating the new look and style of Together magazine. Of course, this is our first issue and we may yet see further refinements, ideas, and updates in the future.

So, what do we have in store for you within these 28 pages?

Well, we catch up on a range of news and events from the past 12 months across our services, including winning a prestigious care sector award, hosting our first ever Remembrance Service, opening a communityfacing day service in Cheshire, and becoming accredited to deliver a new mandatory autism training scheme.

Our cover story looks at some of the wonderful success stories from our Pathway To Work scheme. We also take a deep dive into the charity’s plans for the future, both through our five-year vision for Autism Together, and our exciting scheme for updating our buildings and services across Bromborough Pool Village, one of our most important service hubs. We do hope you enjoy it.

Paul Baker, Editor

Exploring our ‘Five Year Vision’ for Autism Together...

Richard Whitby, Autism Together’s CEO, joined the organisation in 2023.

Since then, Richard has reorganised his Executive Team (directors) and Leadership Teams (managers), before defining his Five Year Vision for what he wants Autism Together to achieve over the next half-decade.

You can see the basis of the strategic vision Richard created in the diagram on the next page. Work towards the plan began in 2024 and 2025 will see this vision taking further shape.

We spoke with Richard and asked him to break down his vision for the future of our charity, in terms of the six areas he has highlighted.

Above: a visual representation of our vision for the future of Autism Together

Continuous improvement

The reason continuous improvement is on our fiveyear plan is because we need to accept the fact that social care moves continuously, and the only way to be successful for us, as a provider, is to continuously change. In 2025 there’ll be new systems and processes to move forward, to make sure we meet current legislation and, through continuous improvement, we will make sure we meet the changing needs of the people we support.

Grow our services

We are looking to expand our day services and our supported living services over this five year period. That growth will be steady and will obviously ensure we meet the needs of our community. We hope this will see us expand into the Cheshire region and the Metro Merseyside region, too.

Create a community learning culture

We’re redefining our offer in terms of how we support and develop our staff. We’ve done a lot already to introduce a culture where we embrace learning as a continuous journey, rather than simply through mandatory training. We’re also embracing the fact that we can bring about change by going out and educating our community on autism acceptance. Over this period, our employees and the people we support will be pivotal in the role of educating and enlightening our community.

Our core values

Our organisational core calues have also been updated. They are now:

• Promote Positive Communication

• Promote a Learning Culture

• Be Person Centred

• Be Respectful

• Be Part of the Community

Redefine our charitable purpose

These are the services we provide that we don’t get funding for at the moment. An example of this is our Children & Family Service an area where we currently provide a range of support. I want to be clear within our vision, moving forward to 2029, that we’ve clearly established what the biggest needs are to our communities and we will look to work with the authorities and our associates, to see how we can best meet those needs.

Develop our estate portfolio

We are actively re-evaluating all the buildings and estates that we currently use, either that we own or rent. We’re going to look at which are fit for purpose in our modern care services, and we’re going to look at doing any remedial work necessary to ensure they entirely meet the needs of the people we support.

Invest in our people

We are constantly looking to develop our staff, and enhance their abilities and opportunities within their careers at Autism Together. This work is well in hand, but we will continue to push forward in terms of our educational and financial position, to ensure that our staff are as well paid as possible, and receive the best training possible to do their jobs to the highest standards. We will also ensure our staff have the chance of a career within the organisation, with opportunities for job development.

This is of utmost importance to us as a provider, because our core values can’t just be words, we have to live and breathe them. We believe, as an organisation, these core values are so important to all our work with the people we support.

We do hope you enjoyed learning more about our future vision for Autism Together.

Scan the QR code to watch ‘The

We hosted our first Remembrance Day service

In November we gathered together for a very special occasion, marking Remembrance Day with a service outside the former church building in Bromborough Pool Village.

As mentioned in the earlier feature on our plans for Bromborough Pool Village, we were gifted the Grade-II listed St Matthew’s Church building in 2023.

Wanting to create more community events within the village, we asked Rev Jenny Gillies (pictured, main) from St Barnabas’ Church in Bromborough, if she would conduct the service.

There was a wonderful turnout as local people, mingled with Autism Together staff and people we support, gathered either side of the village war memorial, which we had newly refurbished, before the vicar blessed it during the service.

Following a very respectful two-minute silence, a rendition of ‘The Last Post’ was expertly performed on electric guitar by two of our staff members, Christopher Mitchell and Alex Harris (pictured inset, above).

Scan the QR code to watch a video of their performance.

Afterwards, many people headed to our nearby Bromborough Pool Cafe for a warming cuppa and a poppy biscuit, made by the people we support.

Huge thanks to Rev Gillies for presiding over this special service, to Christopher and Alex for their performances, and to everybody who came along to honour those who gave their lives in armed conflict.

We will remember them.

Last Post’

Delivering Oliver McGowan mandatory autism training

In 2024, our charity received approval to deliver a new mandatory training course about autism and learning disabilities to our workforce and other organisations across the region...

Autism Together is amongst a group of training providers who have been approved to deliver Tiers 1 & 2 of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism, as part of a national roll-out.

The course is named after a young autistic man, Oliver McGowan, whose tragic death shone a light on the need for everyone working in health and social care to have better training around autism.

Following this, the Government introduced a statutory requirement that all health and social care providers ensure their staff receive learning disability and autism training, appropriate to their role.

The training differs from standard courses in that it is co-delivered by three individuals – an autistic person, a person with a learning disability, and an experienced facilitating trainer to guide the session.

Autism Together was able to extend the opportunity to some of the people we support to become Experts by Experience – sharing their experiences of how autism and learning disabilities affects their lives.

To celebrate their successes, we met to congratulate our first group of Experts on their achievement in completing their training and beginning to deliver the Oliver McGowan programme.

We have followed up on the success of the first cohort of Experts by continuing to recruit more talented individuals from across the region and within our services, to support the further rollout of this initiative.

Helen Bilton, Autism Together’s Director of People & Culture, has pioneered Autism Together’s rollout of the scheme. She said:

“It’s a huge achievement for Autism Together to deliver this mandatory autism training to our workforce and to the wider care sector.

“It is vital that all staff working in health and social care are fully aware of the needs and difficulties autistic people, and individuals with learning disabilities, can experience, and then be able to offer the right support.

“This training scheme also supports the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan ambition, by upskilling the wider health and care workforce to help reduce health inequality.

“The initiative also creates opportunities for paid employment for autistic people and those with a learning disability. These individuals are such an important part of our communities and at the heart of everything we do as a charity.

“We look forward to helping further the vision of Oliver’s mum, Paula McGowan, who has persevered to progress this important training, to improve care and support for autistic people across the UK, and leave a lasting legacy for her son, Oliver.”

Find out more by calling Sue on 07485 935730, emailing: olivermcgowantraining@autismtogether.co.uk or by visiting our dedicated website: www.olivermcgowanautismtogether.org.

Jake (Expert) and Jill (Co-Facilitator)

We’ve taken over management of a farm and café in Ellesmere Port!

In the summer of 2024 Autism Together took over the operation of Bridge Community Farm, formerly Bridge Wellness Gardens, a popular community farm and café near Ellesmere Port.

The site, which first opened in 2015, offers the public access to a café and a range of volunteering opportunities, alongside meeting and activity spaces for local community groups.

The horticultural farm area, situated close to Overpool train station, includes polytunnels for growing plants and vegetables, a range of heated cabins, an activity dome, and an extensive orchard.

Formed as a CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation), Bridge Farm’s focus has been to provide a therapeutic environment for people with learning disabilities, autism, and those struggling with mental health and isolation.

A range of charities and community groups access the site, using the range of facilities onsite, alongside people from our own Day Services. We also began offering a range of volunteering opportunities, to help support people that are socially isolated and offer them a friendly location to meet people, make new friends, and give back to their community.

Some of the most popular events held at Bridge Farm since Autism Together began managing the site have been the range of familyfriendly activity days taking place during school holidays. The summer break was a particular success when we had visits from pirates, goats, dancers, the fire brigade, and even some amazing vintage tanks!

When we first took over the site we held a public consultation and open meeting for the community to visit

Visit the Facebook page to find out more and check out upcoming events: www.facebook.com/bridgecommunityfarm/

Bridge Farm, hear about plans for the coming months, and share their views on what they would like to see happening at the site.

Our café area has also been refreshed and revamped with a brand new menu and seating for up to 30 guests. Members of the public are free to come along and grab a hot or cold drink and a snack in our relaxing café space.

We hope you can pop in for a cuppa and a chat very soon.

The Bridge Community Farm Café is open 11am to 2pm, Monday to Friday each week.

There is onsite parking and the address is Mill Lane, Overpool, Ellesmere Port, CH66 3NE.

The team at Bridge Community Farm

Autism Together named best North West employer at GB Care Awards

Autism Together recently won a prestigious regional award, marking the organisation out as a leading employer in the North West care sector.

Our charity was named best Care Home Employer in the North West region at the prestigious Great British Care Awards.

The event, which took place at Manchester’s Kimpton Clocktower Hotel in November, saw our organisation beat strong competition from 12 other shortlisted care providers from across the region. We will now go on to compete at the national awards in Birmingham in March.

The judges of the GB Care Awards had this to say about Autism Together, following our win:

“This company’s dedication to its staff shines through in the thorough training, 24/7 access for health support, and biannual cash rewards.

“By prioritising both physical and mental well-being, they create a motivated team well-prepared to provide exceptional care to clients, reflecting genuine respect and support for their employees.”

Autism Together employs over 800 staff to support more than 400 autistic adults across 17 residential care homes, 24 supported living properties, and eight day service locations throughout Wirral and West Cheshire.

In the past 18 months, the organisation has made significant additions to its Leadership Team, including the arrival of a new CEO and a new Director of People and Culture, together helping usher in a raft of new and increased benefits for staff.

Since then, all support staff have received pay rises, with every employee paid at least the National Living Wage, and a new Employee Assistance Programme was introduced to offer staff free and confidential support with their health and wellbeing.

Richard Whitby, CEO of Autism Together, said:

“I am incredibly proud of our win at the Great British Care Awards!”

“I believe the judges recognised our genuine dedication in continuously

reviewing and enhancing our staff benefits, and our commitment to constantly improving as an employer.

“This achievement is testament to our collective efforts, as a Board and Executive, to making our workplace the best it can be.”

Autism Together has continued to look at ways to enhance benefits for its staff and exceed statutory expectations, recently creating a Family Friendly policy to offer best support to employees when they become parents or take on new parental responsibilities.

Helen Bilton, Autism Together’s Director of People and Culture, said:

“Congratulations to every member of our staff team. Their hard work each day has contributed so much to this wonderful win. As an employer, we will continue to strive to work for the benefit of our staff team and exceed their expectations.”

Helen Bilton and Richard Whitby (left), alongside our staff who picked up our GB Care Award

Attending an ‘Autism in Racing’ day at Haydock

Last September, a group of people we support from across our services headed over to Haydock Park in St Helens to experience the thrill of live horse racing!

We were the guests of Autism in Racing, a not-forprofit Community Interest Company (CIC) set up to support and encourage autistic people to enjoy horse racing as spectators or employees.

We were met by Gaz from Autism in Racing, who showed us to our balcony suite, kindly provided by Haydock Park, from where the people we support could have a base to watch the races, or retreat inside to relax.

Gaz made sure each table in the suite had sensory toys, and activities like word searches and colouring in to enjoy between races. There was also free tea, coffee and water laid on by the racecourse.

Autism in Racing aims to help autistic adults and children take part in social and supporting activities relating to horse racing across the UK; linking in with courses around the country to make a day at the races accessible and enjoyable to autistic people and their families.

Before the afternoon’s racing began we were treated to a tour of the racecourse by Gaz and his colleague Anna from Autism in Racing. This included a look at the stables, parade ring and weighing room.

As part of the tour we got to meet the current UK Champion Jockey for flat racing, William Buick. William (pictured centre, above) is an ambassador for Autism in Racing and has an autistic son, so is passionate about making racing more accepting of and accessible to autistic people. He also gave us a tip on his best ride of the day, which romped home in first place!! Thanks William!

Then it was back to our suite to watch the races from our unrestricted vantage point.

Many of the people we support had never been to a race meeting before, but everyone thoroughly enjoyed the experience, even having a little flutter on the horses, with a few having great fortune in picking the winners!

Huge thanks to Autism in Racing and Haydock Park for looking after us so grandly on the day. It’s an experience the people we support won’t forget.

Meeting Together Forum recognised in the Autism Leaders List Awards

Congratulations to the people we support from our Meeting Together Forum who in 2024 travelled to London to collect their medals at the Learning Disability and Autism Leaders List Awards.

These awards are an annual event featuring a range of inspiring stories about an even wider variety of autistic people and individuals with learning disabilities, who are taking a lead in their lives and making things better for themselves and others.

Mark, Clare, Kenneth, Michael, and Andrew attended – plus Josie with her mum and sister – along with our fantastic staff who supported the group during their outing to the capital.

The group were also able to pick up the medals and certificates for the Bromborough Pool Cafe Team, who were similarly recognised as Autism Leaders in the national awards.

Wonderful co-production work all round!

Steps to success on our Pathway to Work...

In the autumn of 2024, we celebrated a very successful first year for our Pathway to Work scheme.

The aim of the project is to create a formal route for those autistic adults we support who would like to join the world of work.

It was recognised that a number of individuals within our Day Services had developed the requisite work skills and experience, through the person-centred support they had received working in one of our public-facing services – our charity runs three cafes, with the people we support helping to serve customers and working behind-the scenes. These individuals were ready, and, if they wished to, could take that next step into working in the wider

community, with less support from us.

We recognised that, while this would be an amazing opportunity, there were potential barriers for some autistic adults, such as:

• Fear of change.

• Loss of a fully-structured week.

• Fear of failure for the individual.

• Required understanding of autism within the workplace, plus relevant support needs.

• Travel to and from the work location.

• Pre-conceptions of what work involves (hours/ location/tasks).

• Traditional interviewing and application methods.

Ben working at Ellesmere Port’s National Waterways Museum, through Pathway to Work

The Pathway to Work scheme aimed to reduce these barriers by bridging the gap between day services and employment for people we support. It provides individuals with a route into employment, while still remaining under the Autism Together umbrella, meaning that if things do not work out, the individual can come back and rejoin our services.

Our programme works by helping each individual make a gradual transition from day services into a community-based work placement, with the overall aim to replace all days attending day services with work in the community.

The implementation of Pathway to Work

The introduction of the Pathway to Work as a separate stream of day services, coincided well with the remodelling of our Day Services to include different streams to match individuals’ interests, with a focus on the development of people through a ‘Support Journey’, which our ethos for support is based upon.

We currently have 8 individuals on our Pathway to Work programme, with each on placement between one and three days a week at various locations, including at the National Waterways Museum; Cafe Number 7; Make It Happen CIC; Autism Together’s Estates Department; and a YMCA charity shop.

More people have been identified to begin the Pathway to Work in the coming months.

All individuals on the Pathway were originally being supported in our Day Services and funded by Wirral Social Services. The cost saving to the council is around £21k per annum.

What have we learnt?

We have learnt that many of the barriers identified at the outset, are still barriers to individuals. But, seeing others achieve success has encouraged confidence and interest in the scheme from a wider range of people we support.

We have discovered other barriers – such as individuals being very comfortable in their current routines, and therefore not wanting to change or progress.

Each person is supported by our Pathway to Work Coordinator, Mark White, in a flexible, personcentred way: through visits, phone calls, and video calls. These days remain funded by social services but charged for at a reduced rate (less than half of their previous placement cost).

This has a number of benefits, such as increased independence and self-esteem for the individual, while the local authority in Wirral sees a reduction in reliance on funded services and a step towards their All Age Disability Strategy goal that: ‘all young people and adults with disabilities have access to employment and are financially resilient’.

Another new barrier we have discovered is individuals’ rigidity in their thought process about their ideal employment. For example, someone wanted to drive double decker buses, but they have struggled to change their ideal, towards other potential driving jobs.

We have learnt that it is much easier to obtain work placements in areas such as charities and

CICs. These areas are already more aware and welcoming to individuals with differences and disabilities.

• If you would like to find out more about our Pathway to Work programme and how you might join it, please contact our Admissions Team via email: admissions@autismtogether.co.uk

Chris (centre) at his placement with Make it Happen, a community hub in Birkenhead

Future development of the programme

Our aim for the future of the scheme is to double the number of days that people are accessing the service.

Last year, the service received grant funding from John Lewis for projects relating to ‘Employability and Education’. This has been spent on tablets and licences for the Empowerment Passport.

Developed by a local occupational therapist and mother of an autistic son, this is a digital platform which enables people with disabilities to think about and communicate the unique adjustments they would need in employment.

We will also be introducing a measurement tool –to assess individuals’ confidence levels at the start of the programme, and reassess this on a regular basis to provide quantitative evidence about the success of the programme.

We also continue to look for more companies willing to support the journeys of the individuals on Pathway to Work by providing placements.

If you are a regional business interested in offering work placements, please email our Pathway to Work coordinator, Mark White, for more details: mark.white@autismtogether.co.uk

Pathway to Work Coordinator Mark White with Bradley at the project’s one-year celebration

John Lewis awarded a community grant of £1,200 towards our Pathway to Work scheme

Steven at YMCA shop, Prenton

One of the first success stories on Autism Together’s Pathway to Work scheme is Steven Parson.

Steven gained a wide range of customer service experience working at two of the cafés run by Autism Together – at Bromborough Pool Village and Port Sunlight River Park – supported expertly by our staff.

Steven has been able to take this experience into the wider workplace, through a volunteering placement at a YMCA charity shop in Prenton.

We visited Steven at his placement to have a chat with him and Theresa, who manages the store and is working closely with Steven.

Steven began working one-day a week at the charity shop from the start of April 2024, in which time he has been a hit with customers, due to his friendly and chatty nature. He’s also a whiz on the till!

Steven said: “So I work on the till, and I’ve had a couple of times when I’ve put the clothes out and had a little go at putting tags in the clothes and sorting them out to go out on the shop floor, which is nice. But I like the till because you get to chat to the customers.”

Theresa said: “Steven’s great. He likes to do the till, and he’ll help out with other things as well when we need him to. He’ll chat to the customers and that. So yeah, he’s great!”

Steven explains that he likes to keep himself busy, working three days a week in Autism Together’s cafes and one at the YMCA shop.

“So I have Friday off, which is good. It’s when I can catch up with my housework and things like that.”

When asked what skills Steven has picked up or improved upon since working within a busy charity shop he immediately points to customer service skills, and that he feels good to be volunteering in the community. Theresa also thinks Steven has become more confident, the longer he’s worked at the shop.

“Yeah, I was a bit shy at first,” admits Steven. “But I’m more relaxed now. I’ve been here quite a few weeks now, so I’m kind of settled and I like it.”

We asked Theresa why she thinks it is important for the people we support to have opportunities to volunteer in the community, like Steven is.

“I think it helps with communication skills, definitely. Steven has come out of his shell an awful lot and chats a lot more now.

“Also, he’s learned a couple of new things. So, if he wanted to apply for retail [jobs], he can use those skills he’s learning – as in pricing and sorting clothes to go out, where things go merchandising-wise, he can apply those skills in any future jobs.”

Lastly, we asked Steven about his future and what work he might like to do next.

“I don’t know,” he says. “I’m just quite happy doing what I’m doing for now. I’ll play it by ear and see how I get on. But I just feel quite settled here now, I’m quite happy, so it’s nice.”

Scan the QR code to see our interview with Steven:

Chris at Number Seven, Birkenhead

Chris Wood, one of the people we support at Autism Together, took up a placement through our Pathway to Work scheme at the start of 2024, and is thriving in his new role.

Working at Number Seven, a project in Birkenhead combining a social supermarket and café for the local community, has been a very positive and beneficial time for Chris.

Chris explains: “It’s been a good experience, learning different training skills. Like the basics - taking stock, taking items and pricing them – things like that. Reducing things in the back, learning about general health and safety.”

Chris works closely with Sandra, one of the volunteers at Number Seven. Sandra thinks Chris has improved in many departments, not least in his personal confidence and communication skills.

“Yeah, he’s come on very well,” Sandra says. “He’s got more confidence, he knows about rotation and merchandising, and he’s learned a lot and is very helpful.

“I feel now I don’t have to really tell him what to do, he’s got himself in a routine and his communication’s great.

“We do have a nice chat now, don’t we, Chris? And you know, he talks about his social things and he’s really coming on. I think this project has done him really, really well.”

Chris agrees, explaining: “We’ve been a good team. If you have a good balance then you know where you’re going with the next task, which challenge you want to do next.”

Working two hours, twice a week, Chris takes us through a typical shift at the social supermarket, which offers a range of reduced goods and groceries to those in need:

“We take a delivery on Monday, so taking all the items in the stock room and using the trolley to put the items in, using the price gun.”

Sandra adds: “When we get a big delivery in, I can’t lift very well so Chris is very helpful. He will help me lift the crates and then we bring in the delivery from the stock room and we bring it into the shop.

“Then we rotate it, sort it out, and we price it, and then Chris stocks up with me. He’s very good at keeping the shop tidy, as you can see! Everything’s brought forward and rotated - he’s excellent at that. So, he’s got himself in a really good routine.”

Moira McAdam, the project manager at Number Seven, was also full of praise for Chris and what he has achieved:

“Chris has been with us now about four months… he’s great! He just gets on with everything, he turns up on time, he does his job… And he’s just a great asset really to the team.”

Moira explains that Chris is best suited to working in the quieter supermarket side of the project rather than the bustling café area. The latter – which seats up to 46 people – can be a bit busy and potentially overwhelming to some autistic people.

“It does get busy, but if it ever does affect Chris at all, he’s always got the back [space] where he could go out if he wanted. But he seems to be coping really well, and it’s great to have him here.

“He’s picking up social skills. He’s mixing with all the staff of volunteers and he’s definitely easier around everybody now, so he’s definitely picked up the social skills.

“He’s attentive, he listens to what Sandra says to him, and he’s just really pleasant. He’s got lots of skills and hopefully we can keep building on them.

“As long as Chris wants to stay, we’re happy to have Chris, as he’s so good.”

Our exciting plans for the future of Bromborough Pool Village...

Over the following pages we’re going to share our plans for the future of Bromborough Pool Village....

For over 10 years, Autism Together has operated a range of support services from a number of rented buildings within historic Bromborough Pool Village.

In 2023, Riverside Housing gifted three of those buildings, along with some land, to our charity – the Grade II-listed Enterprise Centre, Giles Shirley Hall and the former St Matthew’s Church building.

The three buildings are listed and situated in a conservation area. Over the years these buildings have seen a great deal of wear and tear, which

What next?

has left them requiring significant repair and refurbishment to bring them back to full use.

We asked the local community to share their thoughts on how this restoration and development should take place, and how the community might also make use of some of the buildings and the village in general. Along with asking people to complete online questionnaires, we hosted a number of information meetings, drop-in sessions, and events where the public could find out more and share their thoughts.

In Bromborough Pool Village we now own the school, church, village hall, café, shop and some of the surrounding land. We also have residential houses and operate a range of day services within the village.

Following the community consultation at the end of 2023, Autism Together appointed Paddock Johnson, heritage-approved architects, to design a masterplan for the buildings and land.

On the following pages you can see more details, showing the exciting future potential of our plans, which will benefit our Day Services, operating within these buildings, and the village as a whole.

The Enterprise Centre Zone

The Enterprise Centre Zone consists of the old Bromborough Pool Village School site, which was built in 1899 for the children of the workers of Price’s Candle Factory. The building closed as an operational school in 2006 and Autism Together have utilised the premises as part of our Day Services since 2009. The building was transferred into Autism Together’s ownership in 2023.

Initial Phase

The stonework is in poor repair and we are looking to raise over £400k for the exterior work alone. This will secure the building physically for many years to come and ensure that this beautiful structure, which holds many memories for the local community, can remain at the heart of the village.

2nd Phase

The internal layout will be reconfigured to provide a better environment for the people we support. This will include a freestanding sensory pod, new improved kitchen and welfare facilities, along with a more accessible courtyard area, which will include a glazed roof, meaning that the space can be used in all weathers.

The internal reconfiguration will also include a large, multi-functional space for up to 50 people, with kitchenette and toilet facilities, that will be able to be rented out to the community for events during evenings and weekends.

All of this will not detract from the external façade, from a heritage point of view, but would enhance it by removing the unsympathetic link that is not in keeping with the building.

The Enterprise Centre is a former school house in Bromborough Pool Village

Bromborough Pool Village Gardens Area and Car Park

This area includes our Bromborough Pool Village Café & Shop; the rear area, which is used by the people we support; and the old community growing area and car park.

Car park improvements and person we support entrance

We would aim to replan the car park space to develop a one-way system and specific drop-off area in the old bowling hut, for the people coming to the services in the day. This will minimise the impact that traffic has on the village during busy drop off and collection periods.

We would also look to resurface the car park with improved sub-bases and a new permeable surface, with integrated planting to ensure it is aesthetically pleasing.

St Matthew’s Church Zone

Originally a non-denominational chapel for the workers of Price’s Candle Factory, the church was built in 1889/90 and closed for worship in 2007.

Autism Together leased the church from Riverside since 2008, with it transferring into Autism Together’s ownership in 2023. Within the church, which is currently used for music and media sessions for the people we support, we would look to improve the usefulness of the interior of this building for our groups by introducing a reversible change, of an acoustic glazed partition, enabling the space to be accessed and used to do different activities at the same time.

Urban Garden Zone

This is the area of land that currently sits behind the garages which are of very poor quality and structure. The garages and the parcel of land, which is currently very underused due to a lack of facilities, transferred into Autism Together’s ownership from Riverside in 2023. Our desire is that, in the future, this could see the garages demolished and an attractive new single-story building developed that is in keeping with the design of the village. This would enhance our residential offer to the people we support, in the form of a new supported living service for eight individuals.

The entrance for people we support would be redesigned to give a clear visual to that this is the entrance to our Day Services. It will be enhanced with clear directional signage, along with a modular-build office, to offer assistance to any people we support entering the area.

Cafe, Shop and Community Growing Space

Alongside our existing cafe and shop, we intend to develop a managed community growing space, where the local community can adopt small plots of land

in which they can grow crops and plants. We will manage the rental of these spaces and preference will be given to people living in the village.

The area behind our Cafe & Shop

This area would be zoned to provide different experiences for the people we support. This would include a sensory area, with individual pods for people we support, offering a range of sensory experiences.

There would also be an exercise zone, with sunken trampolines and an all-weather track for cycling, alongside outdoor gym equipment to provide people we support with purposeful activity to address vestibular sensory differences. There would be an animal area for small animals that reside on the site (rabbits, guinea pigs and chickens). Keeping these provides jobs for the people we support in looking after the animals, and they are also very popular during petting sessions that happen often in the café, much loved by customers.

There would be a further growing area, allowing for the current activity of cultivating plants from seed to continue, alongside a social area for the people we support to gather. All of these areas will be supported by various modular classrooms that will provide spaces for the people we support with quality facilities to underpin their learning and development.

Finally, we intend to have a work skills area, which will be a multi-functional space to facilitate further opportunities for interaction between people we support and the community. This will have a number of modular classrooms and pods that could be used to host community events like those we currently run, such as our summer holiday activities and our Santa’s grotto.

What we have done so far in response to the public consultation

• Village War Memorial repaired.

• Tree and hedge trimming.

• Renewed all the car park railings.

• Expanded the range of goods sold in the café, to include milk, bread, and newspapers.

• More events happening for children.

• More visitors coming into the village due to more events and publicity.

• Corporate volunteers working to help tidy up the area.

What improvements will be made to the local area (outside of our buildings)

• Car park area will be much improved.

• Restoration to exterior of buildings.

• Improvements to the boundaries.

• Falling down buildings (in car park, garages, and rear of Giles Shirley) will be improved, generally improving the look.

• Rentable space in the Enterprise Centre.

We ran

The history of Bromborough Pool Village

Bromborough Pool was developed from 1853 as a model 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 the Price’s workforce.

Contact Details...

Email: BPV.Consultation@autismtogether.co.uk

Write to:

Angie Kemp, Director of Operations, Autism Together, Oak House, 6 Tebay Road, Bromborough, CH62 3PA

It actually pre-dates the more famous nearby model village of Port Sunlight, which started in the 1880s.

Recently, the village shop returned, as we refurbished and rebranded our Garden Centre to be Bromborough Pool Café & Shop. The business is run together by our staff and the people we support.

The people we support help in everything from setting the menus, preparing and serving the food, and helping decide what is on sale in the shop.

Items on sale in the shop area include fresh bread, eggs, daily newspapers, and more.

You’ll find our Bromborough Pool Café & Shop at The Green, Bromborough Pool Village, Wirral, CH62 4TT.

We have a free car park on site, too. Hope to see you there soon!

a heritage tour of Bromborough Pool Village

By Helen Bilton, Director of People Services for Autism Together…

I am very proud to reveal that Autism Together was named amongst the UK’s Top Three for gender pay equality in the residential care sector in 2024.

Each year, over 10,000 companies in the UK submit their gender pay gap data to the government. A company called Lead5050 then creates an Equity Index, using every piece of information submitted in order to rank businesses on their workplace equity.

Our CEO, Richard Whitby, said of this recognition for our charity: “I have the privilege to lead an organisation that doesn’t just talk about pay equity, but actively lives it!”

Lead5050 said about the results in the care sector: “As we navigate towards a more inclusive future, it’s crucial to recognise sectors that exemplify workplace equity… we believe that equity is not just a goal but a fundamental aspect of sustainable and compassionate business practices.”

Equal pay across genders is just one of many important benefits we have sought to ensure or bring to Autism Together, since the new Executive Team was established in 2023.

Other important wins for our employees include:

• We pay above the National Living Wage for all care roles and apprenticeships at Autism Together.

• We pioneered the first, and now annual, AT Staff Awards – to recognise and reward staff for the vital work they accomplish each day.

• We brought in a new apprenticeship programme, giving staff opportunities to obtain a professionallyrecognised qualification, relevant to their role.

• We established important new training for managers, around the menopause.

• We have committed to supporting the ‘Employer With a Heart’ Charter.

• We expanded our base of mental health first aiders and first responders to ensure staff across all areas had easy access to mental health support, while at work.

• We have brought in a new Employee Assistance Programme, offering professional counselling sessions, a 24/7 confidential helpline, medical information, family advice, along with financial and legal support.

Our Family Friendly Policy

A major addition to our employee benefits, that we brought in recently, was our Family Friendly policy. This offers enhanced support for new parents, providing an extended offering both during and after pregnancy, including enhanced payments beyond the statutory requirements.

The new policy covers aspects such as enhanced pay during Maternity and Paternity Leave, along with Shared

Significant senior appointments made

This past year we made two new senior appointments, significantly strengthening our Leadership Team.

Christina Davies stepped up from Financial Controller to become Director of Finance, replacing director Louise Parnell who retired in 2024.

Parental Leave and Adoption too. The policy also covers support/time off with pay for staff undergoing IVF treatment, and for parents accessing Neonatal support within the first 28 days of a baby’s birth.

This policy provides an equal and consistent approach for anyone becoming a parent, or taking on parental responsibility, in order to widely benefit our staff. We are also proud to have been awarded the Employer with Heart chartermark, from the organisation The Smallest Things, for supporting families of premature babies, at work.

Christina has enjoyed a successful career with Autism Together, joining the organisation in 2009, growing her skills and experience within the Finance Team before progressing to director level.

A qualified Chartered Global Management Accountant, Christina is passionate about using her skill set to contribute to the continued growth of the organisation, championing business partnering and empowering her team to achieve.

Christina said: “I am very proud to have become a director at Autism Together. I look forward to using the knowledge and experience I have built up in my 15-years working within this wonderful charity to help the Executive Team succeed with their exciting vision for our organisation.”

Josie McKeown, Head of People Services

Christina’s appointment comes alongside an important new senior addition to the charity, with Josie McKeown becoming the new Head of People Services.

Josie’s career in human resources has seen her manage both customer service and personnel departments for over 10 years. Working mainly in the North-West charity sector, her previous role was Head of People & Culture at Woodlands Hospice in Liverpool. Josie is passionate about engendering a workforce that feels truly supported, within a business that delivers excellent training and opportunities for growth.

Richard Whitby, CEO of Autism Together, said: “It’s fantastic to see these significant senior appointments in place.

“With the support of Christina and Josie, we can continue to take important steps forward in achieving our exciting five-year strategic vision for the organisation – to invest in our people, redefine our charitable purpose, develop our estate portfolio, grow our services, create a community learning culture, and deliver continuous improvement.”

Christina Davies, Director of Finance

Hitting the heights on Snowdon ‘Get Active For Autism’ Challenge

In autumn of 2024, a team of Autism Together staff and supporters took on our Get Active For Autism fundraising challenge, in the heart of Wales’ beautiful Snowdonia mountain range.

Congratulations to our team of intrepid mountaineers who successfully climbed Snowdon, Wales’ highest peak, and then descended, by torchlight, all to fundraise for Autism Together!

This was our Get Active For Autism Challenge for 2024. The plan was to set off in the afternoon in order to reach the peak in time to see the sun setting across the Snowdonia range.

Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t obliging and there was poor visibility at the summit. But our team (a mix of staff and supporters) persevered and completed the challenge, raising over £4,200 for our charity and the people we support.

A huge thank you to everyone who braved the challenge to help our charity and the people we support. We really appreciate all your efforts.

Officer, Chloe Jones

above), was amongst those who took on and completed the

challenge. Chloe told us all about the group’s amazing adventure upon this formidable crag…

“We set off at 4pm, a team of 23 people, including staff, and supporters from across the UK, some coming from London to join us!

“Huge thanks go to our mountain leaders, Jonathan and Jordan from Mountain Walks. They expertly guided our team to the summit and back down. They know the mountain so well and kept us all incredibly safe.

“From the start, we knew that we were not going to see that lovely sunset – we couldn’t even see the top of Snowdon! The day was windy but warm and stayed dry throughout, so we counted ourselves lucky for that –though the winds did get pretty blowy at times!

“We had four members of our fantastic supporters The Merseyside Ghostbusters with us. Lots of people passed by us shouting: “Who you gonna call!” and this was a great morale booster for them and us.

“We seemed to be the only people heading up the mountain, everyone we passed was going down. We summited as the only group and saw no one else at the top or on our way down… we had the mountain to ourselves!

“For our descent, we had to walk single file and navigate the rocky pathways. With head torches on we could only see the space in front of our feet. Once we broke below the cloud we could spread out a little and

morale was incredibly high, cheering each other on despite our sore legs!

“Huge thanks to all our group for taking on our Get Active For Autism challenge!

“We didn’t get our picturesque sunset, but we all felt so proud of what we accomplished – all in the name of Autism Together and raising money for the people we support.”

Calling all cyclists!! We’re offering you the chance to take part in an unforgettable cycling challenge in 2025. You’ll be joining a group on a thrilling charity bike ride from London to Paris!

Run by Global Adventure Challenges, this tale of two cities sees riders leave England’s capital on July 23rd and take to the road in a series of exciting stages over four days. The finale of the adventure will see you arrive in Paris just ahead of the Tour De France, with the Parisienne streets lined with cycling fans to cheer you home!

Scan the QR code below to find out more and join our team, for a truly inspirational experience and memories you’ll cherish for a lifetime.

Our Fundraising

(pictured

Our fundraisers at the summit of Snowdon

Start up the art!

People we support join Birkenhead gallery exhibition

Last year, some of the talented people we support at our Gallagher House day services showed their artworks to the public at a show in Birkenhead.

The people we support, whose work was on display, took the opportunity to jump in the minibus and head over to see their work on the walls at START-YARD.

Huge thanks to 471 Routes CIC who put the show together, led by Geoff Owens – a former employee of our charity.

The exhibition also showed unique work from two other talented artists, and was enjoyed by many visitors during the show’s run.

As you can see from the photos, the people we support were thrilled to see their work being exhibited in Birkenhead for the public to enjoy

Setting the gold standard

Roll up, roll up, and read all about the Autism Together Awards…

In 2024 we held our first ever Autism Together Awards ceremony - and what a fantastic evening it was!

The event primarily celebrated the immense contribution of our staff teams, but also the people we support who achieve so much every day, and our valued supporters too.

Set within the grand surroundings of the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton – the venue looked fantastic and our guests had a brilliant time.

Well done to our Fundraising Team for organising the event, and all our corporate supporters for helping us put it on.

Our fabulous host for the evening was Radio City’s Leanne Campbell, while the Mayor of Wirral, Councillor Jerry Williams, and Mayoress Irene Williams were honoured guests.

The awards take into account work completed during a 12-month period, showcasing the exceptional work that our staff carry out daily, while recognising

the indispensable contribution of local fundraisers and businesses.

We received well over 300 nominations for our awards, which we worked through until we came up with a three-person shortlist for each award category.

Huge congratulations to all those nominated, shortlisted and, of course to the winners of our very first Autism Together Awards.

With the event proving such a success, we’re pleased to say the awards are back for 2025 and we can’t wait!

Here is the full list of awards and finalists, with the winners highlighted in bold.

Don’t forget to scan the QR code below to check out our video from the ceremony too…

Team Impact of the Year

About

Autism Together is a charity and service provider, offering specialist support to autistic people for over 55 years. Founded in Wirral in 1968 by a group of concerned parents, the organisation currently employs more than 800 staff, supporting over 400 adults and many more families, through services across Wirral and Cheshire. The charity provides residential care, supported living, day services, children and family services, plus specialist autism training. We also have our own farm, woodland, cafés, and even a rock band led by the people we support.

Our Services

We support autistic adults through a range of services. This includes registered Residential care in housing across Wirral and West Cheshire. Our Day Services provide activities, work experience and opportunities to gain important life and social skills. Our Supported Living team helps people increase their independence through supported tenancies. admissions@autismtogether.co.uk

Join our team

We are one of the largest employers in Wirral, specialising in providing a range of support services 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 at locations across Wirral and West Cheshire. recruitment@autismtogether.co.uk

Workshops and courses

Our award-winning training team offer autismrelated courses to suit a wide range of businesses and organisations. We offer Autism Acceptance training in a morning, afternoon or evening session; Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training (Tier 1 & 2) at competitive rates; and our BILD-approved ‘Autism Together Model’ training for care providers. training@autismtogether.co.uk

Fundraising

Every year, people from right across the UK raise money to help Autism Together. Our Fundraising Team is there to support them along the way. They also work with businesses to offer corporate volunteering days within our services, and run community events. Get in touch with them today and see how you can support our charity. fundraising@autismtogether.co.uk

enquiries@autismtogether.co.uk @autismtogetheruk AutismtogetherUK 0151 334 7510

Wirral Centre for Autism, Oak House, 6 Tebay Road, Bromborough, Wirral, CH62 3PA Reg. Charity Number: 1007878 Reg. Company Number: 2658268

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