The Loop - Summer Edition

Summer edition 2022 ne-as.org.uk

AUTISM ACCEPTANCE MONTH HIGHLIGHTS MEET OUR ‘FOUR-MIDABLE’ LINE-UP OF PATRONS OUR CEO’S HUMANITARIAN MISSION Plus…

From the CEO’s desk Save the Dates and more.

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Notes from our CEO With Autism Acceptance Month officially over for another year, I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on the success of this year’s campaign.

I can’t remember a time when I’ve seen so many of our services coming together to celebrate the occasion and it’s been brilliant to see our children, young people and adults getting so engaged with the activities on offer throughout the month.

This year we focused on our journey to acceptance, reflecting on how far we’ve come as a charity since we were founded 42 years ago. I haven’t been at the helm quite that long, but in the 17 years I’ve been Chief Executive, the charity has changed immensely, and not just in size.

We’ve changed our thinking when it comes to the support we provide and strive to deliver care that is tailored to the needs of each individual who accesses one of our provisions, whether that’s one of our schools, residential homes or community outreach services.

That shift in thinking came about due to feedback from the autistic community, and also led to the decision to change up our annual Autism Awareness campaign and push for Autism Acceptance instead.

In doing so, we have focused on championing the

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John Phillipson Chief Executive Officer

voices of autistic people with lived experience, and this year the Society has shared more autistic-led content than ever before.

If you haven’t already, I’d encourage you to read the deeply personal blog around late diagnosis, written by Employment Futures’ staff member Philip Nicholson, on pages 8 and 9 of this edition. Having only been diagnosed as autistic at the age of 37, Phil has opened up about his childhood, school days and life post-diagnosis.

Reading such honest and open pieces of content, as well as the hundreds of comments from autistic individuals and their families on our social media, is truly humbling and reminds me of how far NEAS has come, but also how far we still have left to go to achieve true acceptance and inclusivity for all.

John P hillipson

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Save the Date…

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Autism Acceptance Month Highlights

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Being diagnosed as autistic aged 37

We’ve put together a list of events you don’t want to miss.

Almost 100 schools and a range of businesses and individual supporters took part, making this our biggest and best Autism Acceptance Month yet!

NEAS employee Philip Nicholson, who works for Employment Futures, opens up about his own autism diagnosis at the age of 37.

10 Meet our ‘four-midable’ line-up of patrons

We are proud to unveil a quartet of patrons with a wealth of experience in the North-East.

11 Artist Mackenzie Thorpe officially opens our school in Teesside

Teesside-born Mackenzie opened our school – named in his honour – during World Autism Acceptance Week.

12 State-of-the-art outdoor gym installed at Number 24

Thanks to generous donations, adults who access our day services have gotten off to a healthy start!

13 New support for families in North Tyneside Our Family Development team have secured funding worth £21,002 to deliver weekly Autism Family Hubs across North Tyneside.

14 “Memories that will stay with me for a lifetime” Our CEO, John Phillipson, reflects on his recent humanitarian trip to Poland.

16 Spotlight on… our fundraising team!

Meet our fundraising team as they celebrate this year’s return to in-person events.

17 Employee of the Quarter

Discover who we’re crowning our Employee of the Quarter.

18 Our highlights

From new partnerships to life-long memories.

Read our highlights…

North East Autism Society Unit 15 Lumley Court Drum Industrial Estate Chester-le-Street DH2 1AN 0191 410 9974 info@ne-as.org.uk www.ne-as.org.uk Registered Charity No. 1028260 Company Limited by Guarantee No. 2859620

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Saturday, 16 July from 10.00am – 3.00pm New Warlands Farm, Holmside, Edmondsley, Durham, DH7 6EX

0191 371 3010

info@ne-as.org.uk

www.ne-as.org.uk

Save the Dates

We’ve got a busy summer ahead of us… from the return of our summer fetes to our annual bike ride.

Here’s a round-up of the exciting events taking place and the information you need on how to join Team NEAS:

Clarty Bairns Weekends from 16 July – 14 August

Summer Fetes 28 March - 3 April

New Warlands Farm Saturday, 16 July from 10am – 3pm Thornhill Park School Thursday, 21st July from 1:30pm - 3pm Mackenzie Thorpe Centre Tuesday, 19th July from 1:30pm – 3pm

After two years away, our Summer Fetes are back! Join us at New Warlands Farm, Thornhill Park School, the Mackenzie Thorpe Centre and Thornbeck College this summer to shop products handmade by the children, young people and adults in our services.

Find out more at: www.ne-as.org.uk/events

T6 Cycle Challenge

25 - 30 August The Netherlands and Germany

Back by popular demand… It’s our annual cycling challenge!

A proper muddy family day out! Suitable for ages 5-80, come and take on this 3km obstacle course at Hedley West Farm with the whole family. Entries cost £10 per person and you’ll be able to choose any available slot during the event’s summer run to take part. You’ll be asked to raise £20 per person for NEAS and when you’ve finished the course – and tackled the waterslide – you’ll get a small souvenir to take home.

Sign up here: www.ne-as.org.uk/event/clartybairns2022

Great North Run 11 September 2022

Calling all keen runners… The world’s favourite half marathon returns to its traditional route traditional route, from Newcastle to South Shields. We still have a number of charity places for this year’s Great North Run! You can sign up to the event via one our charity tokens, which will guarantee you a place on the start line, for just £50 per person.

You’ll receive a free Autism Acceptance running vest to wear on the day, a participant’s pack filled with training, nutrition and fundraising advice and help and support from a dedicated member of the fundraising team. All we ask is that you raise £400 in sponsorship - a tenner for each year that NEAS has been supporting autistic people across the North-east.

Sign up today: www.ne-as.org.uk/Event/greatnorthrun2022

This year’s event will take place over five days (three of those will be spent cycling) and is set to be our biggest cycling challenge yet, as a team of riders will be heading overseas to the Netherlands and Germany. Every rider will receive a bespoke Team NEAS cycling jersey, plus support on the ride from a vehicle driven by a member of the team carrying supplies, spares and luggage from point to point. Bookings can be secured today for a £50 deposit.

Registration is now open at: www.ne-as.org.uk/Event/t6cycle

Find out more online at: ne-as.org.uk/events

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Autism Acceptance Highlights After two years of cancelled events due to Covid-19, it was incredible to be celebrating Autism Acceptance Month in person once again.

We were absolutely blown away by the success of this year’s campaign, with almost 100 schools signing up to receive our first-ever Teacher’s Toolkit and helping us to champion the message of autism acceptance within schools across the UK and as far afield as Australia.

A range of businesses and individual supporters from across the region also got behind the campaign, which generated a lot of media coverage throughout the month of April, while our staff and those who access our services also took part in a range of activities throughout the month.

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Our annual Walk for Acceptance returned to Herrington Country Park on April 22nd, with almost 400 walkers taking part on the day. While our second-ever Acceptance Matters Virtual Conference was hugely successful and attracted delegates from around the UK, as well as from the USA, Spain, South Africa and Australia.

You can see what our children, young people and adults and of course all of you – did to mark Autism Acceptance Week in the images opposite.

Being as au As part of our Autism Acceptance Week campaign, NEAS employee Philip Nicholson, who works as an Employment Specialist for Employment Futures, kindly agreed to open up about his own autism diagnosis at the age of 37…

The first thing I’d like to point out is that autism is a lifelong condition which means that I have been autistic from birth and not just from when I was diagnosed. So, I will start by writing a bit about what it was like being an undiagnosed autistic person before talking about getting my diagnosis and my life afterwards.

I was born in the 1980s when autism was not well understood.

When I started school Rainman had not been released so there was not even that stereotype. There was a bunch of stuff that I did differently as a kid that probably would be picked up on today leading to me getting a diagnosis earlier. I’ve thought about this a lot since being diagnosed and I really don’t know whether it would have been a good thing or not. In primary school it was picked up on and I was given an IQ test and a hearing test, I passed them so was told that I just needed to pay attention.

From then on, I knew I was different from most of the other kids in school and they knew I was different too. There was just no name for it and at times I did wonder if there was something I could be diagnosed with but the thought of autism never crossed my mind as I knew next to nothing about it.

When I finished school I went to university before working in Italy and Poland where I taught English for a couple of years.

I returned to the UK, still working as an English teacher before doing a bunch of other stuff. I did a Master’s degree, worked at a Further Education college, did voluntary work with disabled children and also worked supporting asylum seekers. I began to feel that I was kind of drifting through things in life and that I could have been progressing more. So, I thought a good way to bring together my different experiences would be to train as a social worker. I got onto a two-year course, which would lead to me being a qualified social worker. I was always pretty good at studying so enjoyed the course and learnt a lot but then this is the bit which led to my diagnosis.

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At this point I knew more about autism through my past work and had started working at NEAS supporting children outside of school and read quite a bit of academic literature about autism on my course.

I recognised a lot of autistic traits in myself but also thought about ways that I was not autistic.

I felt that I had a lot of empathy for people and that was why I was motivated to work in areas where I could support others and this didn’t fit with what I read from Simon Baron Cohen about theory of mind. I do not need routine and like doing things spontaneously. Also I had kept hearing that “everyone is a bit autistic” and “on the spectrum somewhere”, so thought that was probably the case for me (hint: that’s not how it works).

Anyway, on my final placement I was working in child protection and started struggling with managing everything. When asked about why I was having problems I struggled to give an answer because I knew I could do each thing individually, like calling people, arranging appointments, building a relationship with a service user, doing an assessment, writing up the reports, etc. It was managing the combination of everything in the pressured environment of child protection that I couldn’t do. I didn’t finish that placement and never qualified as a social worker. That knocked my confidence a lot and I had no idea what I would do instead. Having the job at NEAS at that time was a really good thing for me. I went to a counsellor for support and tried to understand why I had found that placement so difficult and my counsellor suggested that I might be autistic and that was the nudge I needed. I thought that I might be autistic but also thought of the ways I didn’t think I was, so I was genuinely unsure if I would be diagnosed or not. Thinking about ways that you are not autistic is not really helpful as the diagnosis process just looks at ways someone meets the criteria not the ways they don’t.

So if someone says “you can’t be autistic because...”, then they are wrong.

To get my diagnosis I went to my GP, said why I thought I was autistic and how a diagnosis could help me and they the referred me to the adult mental health team. Autism isn’t a mental health condition but there isn’t really anywhere else for it to sit in the

g diagnosed utistic aged 37…

NHS. So I saw a CPN and they took my case to a multi-disciplinary panel who then referred me for an autism assessment. I was told that I would be assessed in 12-18 months and it did take about year for me to get the assessment. The assessment took about 4 hours and my parents were there to answer questions about my childhood. This was so the professionals could see that my autistic traits were lifelong and other possibilities could be ruled out. This can be a barrier for people getting a diagnosis if, for example, they don’t have contact with their parents.

The assessment consisted of lots of questions, moving puzzle pieces around, and talking about picture books. I knew the reasons for this and that the assessment had been designed to be used for children and there is not one specifically used for adults. The speech and language therapist (SALT) who conducted the assessment also kept apologising for focussing on deficits, as that is what is needed to meet the diagnostic criteria. Once the assessment was over the SALT said that it was very likely that I was autistic.

At that point I was relieved, firstly that the intensive process was over and secondly that I finally had some understanding about why I was different and had had difficulty with different things.

The thing that helped me most with getting the assessment was just that it helped me understand myself a bit better. I reflected back on the times when I was a teenager and had wanted a name for why I was different. Then I also thought about all the stuff I had done, like teaching abroad, and wondered if I would have done that if I had grown up with professionals talking about my deficits and telling me that I couldn’t do things like that. On the other hand could I have thrived more in those situations with the right support? That is the thing with labels - they can give you stigma and misunderstanding, or understanding and support, and I have no way of knowing how things would have been different with an earlier diagnosis. The diagnosis helped me to be a bit easier on myself in understanding the things I found difficult and to talk to people about that.

At first I only told a few people about my diagnosis because I felt that I was in a better place personally and was still processing what my diagnosis meant to me. In terms of getting support there really wasn’t much out there for me. I took up the opportunity for some post-diagnosis sessions which I got about a year after I was diagnosed and this helped me identify and think about a few traits but did not give me more insight into autism than I already had. The thing that has helped me most has been reading and watching stuff by other autistic people online as this explains ideas and lived experience from an autistic point of view. As well as helping me understand specific things about myself, theories such as double empathy and monotropism make more sense to me about autism generally, rather than ideas like the theory of mind deficit.

One thing that I have always struggled with is job interviews, so being able to disclose that I am autistic helps me by not feeling the need to mask so much and to be able to ask for reasonable adjustments. Otherwise I have not needed to ask for specific support or reasonable adjustments at work but I have taken stock of what work I want to do and what my strengths are. It was only when I was supporting autistic children, and felt that it would help them by sharing that I was autistic too, that I started talking about being autistic at work. I think it does help to see other autistic people doing well but also recognising that some things are difficult and that this will be different for everyone. As I have seen this in others and been inspired by other autistic people myself I have grown in confidence in talking about being autistic.

I am glad that I have finally received a diagnosis as it has helped me understand myself and to talk about things I find difficult and to ask for support.

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Meet our ‘four-midable’ line-up of patrons We are proud to unveil a quartet of patrons with a wealth of experience in the North-East.

In 2019, we welcomed world-famous artist Mackenzie Thorpe on board as patron, and he will now be joined by award-winning television presenter Pam Royle, business leader Bob Cuffe, and journalist Peter Barron.

Pam stepped down from her role as the main presenter for ITV News Tyne Tees and Border last year after a career spanning nearly four decades.

She said: “NEAS has been empowering and supporting autistic people and their families for more than 40 years and I am delighted to be one of the new patrons for this wonderful charity.

I am enjoying being part of the team, helping to raise awareness and acceptance of autism, and highlighting the life-changing work carried out NEAS through its schools, centres for adults, and community services.”

Pam, who is also a Deputy Lieutenant of County Durham, is now running her own freelance business.

Bob has spent more than 30 years working in the regional media, most recently as Regional Managing Director at the Gazette, Chronicle, Journal and Sunday Sun. He now works in a non-executive capacity with a number of organisations, notably as Vice Chair of Darlington Building Society. He was awarded the MBE for services to business and economic development in Teesside in 2019.

Bob first became aware of NEAS in the 1990s when his son, Liam, was diagnosed as autistic at a time when support for autistic children and their families was almost non-existent. Liam is now 29 and has been in residential 10 care with the charity since 2016.

Bob said: “Liam is living his best life. He’s happy, safe and a very settled part of the NEAS family – as well as our own. The care during the Covid-19 pandemic was exceptional and I no longer worry about Liam and his future.

“I am genuinely delighted – and humbled – to be asked to be a patron of NEAS. If I can help the charity in any way, it will be a privilege and, if he could speak, Liam would certainly echo my support.”

Peter has nearly 40 years’ experience as a journalist in the North-East. His first editorship was at the Hartlepool Mail and he went on to become the longest-serving editor in the history of The Northern Echo. Now running his own media business, he was awarded the MBE for services to journalism and North-East life in 2014.

Peter said: “Having supported NEAS with its public relations over the past six years, I have come to appreciate what an outstanding, passionate, and caring organisation it is. It is, therefore, an honour to become part of such a great team of patrons.”

Middlesbrough-born Mackenzie described himself as “the proudest man in the world” when our Teesside school, named in his honour, was officially opened earlier this month.

Our chief executive John Phillipson said: “It is an absolute joy to have four such fantastic ambassadors for the North-East as our patrons. They have all achieved so much in their lives and it is hugely exciting to be able to tap into the wealth of experience, ability and unrivalled connections they bring to our charity as we expand our services across the region.”

Artist Mackenzie Thorpe officially opens our school in Teesside WORLD-FAMOUS artist Mackenzie Thorpe has officially opened one of our schools and unveiled a special artwork dedicated to the North East Autism Society (NEAS).

opened doors, and made people stop and think about autism and neurodiversity and what we are trying to achieve. We can never thank him enough.”

Teesside-born Mackenzie is a proud patron of NEAS and opened our school – named in his honour – during World Autism Acceptance Week.

Invited guests including Redcar MP Jacob Young praised our vision as a charity.

Since opening the doors to the Mackenzie Thorpe Centre, in partnership with Redcar Borough Council, in September 2020, we’ve supported autistic children and young people at the school in South Bank.

However, having been forced to delay the official opening due to the pandemic, the number of pupils at the school has now grown from 12 to 30.

To mark the official opening, Mackenzie produced a stunning work of art, featuring Middlesbrough’s iconic Transporter Bridge, and entitled Welcome To My World – capturing the spirit of acceptance promoted within our services.

A print of the painting was unveiled during the opening ceremony, and will be displayed in the school, while discussions take place about how the original will be used to support the Society.

Mackenzie said: “I stand here today as the proudest man in the world because it means so much for my name to be associated with a place that is changing lives through dedication and love.

“I will support the charity until the day I die and, after that, my son, Owen, will have the responsibility of carrying it on. It is in our blood now.”

NEAS Chief Executive, John Phillipson, added: “Money could never buy the kind of support that we’ve received from Mackenzie – it is absolutely priceless. Through his inspirational talent, he has raised the profile of the charity,

The school’s principal, Tracey Train, added: “To have Mackenzie Thorpe as our patron, to have the work of art unveiled for us, and then to see him interact with the pupils, means everything.”

The opening of the new school is part of our multi-million pound expansion of services. And, since the opening of The Mackenzie Thorpe Centre, we have already opened a second school on Teesside by repurposing a disused community building called Kiora Hall, at Norton, Stockton.

Read the full article at: www.ne-as.org.uk/news/artist-mackenzie-thorpe-opensschool-for-autism-and-unveils-new-charity-artwork

State-of-art outdoor gym installed at No.24

AUTISTIC adults who access our day services have gotten 2022 off to a healthy start, after generous donations meant an outdoor gym could be installed at one of our centres in Sunderland.

they exercise. For some individuals who struggle with small or confined spaces this offers an alternative way to keep fit within a safe and natural environment.”

The Society raised almost £5,000 for the specialist equipment which was installed at our ‘Number 24’ provision, in Thornhill, recently.

While Tracey and Bryan Stephenson, whose daughter Emma was supported by NEAS for five years, also made a generous pledge following Emma’s passing, aged 33, in April 2020.

Number 24, which offers social and vocational programmes for autistic individuals aged 18 and over, received generous donations from parents, as well as a £2,100 grant from charitable organisation the Hospital of God.

Emma’s uncle David Gamble ran the Great North Run just five months later and raised more than £1,800 for NEAS, which he donated to the charity in memory of his niece - something Tracey says Emma would be delighted about.

And the gym has already been a hit with those who access the service, with one describing it as “the best gym ever”, while another said: “It was really good and fun.”

“Emma loved everyone at Number 24 and will be watching over them all,” Tracey says.

Speaking about the impact that the equipment will have on the physical and mental well-being of the adults, Alfie Scales, Senior Programme Support Worker, says: “Having access to fitness equipment has really improved the fitness and well-being of our adults.

With the equipment being on site and accessible, this allows individuals to work out in a calmer and quiet environment, as some public gyms can be busy and/or overwhelming.

A total of four new fitness machines have been installed in the outdoor garden of the detached property, including: an arm bike, rowing machine, cross trainer and a waist twist machine.

Alfie adds:

“Having an outdoor gym has its benefits, allowing individuals to be outdoors, away from classrooms or computers and breathing in the fresh air while exercising and experiencing the sensory garden while 12

Parents of adults who have accessed the service over the years also donated to the cause. Nail Guirguis, whose son David attends day services at Number 24, donated £1,000 to the cause.

“She’d be so pleased that everyone was using the gym equipment to stay healthy and, no doubt, would have fundraised herself by baking and selling her cheese scones.”

The gym equipment will not only benefit the 25 adults who access Number 24 on a regular basis, but also the other autistic and neurodivergent children, young people and adults who are supported by the 42-year-old charity.

“Here at Number 24 we strive to give our adults the best possible experience while attending our day service, if everyone is smiling and enjoying life then I feel we are doing well,” Alfie adds.

“We appreciate each kind donation and it really does make a difference. And without those donations, this simply wouldn’t have been possible.”

“I feel like we have someone else in our corner.”

New support for families in North Tyneside Our Family Development team have secured funding worth £21,002 to deliver weekly Autism Family Hubs across North Tyneside.

The grant was awarded to the Society as part of a joint initiative between North Tyneside CCG and North Tyneside Council.

Family Development Manager Kerrie Highcock and Bid Writer Lindsay Peach attended the Health Inequalities Grant Launch Event at the Linskill Centre in May, where they came together with other groups funded through the joint initiative to learn more about each other’s work, ahead of the projects starting.

“Becca and I are very excited to launch our new Autism Family Hubs in North Tyneside,” Kerrie said. “This funding will go a long way in helping us to extend the support we offer to more families of autistic children across the region.”

Sharon accessed the workshops and has also benefitted from ongoing support from Kerrie and Becca, with the team attending Team Around the School (TAS) meetings alongside Sharon to help advocate on behalf of Amelia.

The new hubs are expected to begin running from the end of June, however no dates and times have yet been confirmed.

“I started accessing the hubs in October 2021 and, straight away, I just felt so welcome and I never felt judged,” Sharon, who’s also mum to James, 30, and Sophia, six, said.

They will follow the same model as those currently running across Newcastle, with parents and carers able to access workshop sessions and also request one-to-one sessions with Kerrie and her colleague, Family Worker Rebecca Welch.

“Kerrie and Becca have given me the encouragement and knowledge to be able to stand up and voice what I think is right for my daughter. It’s hard as a single parent, but I feel like we have someone else in our corner now.”

Mum Sharon Gibson accessed our Autism Family Hubs in Newcastle after her daughter Amelia, 11, was diagnosed as autistic last year.

To find out more about the hubs and to enquire about booking a place to come along, please email Kerrie at kerrie.highcock@ne-as.org.uk.

The 48-year-old from Wideopen said the hubs helped her to feel like she wasn’t alone, following a lengthy diagnostic process which took over four years, as she was able to meet and talk to other parents who’d faced similar obstacles and challenges.

You can also find more information on Family Development’s services at www.ne-as.org.uk/family-development.

“Memories that will stay with me for a lifetime”

In this moving blog, our CEO John Phillipson reflects on his recent humanitarian visit to Poland...

Last month I made the 1,400-mile round-trip to the Polish town of Biala Podlaska to deliver humanitarian aid to refugees who had fled Ukraine following Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

The purpose of my trip was to visit a local autism charity named Wspolny Swiat, who had taken in 56 Ukrainians including 31 children, one of whom was just 17 days old.

As the devastating situation unfolded in Ukraine throughout February and March, the charity offered up its newly built Short Breaks provision to house refugees who had crossed the border into Poland seeking safety.

I was made aware of their work by a Polish colleague within NEAS Central Services and, having made contact with the charity’s CEO Anna, I launched an appeal for nonperishable items and toiletries, as well as second-hand IT equipment to allow the Ukrainian children to keep up to speed with their studies despite the ongoing conflict.

To say I was blown away by the number of people who came forward to donate, including many NEAS employees and services, would be an understatement.

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Within hours of sharing the appeal on social media, NEAS’s Head Office quickly began filling up with donations.

From crates of canned and dried foods, boxes of toiletries, sanitary items and baby clothes, to refurbished iPads, kindly donated by Protech City, and second-hand laptops from Durham County Council.

With my hire van full to the brim, I set off for Poland on April 7th as part of a convoy organised by Councillor Carl Marshall, Leader of the Labour Group in Durham. Three days later, we arrived at Wspolny Swiat and unloaded three vans filled with donations.

The donations were so gratefully received and it was wonderful to see the children’s faces light up when they saw the boxes filled with Easter eggs and chocolate.

However it also served as a stark reminder that, at the end of the day, they are just that, children.

I can honestly say that I have never seen children so traumatised. The reality of their situation was visibly etched into their innocent young faces, and that will stay with me forever.

These are children who have been uprooted and forced to leave behind everything they know. Things that we no doubt take for granted for our own children - such as being able to see their families, spend time with their pets and play with their toys - have been cruelly taken from them because of one maniac.

It has taken me almost a month to process the whole experience and the trauma that I witnessed first-hand, but now I am left wondering what more can be done.

That’s why I am now working, outside of my role at NEAS, as part of a group trying to set up a charity to direct resources to the region of Biala Podlaska, in the hope of helping them to support a greater number of Ukrainian refugees.

I sincerely hope that April’s visit was just my first of many to the region, and to Wspolny Swiat, and am hoping to be able to make the trip again in the coming months.

This month, the North East Autism Society will also be playing host to eight representatives from the charity, who are coming to observe our adult services in the hope of establishing their own provision back in Poland.

And this is something I would love to help them to set up as we continue to develop our partnership.

While the focus at present is firmly on the situation unfolding over the border, I am confident that the professional relationship between our two charities will continue to flourish, allowing us to learn from each other and share best practice, with the aim of providing the best possible support to autistic and neurodivergent children, young people and adults.

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Spotlight On… Fundraising

AFTER three years away due to Covid-19, our annual Walk for Acceptance came back with a bang in April. So, in honour of this year’s successful return to in-person events, we’re shining a spotlight on the Society’s fundraising team.

WITH the pandemic rendering in-person events untenable for the past two years, our fundraising team were faced with the challenge of having to adapt to a “new normal”, which consisted of virtual and hybrid fundraising events.

This impacted our annual Walk for Acceptance – formerly the Walk for Autism – with the team having to come up with a virtual model for the event in 2021. Government guidelines meant it wasn’t possible for hundreds of people to gather together to walk in support of autism acceptance, and instead supporters were encouraged to complete a walk in their own time and raise sponsorship where possible.

This year though, with restrictions lifted, we were finally able to bring the walk back to its home at Herrington Country Park, in Sunderland, and almost 400 people turned out for the event on what was a sunny Friday in April.

Jon Appleton, Community and Events Fundraiser, said:

“It was incredible to see so many people gathered together for this year’s Walk for Acceptance.

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“There was such a buzz around the event after the past two years had to be postponed and, in terms of numbers, this year’s campaign was our most engaging yet. We can’t wait to start planning for 2023!”

The walk hasn’t been the only successful event that the team have hosted in recent months though, as Jon also arranged NEAS’s first-ever golf day at Rockliffe Hall in March.

And now the four-person team are gearing up for their next major fundraising event – the T6 cycling challenge, which takes place over six days, beginning on August 25th. For the first-time ever, the event will see our cyclists heading overseas to Germany and the Netherlands, as they pass through a number of towns that are twinned with locations in the North-east.

Kevin Meikle, NEAS Fundraising Manager, added: “Our annual cycle rides have quickly become enormously popular among people in the communities we serve.

They’re always great fun, and a brilliant option both for experienced cyclists and for people who are just starting out.

“After celebrating the 40th anniversary of the society last year and raising more than £6,000 with the cycle challenge, we really wanted to do something on an even bigger scale, but keep it connected to our roots in the North-East. The T6 Challenge was the perfect chance.”

To find out more about this year’s T6 challenge, including how to sign up or sponsor the event, visit: www.ne-as.org.uk/Event/t6cycle

Well done Jolanta Hillier

Employee of the Quarter Every quarter, NEAS staff are asked to nominate a colleague who has gone above and beyond in the delivery of their duties to benefit the Society and the individuals that we support.

And this time around, the number of nominations was overwhelming – which just goes to show how hard-working, caring and dedicated our employees are.

Our CEO John Phillipson was given the tough job of selecting a winner … and we’re pleased to reveal that HR Office Manager Jolanta Hillier has been selected as our second Employee of the Quarter for 2022.

Jolanta, who joined the Society in November 2021, was nominated by a number of her colleagues within the HR and Recruitment teams.

Andrew Hunt, HR Recruitment Support, described Jolanta as a great role model for the Society due to her “kind and warming personality”.

Jolanta’s dedication to supporting her colleagues was also recognised by Recruitment Officer Mubeena Begum, who added: “Since I started, Jolanta has provided nothing but love and Support.

“She is such a caring Individual who supports her teams and she always has our back.”

Jolanta also played a large role in our CEO’s recent mission to deliver humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees as, originally from Poland herself, she offered to act as translator for John and the main point of contact for Polish charity Wspolny Swiat in the lead-up to his visit in April.

“It was Jolanta who brought the work of Wspolny Swiat to our attention after the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” John Phillipson said. “Without her support, not only in translating and communicating with the charity and their CEO, but also in helping to plan the logistics of the trip, it simply would not have been possible.”

Our next Employee of the Quarter will be chosen at the end of the summer and announced in the autumn edition of The Loop.

Find out more about our vacancies at www.ne-as.org.uk/careers

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Highlights of the Quarter From exciting events to new partnerships, here’s our highlights of the quarter…

Intrepid golfers pitch in to raise funds for our services

Partnership blooms between Nissan and NEAS

Big-hearted golfers chipped in to raise valuable funds for NEAS services, as the Society staged its inaugural golf day at Rockliffe Hall, near Darlington, on April 7th.

A total of 30 volunteers from Nissan spent three days planting almost 90 apple trees at our New Warlands Farm site, in Edmondsley, County Durham, which offers day services and respite for autistic adults.

Organiser Jon Appleton, Fundraising Officer for NEAS, said: “It’s been frustrating over the past couple of years with plans for our golf day being delayed by the pandemic, but it was great to finally go ahead at such a prestigious venue.

“Despite some pretty awful weather out on the course, the players battled through in great spirits, and we’d like to thank everyone involved for making the event such a success.”

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The trees are the latest addition to the farm’s growing orchard, which was initially established in 2019 to extend NEAS’s vocational offering and develop commercial opportunities to generate income.

More than 100 learners join autism-friendly sensory walk Students from our schools and further education college came together for a special sensory walk to celebrate the end of term.

Autistic children and young people from each school overseen by NEAS gathered together for the walk, which took place at Thornbeck College, in Newton Aycliffe.

More than 100 students came from all over the NorthEast, including from Aycliffe School, Thornhill Park School, in Sunderland, Thornbeck College, and the Mackenzie Thorpe Centre, in Teesside.

YESNE welcomes a new cohort

Introducing…

Down the Rabbit Hole Café!

Following the success of the first cohort, which saw more than half of participants successfully enter employment, further training or education, the YESNE team has welcomed a new batch of neurodivergent young people looking to take the next step to employment.

Thornhill Park School is preparing to launch an exciting new project, as a group of pupils will be taking over the cafe at Sunderland Minster as part of their learning.

YESNE is a 16-week programme, aimed at helping 18 to 24 year olds across the North-east into training or employment.

Applications are open for the next intake.

Find out more by clicking here.

Level 4 TA Andy Marsh will support the post-14 pupils to spend two days each week at the cafe, which they chose to name ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ in a nod to Alice in Wonderland.

It will officially open its doors to the public on June 23rd and the menu includes classic favourites such as bacon and sausage baps, soup of the day and a selection of teas and coffees.

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Celebrating DiversityNE Since its launch in July last year, DiversityNE has helped autistic and neurodiverse individuals in Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland tackle the biggest barriers to employment.

Nathan’s story LANDING a role in catering was the objective for Nathan Walmsley when he signed up to employability programme DiversityNE. The 27-year-old enrolled on the scheme in September 2021, and within just two months of being referred by the Jobcentre Nathan had completed a successful work trial and been offered a full-time role working in Azure’s Garden Centre Café.

He adds: “I arrive at 8am every morning, I make scones to be sold in the cafe, I prepare anything that needs to be done behind the counter of the café and then I see if anything needs refilling and bring in deliveries.”

“I found out about DiversityNE through friends and through the JobCentre,” says Nathan, from Morpeth. “I met with Brian Hunt once a week and we would chat about what type of jobs I would be interested in and worked to get my CV to a better place.”

Now, six months on, Nathan is thriving in his new role and says his favourite part of the job is the mornings because it is quiet and he can concentrate on his duties before customers start to arrive.

Lindsay’s story INCLUSIVITY should be prioritised by employers, says Lindsay Williamson, who recently landed her dream job as a teaching assistant.

The 31-year-old, from Cramlington, Northumberland, enrolled on employability programme DiversityNE in August 2021, having been referred by the JobCentre.

She met with Employment Specialist Brian Hunt on a weekly basis to discuss her aspirations, boost her confidence and develop her CV. In fact, Brian had previously supported Lindsay via one of Azure’s other employability programmes.

“I had a lot of issues with anxiety that Brian helped with by giving me some techniques to use,” she adds. “Because Brian has known me for seven years, he knows me well and has helped me with confidence building, getting me work placements, things like that.”

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Within just three months of enrolling on DiversityNE, the opportunity arose for Lindsay to complete a work placement within Azure Education, which caters for SEND learners aged 16 and over – and from there she was offered permanent employment.

NEED HELP GETTING ONLINE?

OUR DIGITAL SKILLS PROGRAMME COULD BE THE ANSWER! Whether you’re struggling to switch on your device, need help searching for jobs online or want to be able to video call with family overseas, we’re here to help.

To qualify for free support you must: Be aged 18 to 65 Live in Newcastle, North Tyneside or Northumberland Have access to no other devices (mobile phones excluded) Have limited (or no) digital skills Be unemployed, economically inactive or in low-income/insecure employment

For more information, contact Hayley Stamp:

07771 214 276 Hayley.Stamp@ne-as.org.uk Registered Charity No. 1028260 | Company Limited by Guarantee No. 2859620

Or drop in and see us at Albion House, North Shields, NE29 0DW EVERY MONDAY

BETWEEN 8.30AM - 4.30PM

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Exciting new opportunities have arisen to join our care and education services across the North-east. While we value experience, it is not essential – all we ask is that you’re hard-working, willing to learn and want to make a difference to the lives of others.

0191 492 4387

recruitment@ne-as.org.uk @NEAutismSociety

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Registered Charity No. 1028260