Team Effort from Royal Mail

Alex McCallum and 14 colleagues from the Royal Mail Scottish Distribution Centre based in Wishaw cycled from Glasgow to Inverness raising £2,000 to help support individuals and families with autism. They presented a cheque for £2,000 to Heather McArthur from Scottish Autism, Scotland’s autism charity, on Friday 22 June 2012.

Alex and his fundraising friends work shift patterns so it was quite an achievement to get so many people to be available over a weekend. The team effort went even further though, as those that weren’t involved in the actual cycle supported the cyclists by helping to raise the money.

This charity event has grown in size since the first cycle in 2009 when only four people took part. Alex McCallum, who organises this annual event, says "We are supporting Scottish Autism because a few of us at work have family members with autism and we know about the great support that the charity gives to people and families who are affected by it. A big thanks goes to our Royal Mail management team who provide the support vehicle which carries all the necessary equipment – and also the odd bacon buttie along the way!”

Heather McArthur, Fundraiser at Scottish Autism said “It is thanks to generous and committed people like Alex and his Royal Mail Team that we will be able to reach more people living with autism in Scotland. Calls to our advice team doubled in 2011 as families and people on the spectrum face even more challenges in their daily lives. We need to ensure that we reach the people who need us most, wherever they live and whatever their situation, and donations make a real difference."








- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Autism police database

The recent development of a trial by Strathclyde police in partnership with Autism organisations in the police service area has caused no little controversy on Twitter recently. Opinions seem very polarised about this scheme with some folks worried about the implications of a police database containing details of people affected by Autism. Others feel that this might be quite a useful thing, particularly in cases where the police come into contact with autistic folks and are puzzled or alarmed by what appears to them to be unusual, strange, or even aggressive behaviour. The scheme has been Reported in the press and hailed as a landmark development, but of course, opinions do differ.

Questions about access to details, removal on request, appropriate use are all ones which are being asked, however, the trial will be evaluated after a year so perhaps a more positive picture will emerge after this evaluation.

What do you think? Is this a positive development or do you have concerns about privacy, or databases of disabilities in general? All comments great fully received...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Join us :-)

Have you considered becoming a member of Scottish Autism? Our members get exclusive access to our members area from the Scottish Autism website, which contains a variety of interesting articles and research. Your subscription goes towards our work providing services for those affected by Autism, as well as professional advice and diagnosis. So come on, what are you waiting for?

Join Scottish Autism as a member today and gain access to our new member area. It’s simple, you can purchase your membership by clicking on the following link

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

More from those wonderful folks over at DimensionsUK...great news! The next Autism Friendly Film Screening will be Men in Black 3 – Sunday 17th June @ 11:30. Tickets Available From 11am on Wednesday 13th June.

Please help spread the word by forwarding this email on to your contacts or printing out the attached flyer to show to people. Every month we are contacted by new people who have just heard about the project and who are really pleased that they now have the opportunity to watch newly released films in a more inclusive environment.

Thanks to your efforts even more cinemas have joined in with these monthly special screenings and there are more than 80 taking part. To view a full list of participating cinemas please visit www.dimensions-uk.org/autismfriendly

Autism Friendly Screenings are mainstream films shown in a sensory friendly environment. Lights are on low, sound is turned down, trailers are omitted and people can bring their own food, make noise and move around the cinema as they feel comfortable. The screenings are for anyone who would benefit from the subtle differences made to the cinema environment and we hope it will enable people who may struggle to enjoy mainstream cinema to experience this newly released film with friends and family.

· Film starts at 11.30am – there are no trailers so please make sure you are seated by 11.30am


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Trashion Fashion

These wonderfully talented kids put on a fashion show with a difference. Because all the clothes were made from..... well, trash!
Fun Lodge After School club raised nearly £800.00 for Scottish Autism.
Have a look at the photos....and a great big thank you to the kids who worked so hard.

What could we do for World Autism Awareness Day?

World Autism Awareness Day originated from a UN directive in 2008, and ever since, has been marked by different countries and organisations in numerous ways... There's an Autism ribbon, and one particular group in the USA came up with the 'light up in blue' campaign, adopted by many, including the National Autistic Society in the UK...

But what about us here in Scotland? Might there be something we can do next year to ark the day that's perhaps distinctly Scottish, or which represents something of our ethos at Scottish Autism? Could we do something at the Parliament building or have our own ribbon for sale, or as an online ' Twibbon' for social media and websites?

Why not let us know what you think....all suggestions gratefully received!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

New for Dundee

Can you help in Dundee?

As you will know from our newsletter, Scottish Autism is going from strength to strength, broadening its reach, improving and extending its services. This is good news for everyone living with autism in Scotland and their families. To keep up the momentum, we need to grow fundraising and attract new
supporters.

To this end, I am about to focus on Dundee for some new fundraising activity over the next 12 months – we have a growing service there supporting 17 adults in various ways and, as some of you know, I live closer to Dundee than to Alloa! To help me, I am looking for a handful of supporters who want to raise awareness of autism in the city and get involved in creating some new events.

I am looking at three ways to engage different groups of new supporters with our charity : a dinner, raffle/auction event for the over 35s, a club night idea for the under 25s and some fun ideas for the under 12s to do at school or in after-school clubs, brownies, scouts etc. All three would be take place around Halloween, 31 October, which presents theme and an opportunity not used much by many charities.

I will be sounding out local businesses, colleges and schools over the next few weeks or so. Any funds raised could be used for various Scottish Autism projects, some national such as our advice line and some local, such as the Dundee outreach service.

Would you like to help in any way – however small? I know everyone is busy and time is precious so I am not asking for much commitment – at most meeting once a month until the end of 2012. As a local contact on the ground, you are in the right place to spot opportunities and provide links into the local community. You may also know someone who’d like to help with you.

Have a think and please let me know your thoughts!

Look forward to hearing from you.

All the best,

Carolyne







- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone