Sussex Author Publishes Book For Autism Acceptance Week - 10K Walk Will Raise Cash To Support Families

Sussex Resident Julie McDonald, with the help of Aspens Charities, has published a new book ‘Say Hello to Hedgy’, which raises awareness about autism while a 10K walk in Littlehampton will raise funds to help support families.

With Autism Acceptance Week falling today (March 26th) and running until April 3rd, it was perfect timing for the release of the book, which has been written 'through an autistic lens'  with feedback and suggestions from the Aspen's Family and Specialist Support team and specialist staff and young people from the service.

Aspens provides support through a wide range of integrated services to people on the autism spectrum and those with learning disabilities and their families across the south east of England. 

The team provides a lifeline to parents, carers and siblings who are living with a young person or adult on the autism spectrum or with complex needs through a range of services including support groups, workshops, activities, an advice chatline and one-to-one support. 

Julie, who lives in Sussex with her autistic son and receives support from Aspens, was motivated to write the book when she became aware of the lack of literature for parents or carers to read with their young children that addressed the subject. 

‘Say Hello to Hedgy’ is aimed at young children and aims to raise awareness and encourage readers to open their minds to different ways of thinking, feeling and behaving, with the key message that we must accept everyone for who we are. The book can be used as a springboard for encouraging discussions between children and their parents, carers or teachers.

Julie said:

“I think there needs to be much more education about autism in general. In particular, to those of a younger age. As a parent of an autistic son, I have come to realise that autistic children (and adults) often just have a different style of communicating, thinking, feeling and behaving. I hope the book is helpful for families with autistic children, but also neurotypical children, so that we can have meaningful conversations about differences and inclusion.”
 
Lucy Russell, Behaviour Specialist at Aspens says:

“It’s been an absolute pleasure to collaborate with Julie on creating the wider message for the book and Hedgy the Hedgehog’s story, and as we celebrate Autism Acceptance Week this month, it’s very timely. ‘Say Hello to Hedgy’ is an excellent resource and our team is looking forward to exploring Hedgy’s experiences with the children and families we support to encourage acceptance and understanding.

"Children (and adults!) are going to really enjoy it. It is a book about celebrating difference and increase understanding about Autism in a fun, positive way.” 

To celebrate Autism Acceptance Week 2022 and the 10-year anniversary of their family support team, Aspens charities are holding the Au-Some 10 for 10 Virtual Challenge event to raise funds to enable them to help more families and continue providing much needed support.

Participants taking part in the challenge can be sponsored to do 10 of any activity of their choice and the charity are appealing to people to sign up and take on the challenge or make a donation to help them continue to provide this lifeline to families in the south east. 

Penny Piggott, Head of Family and Specialist Support Services at Aspens said:

“Our family support team provides an open-door, tailored service that supports families, enables them to have contact with like-minded people and offers the opportunity for them to share experiences and ask for help.

"I passionately believe this should be free and accessible to all. We urgently need funding to make this possible and to continue delivering and expanding our service. Please support us by donating to our appeal or even better take up the challenge yourself! The more people that get involved and support us the more help we’ll be able to provide to families who so desperately need it.” 

Donations for Aspens Au-Some 10 for 10 Challenge can be made here: https://aspens.enthuse.com/cf/aspens-family-support-teams-au-some-appeal. 

‘Say Hello to Hedgy’ by Julie McDonald is published on 2 April 2022 and can be purchased at  juliealisonmcdonald.com or waterstones.com. 

Meanwhile, the team at Aspens and the families they support are walking 10km, dressed in colours of the rainbow, to raise urgently needed funds for the charity. 

Approximately 20 people from the Aspens’ team including support staff, managers, members of the executive team and trustees will be joined by family members who are supported by the charity, to take part in the walk, which starts at 4.00pm on Monday 28 March at Littlehampton beach in West Sussex. 

The walk’s half-way point is the Bluebird Café in Ferring, where the walkers will enjoy complementary refreshments kindly donated by the Café to support the event, before returning to the starting point in Littlehampton. 

The walk is part of Aspens’ fundraising challenge celebrating Autism Acceptance Week and the 10-year anniversary of their family support team.

Aspens are inviting supporters to take on their ‘Au-Some 10 for 10 Virtual Challenge’, by challenging themselves to do an activity of their choice during the week. Those who sign up can open a fundraising page where friends and family can sponsor them to complete their challenge. People can also support the fundraiser by making a donation on the event’s appeal page. 

In recent months, the work of the family support team has been a life-saver as those with autism and learning disabilities have been particularly impacted by the pandemic; with a study revealing that 9 in 10 autistic people were worried about their mental health during lockdown and 85% said their anxiety levels got worse (Left Stranded report by National Autistic Society, Sept 2020).   

Alana, from Chichester, West Sussex, contacted Aspens family support team just over a year ago to seek help for her 11-year old daughter, who is on the autism spectrum and has ADHD, and was struggling with her mental health. Alana describes the difference support from Aspens has made to their family’s life:

“This time last year we were in the darkest place and it’s hard to look back and remember how it was without getting emotional. Now, my daughter is excited to go to school and is slowly growing in confidence and acceptance of herself.  We have a journey ahead, but I will always be glad I took that step and reached out to Aspens.

Alana and her daughter

"Our lives began to change for the better when we were blessed with their support and I know we aren’t the only family who will be eternally grateful. Aspens came into our lives when we needed them most and I am finally feeling positive about the next stage of our journey.” 

Penny Piggott, Head of Family and Specialist Support Services at Aspens said:

“We’re very excited to complete our 10KM walk to raise funds to help us reach more families like Alana’s. Our family support team provides an open-door, tailored service that supports families, enables them to have contact with like-minded people and offers the opportunity for them to share experiences and ask for help.

"I passionately believe this should be free and accessible to all. We urgently need funding to make this possible and to continue delivering and expanding our service. If you live in West Sussex, do look out for our brightly coloured team taking part in our walk and give us a toot to show your support! Please do also support us by donating to our appeal or even better take up the challenge yourself! The more people that get involved and support us the more help we’ll be able to provide to families who so desperately need it.”