Cheshire’s Museum of Policing held its first ever 'autism-friendly' tour, in partnership with MacIntyre’s Great Communities project.
As part of our ground-breaking Great Communities project, every Wednesday we hold a Friendship Group which is open to people between the ages of 18 and 30 with a learning disability and/or autism. The group encourages people to connect with others in their community.
Located in the Warrington Police Station, Cheshire’s Museum of Policing details the history of policing in the area since 1838.
With the help of MacIntyre's Area Manager for Warrington, Andrea Parr, Peter Connor, MacIntyre’s Great Communities Manager, arranged for the Friendship Group to take part in a tour.
Speaking about the trip, Peter Connor said:
“The tour came about from a conversation I had with a local contact Pete Hampson, who is a retired Police Officer, who served here in Warrington and is now the Curator for the museum. We had a discussion about how the museum could be more accessible to people with disabilities, in particular, people with autism. I asked Andrea Parr to come along with me, to offer her advice and guidance to Pete and the team of volunteers."
He added:
"She identified some key areas such as lighting, a quiet spacious area suitable for people to access, should they need it, and guidance on how to structure the tour. Andrea has also kindly offered to provide some training to all of the volunteers to develop their knowledge of autism, which Pete and the team are keen to participate in.”
William, a member of the Friendship Group who attended the tour said:
“The tour was fun and I enjoyed trying on all the police clothes and learning about the police in Warrington.”
MacIntyre’s Friendship Group
- Every Wednesday, 10am-12pm
- The Warrington Club, 7 Bold Street, WA1 1DN
- Contact: 01925 234443
