by Jackie Alexander, Best Practice Advisor
In Warrington, as we came out of Covid, we wanted to do something to support autistic people in the area, so we hit on the idea of starting a group where people could get together.
Getting to know each other
A small group met for the first time in June 2022. At that first meeting, we talked about who we were and where we were from, and we decided that we would meet each month.
At the next meeting, group members were asked to share their gifts, skills and passions. We soon discovered members’ range of interests and activities. One person was a Barista, someone else worked at Cineworld and ran autism friendly screenings both there and at the Old School in Warrington. One person worked in the café at Marks and Spencer, another in Tesco and more!
A regular date
The group now meets on the first Monday afternoon of the month at a Warrington coffee shop.
Following on from those early meetings, people decided they wanted a structure to learn about information they found difficult or not accessible to them. This covered a wide variety of topics, including health, cost of living, eating well, having a job, being safe when out and about, and safety online. We agreed to have different speakers come and discuss these topics, and everyone learned, from the speakers and from each other.
Going from strength to strength
Our future speakers will talk about human rights, signing and more.
Everyone looks forward to the monthly meetings and people often see each other at other community groups in Warrington. From small beginnings, we’ve grown a strong group of local people who learn from and support each other.
