Notes from our CEO
A lot of what we are about as a charity is to support autistic and neurodivergent people to achieve their potential.
John Phillipson Chief Executive Officer
We often see people whose confidence is damaged by having the wrong support or none at all. Their self-belief is through the floor sometimes – but yet we know what potential many have got in the right situation.
So I’m pleased that a lot of the work featured in this quarter’s edition of The Loop is focused on opportunities being created for people, and challenging the nonsense that they can’t achieve certain things. They can!
That’s what we set out to show during Autism Acceptance Month (p.8) and particularly with the launch of our 1000 Opportunities campaign to create much-needed employment for autistic and neurodivergent people.
The publicity the campaign got – especially our interview with Harris, who is in her element working on the Tyne Tunnels automatic number plate recognition scheme –was great for showing that in the right role, with the right support, people can be real assets to their company.
We have had all sorts of employers sign up to the campaign, from small-scale businesses to local authorities, and I’d really like to thank them for coming forward. We’re getting in touch with them to work out ways we can support what they’re doing.
You can read about the campaign on page 6 and sign up to join us if you feel that your organisation or business would benefit from better awareness and a more neurodiverse workforce.
Harris got her Tyne Tunnels job when she was on one of our Employment Futures schemes – and the department has just launched a number of new programmes for autistic and neurodivergent people which you can read about on page 10.
Another big project we’re working on to create new opportunities is our farm, wildlife haven and visitor attraction at New Warlands Farm in County Durham (p. 12)
We’ve had a busy spring with the arrival of 20 lambs and 15 rare-breed cattle, and the farm is really coming to life. We’re now looking to start on plans to build shops, a café, a cidery and barns, and hope to be welcoming visitors within 12-18 months.
It’s a very exciting project, with lots of spin-off opportunities, but the prize is the opportunities for training, placements, jobs and mental health support the farm will offer. We can really nurture people there.
Watch this space for ways you can support this project, and in the meantime see the events we have on offer over summer (p.5) to raise funds for our other lifeline services.
Thank you for your support.
John Phillipson
Contents
Save the Date…
From the return of our Walk for Acceptance to Mini Great North Run, we’ve put together a list of dates you won’t want to miss.
1000 Opportunities campaign makes its mark
We launched the 1000 Opportunities: Inclusive Futures campaign on World Autism Acceptance Day in April and invited North East businesses to join us.
Autism Acceptance Month round-up
It was another busy Autism Acceptance Month here at the North East Autism Society. Read our highlights.
NEAS launches two new employability schemes
May saw the launch of two new and innovative Employment Futures programmes focusing on boosting employability and wellbeing for neurodivergent people across Tyneside, Newcastle, and Northumberland.
Down on the farm
Our plans to develop our New Warlands Farm site into a working farm and visitor attraction are picking up pace as we approach summer.
Spotlight on… Toy bank
Autistic adults who access day services at Number 24 have teamed up with support staff to launch a toy bank to help Sunderland families affected by the cost of living.
Employee of the Quarter
Discover who we’re crowning our Employee of the Quarter.
Highlights of the Quarter
From checking out the new Metro’s to running
East Autism
0191 410 9974 info@ne-as.org.uk www.ne-as.org.uk
Save the Dates
With a busy summer ahead of us, we’ve put together a list of events you don’t want to miss!
Summer Fetes
New
Warlands Farm – 6th July
Kiora Hall – 20th July
Enjoy a great summer day out with family and friends at our annual fetes. Pick up some delicious treats, that unique gift you’ve been searching for and browse the fantastic selection of handmade products designed by our young people and adults.
Find out more:
Golf Day
Friday 13 September
Unlucky for some? Join us at Beamish Park Golf Club for the return of our Golf Day. Each team of four players will enjoy a bacon sandwich upon arrival, followed by an 18-hole round with oncourse competitions and prize giving afterwards. Entry is £250.00 per team and sponsorship opportunities are available.
Find out more:
Yorkshire Three Peaks
Coast to Coast Cycling Challenge
Saturday 24 – Sunday 25 August
Whitehaven - Sunderland
We’re cycling from Sea to Sea over the August Bank Holiday weekend from Whitehaven to Sunderland, with an overnight stop in Kirkby Stephen. This fully supported challenge is just £95 per person, including a brand-new Team NEAS cycling jersey.
Find out more:
We’ve teamed up with Take A Hike, who are running this guided challenge in aid of NEAS. This 26-mile trek over Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside, and Ingleborough is one of the UK’s most iconic hiking challenges, and entries are available for just £37.50.
Find out more:
Saturday 14 September Click here
1000 Opportunities campaign makes its mark
Our campaign to create 1,000 employment opportunities for autistic people has got off to a great start.
We launched the 1000 Opportunities: Inclusive Futures campaign on World Autism Acceptance Day in April and invited North East businesses to join us.
The campaign, backed by MPs and business leaders, was covered by the region’s press and featured on BBC and Tyne Tees news.
Since then, we have had a range of organisations pledge to become 1000 Opportunities partners – from small-scale businesses to local authorities.
Our chief executive officer John Phillipson says:
“I’d really like to thank them for coming forward. We’re getting in touch with them to work out ways we can support what they’re doing.”
Only three in 10 autistic people are in work – the lowest rate of any disability group – even though three-quarters of unemployed autistic people say they want a job.
The barriers preventing them getting or staying in work can often be quite minimal, and our campaign asks businesses to look again at their hiring practices and inwork support to see how they could be improved.
Tyne Tunnels operator TT2 has already done just that, recruiting some staff through work trial rather than interview and proactively offering reasonable adjustments in the workplace.
TT2 chief executive Adrian Wallace says:
“Business and society as a whole have a real opportunity to do the right things and realise that it’s not about people changing to fit in the work environment – it’s changing those environments to make them more open and inclusive. That’s why I’m backing the NEAS campaign.”
Harris Roxborough, who is autistic, works at TT2 on its automatic number plate recognition scheme. She says:
“A lot of autistic people want to be in work and there’s such a large percentage of us who aren’t. We can contribute if you give us the chance.”
Harris works a shift pattern that suits her, has an allocated desk, and is allowed to wear headphones at work to allow her to focus.
“One small thing for you can be a very large thing for us,” she says.
Businesses and organisations that join the 1000 Opportunities campaign get access to an employment resource hub, with the potential for online training and networking events to share good practice and expertise later this year.
Case study: Darlington Building Society
Darlington Building Society backed our 1000 Opportunities campaign and puts equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of everything it does.
Director of People and Culture, Helen Easton, says:
“We support the community and we support each other internally, and that’s part of our culture. It’s what makes us, us.”
The society already has an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion forum, a women’s network, an employee council, a health and safety working group, 16 mental health first-aiders, and menopause advocates.
It was part of Darlington Pride last year, partners with the Centre for Ageing Better, and is about to launch a Men’s Shed where employees will have the opportunity to talk about what’s on their mind, practice skills and build social connections.
So it’s no surprise that it is now focusing on ways to improve support for neurodivergent members and staff, and is working towards the gold standard Autism Acceptance Award from the North East Autism Society.
All 200 staff have received neurodiversity training, there are designated autism champions, and NEAS will visit some of its nine branches to assess their layout and
customer service from a neurodivergent person’s point of view.
The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion forum has also been tasked with looking at the organisation’s systems and suggesting ways to make them more accessible.
“It goes right down to the colour profiles on documents and the size of the font,” Helen says. “Some things we can’t change, other things we can. But we don’t know what to change if we don’t ask for feedback from our teams.”
Already, the building society has changed its job interview process by sending out questions to all applicants in advance, making recruitment more accessible for neurodivergent candidates.
“We did have some resistance to that, but an interview is a two-way conversation, not a test,” Helen says. “The quality of conversations we have, and the calibre of people we have recruited because of that, have soared.
“We don’t ever want to stand still – we always want to be moving forward on accessibility and inclusion. It’s so important.”
Acceptance Autism Awareness
Autism Acceptance Highlights
Autistic voices and experiences were the driving force behind our annual Autism Acceptance campaign.
On World Autism Acceptance Day, we launched a campaign to create 1,000 much-needed employment opportunities for autistic people in the region.
Our autistic and neurodivergent contributors spoke about the barriers and opportunities they faced in finding employment and called on businesses to have a better understanding of their neurodivergent employees. You can read more about the campaign on page 6.
The children, young people and adults who access our services held their own Autism Acceptance events, hosting acceptance-themed parties and bake sales, and creating artwork for a Society-wide competition around the theme ‘Let Me Be Me’.
Meanwhile, landmarks across the region including Penshaw Monument, Gateshead Millennium Bridge and St Mary’s Lighthouse, once again illuminated gold to champion autism acceptance on World Autism Acceptance Day.
And we released a special Acceptance edition of our podcast: This Is Autism. The episode featured guest speakers Lucie, 15, and Ed, 18, from our Autism Activists group who joined NEAS’ Family Development Manager, Kerrie Highcock to discuss their own experiences. Our Family Development Team attended a celebration event at Eldon Square where they answered questions from members of the public about our services and support available. And Locomotion in Shildon was presented the Silver Acceptance Award for their commitment to support autistic visitors.
The Acceptance Matters campaign was a huge success with over 200 delegates registering from across the globe. We had delegates join us from New Zealand, Australia, USA, Denmark, Ireland and Scotland!
The final event in our Autism Acceptance calendar comes on August 30th with our annual Walk for Acceptance at Herrington Country Park. After being postponed earlier in the year, we’re delighted to welcome you all back to our favourite event of the year!
NEAS launches two new employability schemes
May saw the launch of two new and innovative Employment Futures programmes focusing on boosting employability and wellbeing for neurodivergent people across Tyneside, Newcastle, and Northumberland.
Empower Works will support 160 people in North Tyneside, Newcastle, and Northumberland, offering participants creative placements and skills training with production company Beacon Films, Upstart Enterprise, and arts charity Chilli Studios.
Delivered in partnership by the North East Autism Society (NEAS) and Azure Charitable Enterprises, Empower Works is funded by the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the North of Tyne Combined Authority and is now administered by the North East Combined Authority.
Derek Groves, Employability Services Manager at NEAS, said: “It’s well documented that creativity is good for mental wellbeing, but the creative and cultural industries are also a thriving sector where there is growth in the North East.
“So, with Empower Works we’ll be using it as both a therapeutic and a progression opportunity, developing people’s skills while addressing confidence, mental health and wellbeing, and moving them towards employment.”
The second programme launched in Spring, the Neurodiversity Employment Service (NES), is also funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, with South Tyneside Council as the lead authority.
Both programmes are targeted at helping people who are neurodivergent, have learning disabilities or difficulties, or are experiencing poor mental health, though participants do not need a diagnosis to be eligible for support.
As well as placements and skills training, with the goal of moving participants towards employment, both programmes offer bespoke support based around a participant’s needs, and can include travel training, benefits entitlement, help to access community events or medical appointments, social skills development, as well as help with CVs, job applications, and interview skills.
Derek said: “We want to meet people, have a chat and find out whether our support matches their needs. It’s not just about whether someone gets a job.”
Empower Works supports individuals in Newcastle, North Tyneside, and Northumberland who are aged 18-years or over and are unemployed or economically inactive, while NES will work with 60 people aged 16-64 in South Tyneside who are considered economically inactive.
NES joins two other Employment Futures programmes, ProgressNE and Diverse Pathways, in targeting economic inactivity amongst neurodivergent people across North East local authorities, and we spoke further with NES staff to take a closer look at what economic inactivity may mean for individuals and families who need support.
Almost
Tackling ‘economic inactivity’
a quarter of workingage people in the North East are considered economically inactive.
Classed differently to unemployment, economically inactive people are not actively searching for work, and are unable to start employment within two weeks.
“It’s a catch all,” said Ian Harland, an Employment Specialist working on the Neurodiversity Employment Service (NES) programme launched in South Tyneside by the North East Autism Society’s Employment Futures department.
According to figures for January to March 2024 from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), there are around 9,383,000 economically inactive people in England.
Over half are in education, early retirement, or look after their families or homes full time, but many have long term illnesses, including poor mental health, or face other barriers into work.
Employment Futures programmes such as NES aim to reach neurodivergent people, and those experiencing poor mental health, who are economically inactive but wish to boost their social inclusion, improve their wellbeing, or progress towards paid work.
John Facchini, also an Employment Specialist working on NES, said: “Regardless of your situation, if you’re not in paid employment and you’re not actively seeking work, you could be suitable.”
He added: “We definitely want to work with people who are socially isolated, who are more than likely going to be economically inactive.”
The NES team build a profile of participants, assessing the barriers they face, their needs, and their strengths, to understand how to help every individual meet their goals. “We support them to move towards social and economic wellbeing,” Ian said, “It’s a pathway from being stuck in your bedroom to getting to a point where you’re ready to explore your opportunities.”
Ian added: “Participants might not even be in the mindset where they can think about anything beyond their front door, so it’s a progression and pathway.”
The team also works to maximise participants’ income, looking at any income they may be gaining through benefits and supporting them to get the full amount they are eligible for.
John said: “The benefits checker also gives real life examples of how they can benefit from going into work, and I would always advise checking that they’re at least going to be better off.
“Going from being on benefits to working is very stressful, so it’s about making it as comfortable and open as possible.”
To access support, or find a programme in your area
Down on the farm
Our plans to develop our New Warlands Farm site into a working farm and visitor attraction are picking up pace as we approach summer.
Twenty lambs have been born so far on the 77-acre site in County Durham, while a herd of 15 rare Northern Dairy Shorthorn cattle have been introduced.
The sheep, largely made up of the native Shetland breed, have been grazing the meadow so farmer Dave Wilde can plant it with wildflower seed and turn it into a nature-rich wildflower hay meadow.
“We’ve been delayed by the wet weather but we’re going to make the best of a fine spell in June to cut our three fields for hay and silage to feed the livestock through winter,” Dave says.
In months to come, Dave hopes to bring in English goats and Large Black Pigs – two more native breeds at risk of extinction –and start breeding them.
NEAS already owns one Large Black Pig called Chaffey who made her mark at the Northumberland County Fair last month, winning second prize in the gilt (young female pig) category!
Dave’s daughter Rose won the young pig handler prize at the fair for her expert handling of Chaffey, while his son Archie was runner-up with Dave’s Large Black Pig Matilda who was overall pig champion.
“We weren’t expecting anything but we had an unbelievable day. They are two special pigs,” Dave adds.
As well as creating a high-welfare, ethical farm, New Warlands will also become a wildlife haven featuring accessible walks for visitors, wetlands, and the reintroduction of endangered species such as water voles and great-crested newts.
The Society has applied for funding to create the wetlands and wildlife habitats, to promote biodiversity, and to build a shelterbelt of trees to protect land from the wind.
And it has also put out to tender the construction of farm shops, a cidery, and a café to create a visitor attraction for families.
Alongside this there will be a petting zoo, an orchard, an indoor play barn, outdoor play equipment for children and adults, and a changing area.
CEO John Phillipson says:
“These last two to three months have seen a massive amount of work at the farm. It is really coming to life. We may have to do the work in stages, but we are hoping to be able to welcome the first visitors onto the site in 12-18 months.
“It will be a great day out. But the best thing about all of this is the jobs and work opportunities it will provide for autistic people – in the cidery, the café, the farm and the shops.
“We’ll be able to give people training, long-term support, nurture, and choice.”
Spotlight on... Toy bank
Autistic adults who access day services at Number 24 have teamed up with support staff to launch a toy bank to help Sunderland families affected by the cost of living.
Running every Wednesday in term time between 10am and 12 noon, the toy bank can be found at the North East Autism Society charity shop in Derwent Street, Sunderland.
The idea first came after the success of the baby bank run by Thornbeck College learners in 2023, and staff felt the city centre location of the retail shop would be ideal for a similar venture.
Nicole Dowell, Programme Manager at Adult Services Number 24, said:
“It came through service user voice, and asking their opinion on what we could do for community participation, and they came up with the toy bank.”
The first donations were made by staff at Number 24, who wanted to be able to make use of toys that their own children had grown out of, before the donation drive expanded to staff and adults at the New Warlands Farm training centre and eventually across the Society’s other services.
Nicole said:
“We got quite a few donations from care, residential and supported living, so it was a collected effort for the donations to come in.”
Donations are still welcome, but staff and volunteers from the day services are now looking to spread the word and encourage more families to come and use the toy bank.
“Any family who’s got young children who could either come in and take a few things, or they could come in and swap items,” Nicole said.
She added: “There’s anything from baby toys, up to toddler age, board games, there’s a lot of Paw Patrol things, or Barbie things, so there’s quite a range of age groups, and suitable for boys and girls.”
Donations are sorted through, cleaned, and given new batteries, and prepared for their new homes by volunteers from the day service.
Nicole said:
“We’ve made sure they’re at the standard where children will enjoy taking them home and playing with them, we’ve made sure all the jigsaw pieces are there, and we’ve tried to make them as like new as possible.”
“They’re good quality toys that kids will enjoy playing with, so come and use the facility and save some money, especially leading up to birthdays or Christmas. Come and have a look.”
As well as housing the toy bank, the North East Autism Society shop sells handcrafted and unique products made by people at day services like Number 24, and is open Monday to Friday in term time from 9.30am to 3.30pm.
Well done Janine Mounsey
Well done Sheriff Azeez
Employees 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.
This quarter, two nominations were selected from fantastic services to be joint winners. Congratulations to Sheriff Azeez from No. 21 and Janine Mounsey from Adult Short Breaks, who have both excelled when it comes to supporting residents and guests.
Sheriff was nominated by Jackie Herbison, Operations Manager at No. 21, for supporting one of the young people at another home to attend prayers at the Mosque every Friday.
Jackie said: “Sheriff kindly offered his time to do this and since February this year Sheriff has taken the young person every week; sometimes this is on his day off, but Sheriff has gladly committed to this outing.”
Thanks to Sheriff’s support, the young person is able to attend important prayers and access the community at the Mosque.
Sheriff said: “I couldn’t hide my excitement when Jackie and the management team at No 21 informed me of my nomination.
“Building strong bonds through our routines with this young person has been incredibly rewarding. Since we started, Fridays have become the highlight of my week, and it’s gratifying to see that the young person enjoys them just as much. Alhamdulillah.”
Sonja Evans, Manager of Adult Short Breaks at New Warlands Farm, nominated Janine, who joined the team two years ago after previously working as a Teaching Assistant in schools.
Sonja said: “Janine’s planning and organising has helped the people who use the lodges to experience many new things in our local community, including the Chinese New Year celebrations in Durham.”
Sonja also praised Janine’s proactivity in her role and added, “Janine has progressed so much in her role as an Activity Support Assistant over the past year and is a massive asset to our team at Short Breaks.”
Janine said: “It’s an amazing feeling to be recognised for doing a job that I love! I’m so grateful.
“I couldn’t do it without the help from the rest of the team, and the support from the managers who give me the opportunities to do what I do.”
Congratulations to Sheriff and Janine, who each win £50 in vouchers. Our next Employee of the Quarter will be announced in the autumn edition of The Loop.
Highlights of the Quarter
We’ve had a jam-packed Spring – take a look at our highlights… Here’s a spotlight on some of the other stories which made the headlines over the last quarter:
Outgoing Mayor raises over £42,000 for charities
The outgoing Mayor of Stockon-on-Tees marked his final engagement in the role with a stunning contribution to local charities.
Councillor Jim Beall presented representatives of his chosen charities, NEAS and Eastern Ravens Trust, with a cheque for £42,484, split equally between both charities. The funds were raised throughout his term as Mayor.
Runners take on London Marathon for NEAS
Two runners took on the challenge of the London Marathon to raise money for our lifeline services.
Sarah Costello and Michelle Sanders crossed the finish line on 21 April, smashing their individual fundraising goals and raising a collective total of £3,104.97.
Sarah’s brother Adam receives support from NEAS’ Independent Supported Living service, and Michelle’s daughter recently received an autism and ADHD diagnosis.
Tesco partnerships gives our pupils work experience
An opportunity for work experience at a Sunderland supermarket has given pupils at our Thorhnill Park School’s Emsworth site a chance to grow their employability skills.
Pupils got stuck in to work experience at Tesco Extra, where they had the chance to work on the shop floor, picking online shopping orders, as well as interacting with customers on the checkouts, and collecting trolleys and baskets that shoppers were no longer using.
All aboard the new Metro train!
A group of schoolchildren and adults from our services got the chance to visit one of the Metro’s brand-new trains before they go into service later this year.
Nexus, the public body which runs Metro, hosted the event for autistic children, adults and other disabled groups so they could get on board a train from the new £362m fleet at its learning centre in South Shields.
Children from our Thornhill Park School in Sunderland also got to sit in the futuristic drivers’ cab and sound out the horn.
‘This is Me’ says Thornhill Park pupil published poem
Work by a pupil at our Thornhill Park School has been featured in a national collection of poetry by young people. Courtney, 16, wrote the poem for a contest held by Young Writers, which formed in 1991 to share the work of young poets.
Courtney’s poem was written for the ‘This Is Me, I Am’ competition, which aimed to inspire young people aged 11-18 to write poems about themselves, their feelings, ambitions, and how they challenge other peoples’ assumptions of them.
Well done Courtney.
