Projects
Beat4autism prides itself on offering a variety of Autism and sensory friendly events throughout the year. Below are a few photos of our annual events that are well attended. They allow our parents and carers to meet, share experiences and discuss good practice. The children, young people or adults get to take part in experiences that may not always be available or accessible to them.
Magical Christmas Grotto
Our magical Christmas grotto offers the chance to visit Santa in a calm and quiet environment. The grotto is purposely set up to provide an accessible experience for all. All attendees are required to book a slot, this allows no queuing and sole use of the grotto throughout their visit.
They get to visit Santa, see his magic and take away a gift.
In 2021 we launched our wish tree, where every child got to decorate a tree decoration, add a wish and place it on the tree - this was beautiful.
Beat4Autism's Big Picnic
Our picnic gives parents and carers the opportunity to sit and take a break, knowing their children are in a safe and fun environment. Picnic lunches are provided for all children, as well as lawn games, an ice cream van and low party music. It is magical to see all of the children playing together without any judgement regardless of diagnosis or behaviour differences. This enables parents/carers to take a bit of a breather - one that we find is very much appreciated.
Community Secret Santa
We have many customers through our doors at our shop each day, all with differing circumstances. Not all people have sensory or SEN requirements, some have financial difficulty or mental health concerns.
We have recognised that many feel at a loss around the festive period. We wanted people to feel appreciated and cared for - so we launched our Secret Santa. We have a box for donated gifts, and a box for nominations. Our bank of very caring volunteers then deliver all the wonderful gifts that have been donated by our customers, to peoples homes in the community.
Adela Road Sensory Garden
Beat4autism worked in partnership with HMS Raliegh, who kindly provided many recruits to support this project. Together we created a sensory area that includes plants for the 5 senses, stepping stones, fruit trees, a sensory path and a beautiful hand drawn mural on the wall. We made it a sustainable are by placing water butts in the area to encourage community to take care and water the plants.
This area was to create a peaceful outdoor experience to help ground an individual when it all becomes overwhelming.
