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Ulster GAA President Ciaran McLaughlin and Autism NI CEO Kerry Boyd launch partnership to support local autism services. For more information visit www.autismni.org.

Ulster GAA launches Charity Partnership with Autism NI

Ulster GAA has teamed up with Autism NI to support inclusion and raise vital funds for the charity throughout 2024.

Ulster GAA President Ciaran McLaughlin said, “I am delighted, as Ulster GAA President, to choose Autism NI as Ulster GAA’s charity partner for 2024. Through our Games for All programme we have become more aware of the number of neuro-divergent young people in our communities across Ulster. Supporting the charity will provide opportunities to increase capacity in our clubs and counties which will enable these young people to participate in our activities.”

Autism NI CEO Kerry Boyd said, “We are delighted that Ulster GAA has pledged to support Autism NI this year by raising vital funds for our local autism services and campaigning for autism acceptance within society. We also welcome the organisation’s vision to continue to make their games inclusive to our autism community. We look forward to working with Ulster GAA over the next year and building an impactful partnership that will make a difference.

In particular, this partnership will help raise funds for our Helpline service, which is a vital service for many autistic people, families, and professionals. Our Helpline takes up to 7,500 calls per year and provides advice, information, and resources to our autism community.”

As a local charity, Autism NI provides vital services for over 35,000 autistic people and their families throughout Northern Ireland, and campaigns for autism acceptance within society.

To find out more or for further information please call 028 9040 1729 or visit www.autismni.org

Pictured (L-R) Fiona Mc Court, Area Manager at Home Bargains, Neraj Tandon, Area Manager at Home Bargains, Conchita Monahan Home Bargains Team Member, Sorcha Mathews, Corporate Fundraising Manager at Autism NI, Scott Jacques, Store Manager at Home Bargains and David Hinds, Area Manager at Home Bargains.

Home Bargains exceed £100K fundraising milestone for Autism NI

Autism NI is proud to announce that twenty-nine Home Bargains stores based in Northern Ireland have raised over £105,000 in the last two years, for Northern Ireland’s main autism charity. Customers, staff and Area Managers of TJ Morris Ltd, trading as Home Bargains, have supported the charity with endless fundraising activities and in-store collections throughout the two-year partnership.

Fiona McCourt, Area Manager for Home Bargains said “We are proud to have supported Autism NI over the past two years. This Charity was selected by our colleagues due to the fantastic impact they have on autism families, and as this includes some of our colleagues. It is a cause close to our hearts.”

Sorcha Mathews, Corporate Fundraising Manager at Autism NI said “The support of the team at Home Bargains has been transformational for Autism NI services throughout Northern Ireland. In particular, the generosity of Home Bargains customers and team has provided free autism support courses and hundreds of Early Intervention sessions for parents and carers. The support has also funded Autism NI Helpline’s service which supports over 7,500 people every year.

This fantastic partnership has also been a great opportunity to raise autism awareness by championing services for our autism community and we can’t thank this incredible team enough for their support.”

Autism NI provides vital services for autistic people and their families throughout Northern Ireland, and campaigns for autism understanding and acceptance within society.

To find out more or for further information please call 028 9040 1729 or visit www.autismni.org

Pictured (L-R) Linzi Adams from Andrew Ingredients, Corporate Fundraising Manager at Autism NI Sorcha Mathews from Autism NI, and Managing Director for Andrew Ingredients John Graham.

Andrew Ingredients ‘rise’ to the occasion by partnering with local charities

Andrew Ingredients has partnered with Autism NI and Air Ambulance NI for two years to raise vital funds and awareness for the charities. The NI based bakery wholesale company recently invited Sorcha Mathews from Autism NI and Grace Williams from Air Ambulance NI, to their office to meet the team and launch their new charity partnerships.

John Graham, Managing Director, Andrew Ingredients said; “We are excited to launch our two-year partnership with these two fantastic charities, carefully chosen by our whole team. These causes hold special significance for us, and we are delighted to kick off our fundraising efforts.”

Sorcha Mathews, Corporate Fundraising Manager for Autism NI commented; “We are delighted that Andrew Ingredients has chosen Autism NI as one of their charity partners. Building partnerships with organisations such as Andrew Ingredients helps us raise autism acceptance in society and funds for our local services. In particular, this partnership will help raise funds for our Helpline service, which is a vital service for many autistic people, families, and professionals in Northern Ireland looking for support. Our Helpline takes up to 7,500 calls per year and provides advice, information, and resources to our autism community in Northern Ireland.”

Grace Williams, Area Fundraising Manager for AANI commented; “We are so grateful to the staff at Andrew Ingredients for choosing Air Ambulance NI as one of their charity partners for 2024 & 2025! It was so great to meet the team to thank them in person for choosing to support the incredible work of the charity and to hear about some of their fundraising plans. We are so appreciative of their wonderful support of the service. The funds raised will help the medical team lift off by helicopter to reach future patients, who are in critical need of emergency medical interventions. This is very much a service that no one wishes to need but is there for every one of us.’’

The charity Air Ambulance NI (AANI), in partnership with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, provides the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) for Northern Ireland. The HEMS team attend patients who are seriously ill or injured, bringing emergency prehospital care direct to the casualty, operating seven days a week for 12 hours per day. It can get to anywhere in Northern Ireland in approximately twenty-five minutes with the aim of saving lives, brains and limbs.

Autism NI is Northern Ireland’s longest-serving autism charity and works to provide life-changing services for over 35,000 autistic people currently living in Northern Ireland. Autism NI offer many local support services including a Helpline that receives over 7,500 calls a year, an Early Intervention Service that supports families after receiving an autism diagnosis, Support Groups throughout local communities and accredited training to parents, carers, and professionals.

To get involved, visit www.autismni.org/fundraising-at-work

(L-R) Donna Close, Andy Shaw, and Kelsey Smith from Hays Travel launch new charity partnership with Autism NI Corporate Fundraising Manager Sorcha Mathews (second from right) and have pledged to raise funds for local autism services in Northern Ireland.

Hays Travel pledges to raise £20,000 for Autism NI

Hays Travel has named Autism NI as the charity partner for its 25 branches in the region, in a pledge set to raise £20,000 to help autistic people and their families.

Hays Travel is the UK’s largest independent travel agent with over 450 shops, all of which are given time and resources to support their local community and particularly young people. Their pledge to Autism NI will help the charity deliver invaluable services to the autism community in Northern Ireland.

Nicola Allison, Regional Sales Manager for Northern Ireland, said: “We are excited to start our partnership with Autism NI and support the autism community in Northern Ireland. We’re planning lots of fundraising activities across all twenty-five stores in Northern Ireland, where we aim to raise £20,000 this year. This will support 1,800 vital Helpline calls for autistic people and their families. Our teams are also looking forward to receiving training from Autism NI and working towards becoming Impact Award Champions.”

Sorcha Mathews, Corporate Fundraising Manager at Autism NI, said: “We’re delighted to have Hays Travel on board as a charity partner. In addition to raising vital funds for local autism services across Northern Ireland, Hays Travel is also committed to becoming an Impact Award Champion and building an autism accessible and inclusive service. Their team will receive tailored training from Autism NI to support their autistic employees and customers.

Hays Travel’s customers are encouraged to get involved and support the cause, through activities including in-store collections, and taking part in key events such as the Glow Walk and Autism NI’s Big Christmas Cuppa campaign.

To get involved visit, www.autismni.org/fundraising-at-work

Autism NI held an event at Stormont to highlight the need for a specialist autism mental health service. Pictured supporting this lobbying campaign is (L-R) Autism NI CEO, Kerry Boyd, Autistica UK CEO, Dr James Cusack, Mental Health Champion for Northern Ireland, Professor Siobhan O’Neill, Chair of the All Party Group on Autism, Pam Cameron MLA, and autistic adult Kathy Barenskie.

Mental health services in Northern Ireland failing autistic people

With 35,000 autistic people currently living in Northern Ireland, Autism NI is calling for urgent action to be taken to introduce a specialist autism mental health service for autistic people.

With recent figures showing that autistic adults are nine times more likely to die from suicide and autistic children twenty times more likely to self-harm, the Charity is pressing for mental health professionals to be trained in autism, offering tailored support strategies that work for autistic people.

Autism NI CEO Kerry Boyd said: “These figures are staggering, and it is imperative that there is an introduction of a specialist autism mental health service in Northern Ireland now, to provide better services that are well-equipped in supporting autistic people. There is currently no mandatory autism training for mental health professionals. Training is key to ensure that appropriate adjustments are made for each autistic person, and to ensure that our mental health service is person-centred, adapting treatment and care at every point throughout a person’s journey. It is vital that autistic people and their families get the same access to mental health support as everyone else, and mental healthcare professionals are equipped to work collaboratively with autistic people.”

Chair of the All Party Group on Autism, Pam Cameron MLA agrees: “I feel particularly strong about autistic people in Northern Ireland being able to access consistent regional services, and more specifically, appropriate levels of mental health support, tailored to individual need. From listening to constituents, it’s clear is that the current system is not set up to support this, and autistic people and their families are being isolated and pushed from service to service.”

Kathy, an autistic adult, said: “I felt completely abandoned when my mental health deteriorated. I was told there was no specialist support for autistic people which left me feeling scared and incredibly anxious for my future. Changes need to be made as I don’t want anyone else to feel like I did during those dark times. These changes should start with professionals being trained in autism and understanding how they can adapt their support strategies to help autistic people.”

Autism NI provides vital services for over 35,000 autistic people and their families throughout Northern Ireland, and campaigns for autism acceptance within society.

To find out more or for further information please call 028 9040 1729 or visit www.autismni.org

Naomi Marcus (Ground Espresso Bars) joins Therese Wilson (Autism NI) and the Baxter family to launch their new charity partnership.

“Espresso” your support this World Autism Acceptance Month

Northern Ireland coffee chain Ground Espresso Bars has pledged to raise £15,000 to support local autism services during World Autism Acceptance Month by donating 10p from every coffee sold throughout April to Autism NI. Coffee lovers will be able to support this initiative across the thirty stores they operate throughout Northern Ireland.

Naomi Marcus, Area Manager at Ground Espresso Bars said “I am delighted that our stores will be supporting Autism NI by kicking off our partnership with a coffee cup fundraising campaign this April. This initiative will raise money to support Autism NI’s invaluable services for autistic people and their families across Northern Ireland. I want to thank all our customers in advance, for getting behind our charity drive and for their generosity to help us raise as much as possible .

Our staff and customers can also support Autism NI in a range of fundraising activities in-store throughout the year, including quiz nights and spin-a-thons. This is the start of a great partnership, and I can’t wait to get started.”

Therese Wilson, Corporate Fundraising Manager at Autism NI said “I am thrilled to start our partnership with Ground Espresso Bars. By purchasing a cup of coffee, their customers can make a difference and help us raise vital funds for our autism services throughout Northern Ireland. In particular, this initiative will help fund our Helpline service which supports over 6,600 people every year.

I would also encourage the wider public to get behind our key message ‘Be Kind To Different Minds’ this World Autism Acceptance Month, and learn more about how to support our autistic community. Autistic people are our friends, family, neighbours and work colleagues. We want to build an inclusive society in Northern Ireland and give our autistic community the best tools and opportunities to live fulfilled lives. To learn more about how to get involved, visit www.autismni.org.”

Fiona Baxter, whose son received an autism diagnosis in 2016 said “Over the last 6 years my family has benefitted hugely from the support of Autism NI. After James received his diagnosis, we were unsure about where to turn and felt scared for what lay ahead, however after meeting with Autism NI we were so relieved and armed with the experienced guidance we needed to confidently move forward.

We’re delighted to be involved in the launch of this exciting new partnership. Every penny raised will help families like ours receive the help they need.”

Linfield FC kick off charity partnership with Autism NI

October 2022

Local football club Linfield FC has pledged to support leading autism charity, Autism NI, by kicking off their partnership this week.

Northern Ireland legend and Linfield FC manager David Healy launched the partnership with Autism NI CEO Kerry Boyd and has pledged to support the Charity with a number of fundraising challenges and activities, as well as increasing accessibility within their stadium.

Autism NI’s Chief Executive, Kerry Boyd said: “We’re really excited to begin this exciting new partnership with Linfield FC. This partnership is a great opportunity to raise autism awareness in the community, and raise vital funds for local autism services. Autism NI will be starting the partnership with a collection at Linfield’s home match against Larne FC this Saturday and we are urging fans to give generously.

We are also launching an exciting new challenge next week with Northern Ireland legend David Healy and club captain Jamie Mulgrew, so keep you eyes peeled for the announcement.”

Increase in Autism Prevalance Rates in Northern Ireland

May 2022

The latest statistics from the Department of Health shows that 1 in 21 school age children are now being diagnosed with autism in Northern Ireland. This is a prevalence increase of 62% over the past five years. The figures extracted from the Northern Ireland School Census shows the highest prevalence rate of school age children diagnosed with autism is within the Belfast Trust, with boys being three times more likely to have a diagnosis of autism than girls.

Autism NI CEO Kerry Boyd said: “These latest figures although alarming, are not unexpected. The pressure on autism services in Northern Ireland is now at breaking point. In some trust areas parents are still waiting up to three years on an assessment and support services are few and far between. Every child with autism should be diagnosed as early as possible and receive a tailored early intervention package to ensure the best outcomes for that child. However, it is often left to the likes of Autism NI to fill this void but due to the current level of demand on our services, we are already stretched to full capacity.

Autism NI along with the All Party Group on Autism has worked extremely hard over the past number of years to highlight the many issues facing our autism community and the new Autism Amendment Bill which was passed in March, is the key to the real change that is so badly needed. However, it is imperative that we have a working government in Northern Ireland to implement this legislation properly. Autistic children and adults are a vibrant part of our community. They are our friends, neighbours, work colleagues and family and they deserve to have the same rights, support services and opportunities as every other person in Northern Ireland. They certainly should not be at a disadvantage because they are autistic, which is currently what we are seeing in reality. Therefore, I would like of all of our politicians to take a long, hard look at these new statistics, and I appeal to them that the work towards a better future for our autistic people needs to start now.”

Click here to view the latest report

Autism Bill Passed!

8th March 2022

The Autism Amendment Bill was passed on Monday 7th March 2022 at the NI Assembly with unanimous cross-party support. The new Private Member’s Bill sponsored by Pam Cameron MLA, is the most comprehensive piece of single disability legislation within the United Kingdom.

Some of the changes that the Bill will introduce will be the creation of an autism information service and a cross departmental autism training strategy. There will also be a requirement for the Department of Health to make provision for a regionally consistent adult autism service and early intervention service throughout Northern Ireland.

Pam Cameron MLA commented after the evening debate, “As Chair of the All Party Group on Autism, I know that autistic children and adults are currently facing huge challenges accessing pre and post diagnosis support, with provision varying drastically within each Health Trust area. The new legislation will end this postcode lottery by strengthening the current Autism Act (NI) and introducing an independent scrutiny mechanism to drive forward regionally consistent autism services. I carefully considered the views of autistic adults, families and the wider autism community when developing this new legislation which I am confident will deliver better outcomes for everyone.”

CEO of Northern Ireland’s main autism charity, Autism NI, Kerry Boyd said, “After years of lobbying for better services, I am delighted that this Bill was passed with support from all political parties. Autism NI has worked extremely hard to ensure that the content of the Bill reflected the needs of our autism community here. The last few months have been very stressful as we were unsure whether there was enough time left within this current mandate for the Bill to be passed, so I am very relieved and grateful for the victory. It is time for person-centred autism support services to be delivered, which are easily accessible from childhood right through to adulthood.”

Shelley Armstrong, parent to seven-year-old Hannah Armstrong states, “Autistic people are a vibrant part of society and deserve to have the same rights, support services and opportunities as every other person in Northern Ireland. I am glad that this Bill will finally address the many issues that so many of our autism community face on a daily basis. As a mother of autistic children, I am hopeful that this will be the start of ‘real’ change through better support services and opportunities for them.”

AUTISM NI WINS UK EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR AWARD

December 2021

Autism NI has been announced as the winner of the UK Employer of the Year at The Investors in People Awards 2021. The Northern Ireland charity beat off heavy competition from hundreds of organisations throughout the UK to win the prestigious award.

Kerry Boyd, Autism NI’s CEO commented: “As a local charity, we have experienced many challenges over the past 18 months due to the Covid 19 pandemic. However, our team’s resilience and determination to develop new ways of working, has allowed us to support more families than ever before. The staff morale and commitment shone through during what has been a very difficult period.

I am therefore very proud that Autism NI’s work and good governance has been recognised nationally. This award will provide a great morale boost for our staff that have worked so hard for our autism community in Northern Ireland.”

Paul Devoy, Investors in People, commented: “The Investors in People Awards 2021 was a record breaking year in regards to the number of entries and number of organisations entering. I am so proud of every organisation that entered this year, demonstrating their fantastic commitment to making the work environment better. As a winner, Autism NI really stood out amongst the crowd. A huge well done to all involved!”

The Investors in People Awards is all about recognising the organisations and individuals committed to making work better for their people.