Wiltshire Autism Diagnostic Service

16/06/2022

Hope some of you might enjoy this cafe once it opens

Who are we?
What is our mission?

Hi, we’re Sam and Rich. We’ve been avid gamers since we were little, I’d love to think ‘Crit Hit’ was one of my first phrases.
Rich and I actually met when he spied me treating my English Students to a game of Red Dragon Inn for passing their exams. The rest, as they say, is history.

Owning a board game cafe has been a dream for both us since before we were even together. Now that I’ve got my Executive MBA, we feel confident enough to make that dream a reality.

So aside from the obvious- being an epic space, with an extensive games catalogue and fabulous food, what else will we do? What do we stand for?

Our belief is that if you are in a position to help others, you are morally obligated to do so! We pledge to reinvest and donate 50% of our profits to local charities and causes in and around Salisbury. In particular we wish to champion causes that support Autism and ADHD, and combat social isolation/loneliness, and homelessness.

The community needs more than just money however, we believe it needs services, and consistency. We intend to offer the following:

- Senior Sorcerers 🧙‍♂️. Hosting a weekly session for the local elderly community, engaging with care homes and local parishes. Offering games, companionship, routine and excellent grub.
- Running an after school club for children aged 8+. We’ll support homework completion (being an ex-teacher has it’s perks), we’ll also run a series of games that promote STEM and social development.
- Donate our end of day perishables to the local homeless community and host regular CV writing and job search workshops.
- Host weekly carers coffee and games morning, at reduced rates, providing consistency and care for a hugely under-represented segment of the community.
- We will donate heavily to autism charities, and provide a space that is cognisant of ASD needs. (Our boys are both autistic, so this cause is particularly close to our hearts).

There is plenty more we’d like to do as we grow.

Salisbury is our home, if you’d like to see us open please leave a comment below 👇

Additionally, if anyone is keen to get involved, or wishes to sign post worthy causes, please do get in touch.

Your friends at The Enchanted Crumb.

20/12/2021

Looking to meet other autistic people for my new BBC series . Very keen to hear from Black , Asian or minority ethnic autistic people , older autistic people diagnosed as children & autistic parents of autistic children . Please get in touch here https://bbc.in/3pYT0ph

09/11/2021

The following is recent information for the a.s.we are social group for your interest.
Dear AS We Are attendees (and those on the list who might one day attend)

It was great to have such a lively session last week - as promised I am sending everyone the link Catriona mentioned. There are no guarantees but there is the possibility of grant funding for support or training from this source: https://www.turn2us.org.uk/Get-Support it must be worth an idle half an hour on the web seeing if any of you fit their criteria.

The next couple of sessions are virtual (12th & 19th @ 1pm on zoom) but we hope - if Covid & weather don't get in the way - to have an In Real Life session at Laycock on the 26th November, 1pm. We also plan to visit Salisbury's St Thomas Church Christmas Tree Festival in December, as Ria Walton is working on a tree to be part of it. Details TBC.

I'll see some of you at the end of the week - it was lovely to welcome Aaron as a first-timer last week.

Richard


Get Support - Turn2us

You could be missing out on financial help available to you through welfare benefits or grants. Our free and easy-to-use Benefits Calculator and Grants Search tools can help you check what you might be able to claim.

www.turn2us.org.uk

Richard Conlon



As We Are Facilitator



Wiltshire Service Users' Network

The Independent Living Centre

St. George's Road

Semington
BA14 6JQ

01380 871800

www.wsun.co.uk

Founded in 1991, Wiltshire Service Users’ Network was the first User led organisation in Wiltshire and one of the pioneering organisations in the country. It was formed by people who use health and social services, to promote user involvement and support people to have a voice. We run a variety of...

24/09/2021

Great news

10/09/2021

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-58476632

Boris Johnson says he accepts the UK-wide tax rise of £12bn a year breaks an election promise.

01/09/2021

STRATA: Autism & Anxiety Study

The SerTRaline for AnxieTy in adults with a diagnosis of Autism (STRATA) study aims to assess whether Sertraline reduces anxiety and improves autistic adults' quality of life. STRATA is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and receives no funding from pharmaceutical companies.

From the Chief Investigator, Dr Dheeraj Rai:

"Antidepressants are very commonly prescribed to autistic people, without us knowing whether they work for anxiety in short or long term for autistic people. We also don’t know what the side effects are for this group.

This question was recognised as one of the top priorities for research by autistic people. We have made strong efforts to involve autistic people throughout the design of this study - and have welcomed positive feedback and criticism (see: https://strata.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/ppi-members/)

We acknowledge that now is a time where many are feeling anxious, but want to stress that participation is completely voluntary. We have safety and ethical processes in place to ensure potential participants have understood what is involved, and make a fully informed decision.

STRATA is what is called a pragmatic study. This means that choosing to participate or not does not affect the care people receive from any other service."

Read more here: https://strata.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/taking-part-in-the-uk/

If you have questions, please email us: strata-takepart@bristol.ac.uk

10/08/2021

Thought some of you might find the latest autism strategy of interest.

The government’s national strategy for improving the lives of autistic people and their families and carers in England, and implementation plan for 2021 to 2022.

09/04/2021

Well worth watching.

It has been a year of isolation, of anxiety, of loneliness, where social activities have been largely shut down and services like care provision severely disrupted. On World Health Day, new figures from the Office for National Statistics show that people with disabilities have been at even greater r...

29/03/2021

22/03/2021

NHS South West

·
5h
If you have a learning disability you are eligible for a . This short video follows Michelle through the process of her having the vaccination, so you can understand what to expect.

Book now at https://nhs.uk/book-a-coronavirus-vaccination/do-you-have-an-nhs-number… or call 119.

25/02/2021

This may be of interest to 18-25 year olds reading this post.

https://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/what-we-do/employment/paid-work-experience/work-experience-opportunities/civil-service-internship?fbclid=IwAR3dj4eu9GLPROPHnWjZ7SqoHgWGrP6tHNG0JM1J-L0Fj0ODIR01ZKEY6rw

Ambitious about Autism is the national charity for children and young people with autism. We provide services, raise awareness and understanding, and campaign for change. Through TreeHouse School, The Rise School and Ambitious College we offer specialist education and support.