“Spring is sprung, the grass is ris. I wonder how All The Other Lucys Is?” (with thanks to Spike Milligan)

We’ve been busy since the launch in October and this seemed like a good place to update our lovely supporters.

So the plan was – somehow – to provide a safe and caring home for eight or so people with ASD in Yeovil. The purpose being to help them take advantage of local employment opportunities.

Then to share what we learn along the way so other parent groups can do the same and address this daft situation that young adults with Autism can work, the overwhelming majority do work and yet they are less likely to have a job than anyone with a registered disability. It’s not just us – here’s Cheryl Gillan MP on the subject: www.cherylgillan.co.uk/news/autism-campaign

Full of enthusiasm, backed with lots of contacts and overwhelmed by support and good wishes we set off.

When we started we didn’t know how we were going to do it.

Now we do.

www.thehubyeovil.co.uk are an established and ambitious charity who provide employment and opportunity for people in Yeovil. They will provide our people with all kinds of chances to learn and grow during the day. They are a fantastic charity and here’s the new space they’ve taken – soon this will be bustling with people making and up-cycling, cooking and sorting and picking.

But it doesn’t stop there. Thanks to so many wonderful people in Yeovil we now are connected to people with 30+ years of experience in running accommodation like the ones we envisage. And Lucy’s College – Lufton College have said they will support us in all kinds of ways that will simplify things for us. With invaluable advice on policy and procedure, staffing and recruitment.

We’ve also found a person who has years of experience of running accommodation as we envisage it. He has been working in the sector for 30 plus years, knows scores of potential employees, knows the local authority and on and on.

We’ve also recruited more people to the Board of Trustees. We already had a Director of Ashridge Management School, a former Managing Director of Railtrack, a senior business performance coach, a former founder of an immensely successful school for people with Autism in Wandsworth. They’ve now been joined by a civil rights lawyer and a very senior marketer as well as the author of this piece – an advertising and branding specialist.

Like all charities, we need money. Actually, quite a bit if we to get this going this year but that’s where we’re putting all of our efforts now.

We didn’t know how we were going to do it. Now we do.

Please support us in any way you can.

This is going to be good.

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