Plea to raise funds to help those with autism

THIS year, The National Autistic Society (NAS), the UK’s leading charity for people affected by autism, will be celebrating its 50th anniversary and half a century of support, services, advice and campaigning for a better world for people with autism.

As an autism outreach worker, I am urging as many people as possible to get fundraising for the NAS in 2012 and help the charity continue to provide a lifeline for people with autism and their families.

In 1962 a group of friends met around a kitchen table frustrated at the lack of help available for them and their children. They decided to act for themselves and founded The National Autistic Society.

Fifty years on, attitudes to autism have improved and there is more understanding and support for the two million people whose lives are touched by autism every day. However, there is still work to be done to ensure that everyone affected by autism has the right support and is able to access the same opportunities that most others take for granted.

The NAS relies on fundraising to provide an enormous range of services, and they need your help to make their 50th anniversary a year to remember. There are a huge variety of things you can get involved with, from running to cycling, skydiving to cake baking, walking to climbing.

So don’t hesitate, sign up to one of the NAS’ 50th anniversary fundraising events today by visiting www.autism.org.uk/fundraising.

Autism is a serious, lifelong and disabling condition that can have a profound and sometimes devastating effect on people’s lives.

Your support in whatever way you can give it would be really appreciated.