Awards recognise local autism heroes

The North Somerset Branch of the National Autistic Society (NAS) hosted its first annual Autism Heroes Awards on the 01 June at Walton Park Hotel, Clevedon to recognise local people who are dedicated to improving the lives of people with autism.

The event was attended by 60 people including Mark Lever, NAS Chief Executive, Chris Peach, NAS Regional Director and Colin Diamond, Director of Children and Young People's Services (CYPS).
18 Autism Hero Awards were handed out to those who had gone above and beyond what is expected in helping local children with autism.

Liz Kelly, North Somerset Branch Officer, said: “Our list of nominees was a very special group of people. Some are paid to help children, some are volunteers, some are even friends and family, but they all have one thing in common, they are all unsung heroes. This was our chance, as an NAS Branch, to say a big thank you to all our heroes for making such a difference!”

Autism, including Asperger syndrome, is a serious, lifelong and disabling condition that affects the way a person communicates with and relates to other people and the world around them. Autism affects each person differently. Because people with autism can look just like anyone else, it makes the disability less ‘visible’ and makes it much harder to raise awareness and understanding.

Unlike other award ceremonies, with the Autism Heroes Awards there were no losers everyone was a winner - the nominees, the parents and most of all the children who this year’s heroes have helped.

This year the winners where chosen by the branch committee members, but next year the parent members will be able to nominate their own heroes. The categories are wide open it could be a teacher, school, or anyone who has gone above and beyond for a person with autism.

Mark Lever, NAS Chief Executive, said: "I was honoured to attend the Autism Heroes Awards and was overwhelmed by the fantastic work going on in the area to support people affected by autism. The awards highlighted the dedication and hard work being done locally to help improve the lives of people with the condition. On behalf of The National Autistic Society I'd like to congratulate all the winners and also the North Somerset Branch for hosting this special event."

Chris Peach, Regional Director for the National Autistic Society, said that the North Somerset NAS Branch should be congratulated for arranging such a highly successful event that genuinely celebrated the achievements of local people with Autism. It was a great pleasure and a humbling experience to see the gratitude given to so many family and friends plus importantly several local teachers and health professionals, who all dedicate their time to improving the lives of people with a Autism Spectrum Condition in North Somerset.

" It was a pleasure and a privilege to attend the first North Somerset Autism Heroes Awards evening. There was a great sense of achievement as, together, children and young people on the Autism spectrum, their parents, grandparents, friends and professional colleagues shared stories of real progress in life.

Children and young people with ASD have huge amounts to contribute to society and we must learn from them. They are our most honest "critical friends". We want all of our places of learning to be "autism friendly" and be as good as our very best children's centres and schools.

North Somerset Council CYPS is committed to working in partnership with North Somerset NAS. It was wonderful to see such strong collaboration between families and colleagues from CYPS. It is even more rewarding when parents generously nominated teachers and educational psychologists for Autism Hero Awards.

I hope that this event goes from strength-to-strength in future years. It will certainly have our support"

Colin Diamond
Director of Children and Young People's Services

The 2009 winners were:

Sam Potter was nominated for Branch Hero for his design of the certificate and the use of his images to help the branch with fund raising.

Noelle Lomanto and Deb Shepperd, for their dedication and hard work, delivering a peer awareness programme. It has given the children a basic understanding of the world of autism. It has also helped this child understand his condition and given him a voice to explain how he is feeling whenever he has sensory difficulties. It has not only helped him reach his full potential in a mainstream school environment but also given us a better family life.

Ros Ashworth, Education Support Teaching Assistant. For making a huge difference to Sam Potter.

Maude Brown, is a grandparent who has supported her granddaughter through to independent living and continues to support her.

Supportive Parents for Special Children, for the help and support given to families of children with special needs.

Jenny Page, for all the times when her support was needed as a friend.

Tommi Juntilla, for his voluntary work and giving up his Saturday mornings to help at the Lynx Fun Club.

Lynne McCullough, for being caring enough, to want to learn about autism.

Jennie Ford, for her help and advice during transition to secondary school.

Julie Nichols, for the extra support given both in and out of school.

Jackie Turpin, for her undying friendship and giving us timeout just when we need it.

Prue Chapman, for her dedication to improving the lives of children with autism across North Somerset.

Jenny Maxwell, for being able to give practical advice and a positive perspective.

Dr Jane Stewart, for her generous attention, honesty, expertise and genuine concern.

Grace Hewson, for her dedication and hard work as a volunteer, to both the Branch and the Breakthrough Club.

Jackie Edwards, for her relentless hard work as a volunteer Branch Officer.

Maggie Potter, for her contribution to setting up the NAS North Somerset Branch and her continued support.

For more information please contact Liz Kelly at northsomerset@nas.org.uk