I'm going to be going walkies (walking 15 kilometres) for the National Autistic Society on the night of 21 August in London this year and this isn't a case of me singing for my supper in home territory either!

Currently the programme that I work on as a job coach at our charity is funded independently through the wonderful Bloomfield Trust so we’ve been able to carry our work on employment mostly unhindered, although we have lost people from our team. However, sadly COVID-19 means we’ve had to cut back on some of our work as a charity and focus on key priorities of mental health, distressed behaviour, education, social care and benefits. This blog by our Chief Executive explains why and just how precarious things  are: 

Adapting our work: how we will weather the financial toll of coronavirus and still keep delivering for autistic people and families (autism.org.uk)

So, without going into sensitive depth, I've had to watch in, it’s safe to say, sadness and trepidation as valued colleagues have left our charity, with more ones following them, some activities have gone on hiatus including the Autism Friendly Award, and the closure of our general Autism Helpline - while trying to figure out how I can play my part in getting us back to where we can be.

Having experienced the charity as a service user, volunteer and as a professional, I know that, for all its challenges including the many crossroads that it's navigating, the National Autistic Society does a lot of good activities (such as our social groups including our Scottish Politics one, our policy work, our campaigning and our Spectrum Live broadcasts) and, if we get through this utterly pestilential, wretched, infernal crucible of a Coronavirus era, we could go on to do even greater things for autistic people and their families.

So please donate and spread the word if you can and thanks to those of you who already have done so. I’ll be posting up photos of my preparation and providing updates as things progress.

And one more thing: If in the unlikely event that I reach £1,500 by August I will even do it wearing Sporran, although my mum is threatening to get me a kilt. I thought about doing the walk in a Gnasher suit or even a Muttley one but for a few reasons both of those are unlikely to happen over 15k!