Member Article

Cash funding will help children with autism climb

The National Autistic Society’s Bristol Branch has been gifted £800 to help children with autism climb.

The branch received the donation from Persimmon Homes Severn Valley; as part of the builder’s Community Champions initiative.

The National Autistic Society improves the lives of those affected by autism in the Bristol area. In 2017, the charity aims to launch a Super Climbers Club; an initiative which will help children develop balance, spatial body awareness and improve their overall muscle tone and motor skills.

The charity relies entirely on its team of volunteers and donations. The cash donation from Persimmon Homes will provide personalised t-shirts, caps to give the Super Climbers Club a genuine identity and help fund several monthly sessions.

Jack Whittaker, the Bristol NAS Branch treasurer, said: “These items are so important to us as autistic children are often excluded from clubs and normal life. They will give the children a sense of belonging to a real club and will empower them to be a champion climber.”

Steve Roche, managing director for Persimmon Homes Severn Valley said the Community Champions initiative was a way of supporting people across every city, town and village where the company works. He said: “We are so pleased to hand over this donation to NAS Bristol Branch. It was clear just how important this group is to the local community and it seemed fitting we did what we could to support them.”

The Persimmon Community Champions initiative is a national programme where charities and groups can apply for funding up to the value of £1,000 to match money they have already raised themselves.

Nationwide the company has donated a total of £1 million.

Steve added: “We’ve made it really simple to apply for funding, and we’re urging groups and charities to apply for next month’s donation by completing an online form at www.persimmonhomes.com/charity.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Lee Southen .