Adults with autism benefit from sports festival
Sellafield Ltd has provided a grant towards a sports festival and multi-sport coaching project at Asics Stadium, Victoria Park in Warrington today.
Adults with autism enjoying wheelchair rugby
Creating Adventures, which has organised the event, is a charity that enriches the lives of adults with autism and additional needs.
They provide them with access to stimulating unique activities, with a therapeutic outcome to benefit their mental and physical wellbeing and to offer them an improved quality of life.
Its aim is to reinstate the support and social activities that these adults once loved as children, which help to stimulate, as well as escape from the pressures and anxieties we face every day.
For adults with additional needs and communication difficulties, this is a priority to avoid further health related problems including mental health.
Creating Adventures is leading the festival with the support of Warrington Wolves Foundation coaches who are delivering the sports sessions for 100 adults with autism and learning disabilities.
They will be able to participate in multiple sports delivered by the coaches as well as participating in numerous other activities and will be awarded with a medal and certificate for their participation during the celebration ceremony.
Jenny Allcock, Founding Chief Officer for Creating Adventures said:
Many of these adults are still children at heart, who still want to enjoy the activities they did as children, but are no longer deemed as socially acceptable as an adult.
It has been well documented that adults with autism and additional needs are at a higher risk of obesity and other health-related issues. These can often develop from being socially isolated, not being given the opportunity to express their needs and being unable to access a number of services and activities.
As well as the physical aspect of the day, which will hopefully encourage further interest in sports, we know that the mental stimulation and social interaction will support communication and development skills.
Pauline Deans, Community Liaison Officer, Sellafield Ltd said:
It was great to see so many people getting involved in a range of sporting activities, along with their families and carers.
Autism affects so many people in our communities and families can feel very isolated. Sellafield Ltd set up an autism support network in 2017 for its staff and this is helping to support primary carers of autistic children and employees who have a diagnosis of autism.
Its aim is to provide support to our members at work and home, not only by sharing the information we have gathered from a variety of organisations and independent sources, but to be someone to talk to. Someone that understands.