Auchenhuive Respite Service, Aberdeenshire

We received grants ranging from £100 from the Leslie and Helen Duff Charitable Trust, to £8,000 from the Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland through to £70,000 from the Wolfson Foundation and many in-between. Money from Trusts, for the refurbishment of this building to provide a 5 bedded respite service, have so far amounted to £189,950.

Peterhouse School, Southport

Skipton Building Society Charitable Foundation gave a grant of £2,438 to cover the full cost of purchasing a SMART Board which teachers use in the classroom to help support the children with their learning. Other grants have included £500 from the Duchy of Lancashire Benevolent Fund and £1,500 from the Hemby Trust.

Oaks Resource Centre, Ramsay, Isle of Man

This Supported Living Centre provides a place for people to transition from living with their parents or a home into living in their own home. We received a grant of £1,000 from the George A Moore Foundation for sensory equipment to help service users to relax and provide visual stimulation.

Number 6, Edinburgh

Autism Initiatives UK runs Number 6 a drop in support service for people with Asperger Syndrome and/or High Functioning Autism aged 16 years old and upwards. With over 200 people having used the service we are always trying to secure funding for developing new ideas and to provide more support. We received £3,000 from the Morton Charitable Trust for Outreach work across Edinburgh and the Lothian’s, £650 from the Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation for equipment to help support our Healthy Living Initiative and £2,500 from the North British Hotel Trust for books, computers and equipment for the development of our Resource Centre.

In addition to Charitable Trusts, we have received grants from Local Authorities and Lottery Bodies such as the Community Fund, the Department of Education and Skills (DfES), Merseyside Health Action Zone, the European Social Fund and the Scottish Executive.

Any Charitable Trust or Foundation wishing to know more about the work of Autism Initiatives UK, please contact Alison McGachy on 0131 240 2374 or email her at sfr@autisminitiatives.org to discuss areas of support where we can work together to enhance the lives of people with autism and their families.