NAS North Somerset branch chair, Ben Nicholas would like to send a huge thank you to Worlebury Golf ladies club who have donated £5,936 to the NAS North Somerset branch. The amount of effort and organisation that it took to raise this amazing amount of money was fantastic and greatly appreciated by the whole branch.

Firstly, well done and thank you for everyone involved with the two sponsored events. The “dry January” event involved four members being sponsored to not drink any alcohol during the month of January.  Claire then took part in the “paring the course challenge”. She played 54 holes of golf in one day with some of the members playing alongside her throughout the day to spur her on. Amazing! Thank you, Claire.

The Worlebury Golf ladies club have really gone above and beyond to raise money for the NAS North Somerset branch throughout the year.  They have had cakes and plant sales, and a bring-and-buy sale. Their efforts didn’t end there as there was also an auction to bid for vouchers to play at other golf clubs, where the entry fees were donated for the charity day and some other ladies golf competitions. Finally, the King Alfred branch of the Free Masons Society held a raffle at their monthly meeting and raised £200, making the grand total raised a phenomenal £6,136.00 for the branch.

The NAS North Somerset branch is run by volunteers and is self-funded. It puts on two family sessions a month, to provide autistic children and their whole families an opportunity to meet, make friends, have fun taking part in a making activity and play games. There is also a quiet sensory area and a place for parents to chat, have a hot drink and offer peer support to each other.

Ben went on to say:

 “I can’t thank the Worlebury Golf ladies club enough for this generous amount which will help keep our family activity sessions running- it means a lot. Far too many autistic people and their families don’t get the understanding or support that they need and end up feeling isolated, which is why attending our NAS North Somerset branch family group is important to them. It is wonderful to see how our children have started to make friends, bond with each other and look forward to coming every week. They feel that they can relax and just be themselves with people who understand.  

Ben also wanted to thank the Worlebury Golf ladies club for inviting him to give an Understanding Autism presentation. He was delighted by the response and said “the more people are curious about Autism the more understanding and acceptance there will be in the world”.