Category: Uncategorised

This week I was privileged enough to visit “The Link” and witness first hand the immensely supportive teaching style for the kids with Autism, blessed to be taught there.

Our Archie was one of the very first pupils to have been lucky enough to join The Link as it opened as an ASD hub in the grounds of Broadstone Middle school. Fast forward 2 years and not only is the school thriving, but so is Arch!

We will never be able to explain fully just what a positive impact the staff have all had. Not just on our son, but the positivity that has been carried home has changed our home life for the better too!

Mr Chris Goulding and Mrs Claire Sweeney, to name just two of the brilliant staff there, continue to go above and beyond. As a family we are forever grateful and inspired by their endless patience and kindness. The kids in their care are TRULY blessed!

Archie showed me all around the fully stocked class and even graced me with some nifty tricks performed the school Labrador “Peggy”.

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As “The Link “expands and grows over the years, we want to share just how fab this team is and shout of how highly we would recommend sending your Awesome kid there!

To all at The Link. THANKYOU from the bottom of our hearts!

This image brought on a wave of genuinely strong emotions for me this morning. I know and you are right, that does sound bizarre… let me explain 🙂

Unlike most almost 15 year olds, Archie still see’s the complete joy in playing “submarine rescue” or ” octonaughts save the planet”

While a lot of neurotypicals of his age are tictocing or hitting the beach with friends, he is here, still playing like his 8 year old sibling. This is where the real mix of emotions comes into play.

See, sometimes I feel sad that Arch wont grow up to be like his unbelievably gorgeous siblings. Sometimes I feel sad that he doesn’t see the world like I do, or notice the real dangers in life. Sometimes I feel sad that he may not find a partner or have children . I also ALWAYS feel sad that there is so much discrimination and exclusion across the globe, something for which I will FOREVER fight. However, along with those negative feelings rushed an onslaught of total joy!

Archie still screeches with the sight of a rainbow. He jumps for joy when the Ice cream van comes. He doesn’t care that his clothes aren’t trendy, they are comfy and that’s all he is bothered about. He can spend hours playing with toy cars and not fearing for what’s happening in the world. He sleeps SURROUNDED by his teddies, with zero shame. A Cat or a Dog is literally ALL the company he needs. Riding a scooter up and down the road is still every bit as exciting for him as the very first time he did it. Thunder and lightening are magical and best of all, he still wants to sit on my lap for cuddles….even though he is as tall as me now!

I wanted to share this for any parent/ carer who may be having a sad day. It happens! The sheer fact that you are reading this post shows that you care, that makes your kid the LUCKIEST kid ever!

Lets go into the world with the same immaturity and joy of Awesome Archie 🙂

It is with great excitement that I am officially allowed to announce that the INCREDIBLE team at Reformed Plastics have created and are now selling the UK’s first GIANT RAINBOW CHAIR in honour of our gorgeous Archie!

David Mercer (company director) has long supported Archie through the years. He has, along with his family, been a shoulder to cry on and a loyal friend. When he approached us with this idea, we simply couldn’t believe how blessed we were.

The picture above shows Farmer Palmer himself sitting on the Awesome Archie GIANT Rainbow Chair, skilfully created by the guys at Reformed Plastics.

We are delighted that both Archie and I have been invited to Farmer Palmers, with Reformed Plastics, for an official launch photo-shoot, which will (hopefully!) then be featured in House Magazine.

It’s vitally important that I also let you know that for every giant rainbow chair that Reformed Plastics sell, they are donating £100 to our non-profit organisation to help us support children with neurological differences across the south coast.

We will never be able to thank you enough! You are all AWESOME!!

Well, from being terrified that no one would want my services to being apologetic about the full diary. What a lifechanging Month it has been since Awesome Archie Outreach got officially going.

This week was our fullest and most satisfying week yet 🙂

We have had ; content creating/ filming, two “in school” assemblies, 6 hours of 1:1 SEN support, a 2 hour fundraising meeting, a donation visit, two in depth consults with parents and another Chromebook ordered. Not to mention countless and very welcomed email questions.

I was also privileged enough to hand over a communication puppet for a lovely little girl who is trying so hard, every single day. This was a highlight for me, defiantly! ( I have permission to share these pics from her rightly proud Mummy !)

Thankyou to EVERYONE that has donated either money or bits to sell. It all makes a remarkable difference to every child that we support.

Children with Autism deserve to be happy 🙂 Life is so tough sometimes and so overwhelming for them, and us of course!

Thanks for keeping us going in this amazing fight for our Awesome kids 🙂

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Well, it has been 8 weeks since I handed in my notice at a job that (for the most part) I had adored. We all know that there are often moments in a lifetime that make you realise that this is it, one life, one shot, one opportunity to change not only your life but the lives of others.

2 weeks into being an unpaid, volunteer, 1:1 ASD support worker and I have never felt richer!

To see the faces and hear the gratitude from the staff and students that I am able to support, even just a tiny bit, has been overwhelming!

I am so thankful to Awesome Archie. He has taught us, as parents and educators, so so much.

Enormous thanks to the welcoming and jolly lovely staff at the William Gilpin C of E Primary School. I have rarely met such a friendly and “child centred” bunch of people and I feel truly blessed to be part of the team(ish!) 😉

Roll on the next 10 weeks!!

The Awesome Archie 1:1 Outreach Support Programme is fully booked until September 2022. Please email for details if you would like any support thereafter.

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Well, today was a day that initially felt very disappointing. As a family, we have been receiving lovely donations of clothes, art, bric-a-brac, etc., to sell and raise money to buy sensory supplies for a couple of local schools.

After a 5am start, a torrent of rain and barely any sales we travelled home heavy hearted.

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However, we soon realised that the little amount raised today (£20) will have a hugely significant impact on those we are helping.

We used the money to buy two boxes of fidget toys that will be winging their way to Christchurch Junior school. These boxes are used, one per class, and are FANTASTIC tools to calm children who may be having a meltdown, feeling overly anxious or who just learn better while ‘fidgeting’. Being a fidgeter myself, I know how invaluable these little things can be!

I will never again feel disappointed if things haven’t gone precisely the way I had hoped. Today has proven to be a valuable lesson for both myself and our beautiful daughter, who by the way, didn’t moan once 😊

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What an unbelievably awesome week it has been. 🙂 It’s my first week of standing alone and being a full time non profit and I LOVE IT!!!!

This week I have worked across 3 schools, handed over 6 Chromebooks to 6 super grateful students. Eaten lunch in the forest, terrified myself as I drove over an unexpected cattle grid, learned to negotiate my way round acreage of playground ( no joke) and met some truly wonderful people.

Having that scary first cup of coffee in a new staffroom and working with people that I had barely even spoken to was a real leap out of my comfort zone. I must say however, that everyone has been so kind, supportive and just wonderful.

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Tomorrow I end my week supporting the lovely staff at the Priory and hopefully catching up with the kids that I must admit, I have REALLY missed .

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One week down…a gazillion to go 🙂

Please click on the below link to sign this important petition. Lets get EVERY child the education they deserve!

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/612259?fbclid=IwAR1-0WAs6qCeviyKvWGA1LZCZHNoRSHhfxkgg7WR-WxVkdzT-bhoJoMol-Y

As most families will testify, holidays are so important! Couple that with the fact that our family life is often bonkers and any time we have to rest is rare, wowsers we needed this!

With the thought of flying or spending hours driving being too much for Arch, a local-ish holiday always seems to suit us well.

So, after an (almost) 3 year wait, we finally managed to get a mini break to Centerparcs at Longleat – yay!! 😎

We have visited this Centerparcs village a few times in the past and adore it because it is so perfect for Archie’s needs! If he is happy then we, as a family, are all happy!

The accommodation is always clean and tidy and, depending on the style you choose, all have a very similar layout (essential for someone with ASD).

The restaurants are all family friendly and fully understanding of Archie’s “no food touching” requests! They even dished up a meal on his dividing plate that we brought with us!

The fresh air and the opportunity to reconnect as a family was just what we needed and we would highly recommend Centerparcs as a wonderful family place to ‘holiday’… particularly if you are restricted in you destination choices as we are at the moment.

The pool is FANTASTIC! 🌊🌊🌊

With a swirly rapid slide (that even non swimmers can manage) it’s fun for all the family! There is also a wonderful area for the smaller kids with lots of mini slides, water guns. There is also the option to rent a cabana for some private space during your 3 hour slot at the pool.

We all really enjoyed all of the fun activities that we took part in and can’t recommend Centerparcs enough as a great destination for a fun-filled, energetic (but still restful) family holiday.

Please visit the ‘Access for All‘ section of the Centerparcs website for lots more details.

I know, I know!!! As a parent /carer, people saying this to me often led me to feeling more than a little frustrated!!! I remember thinking “I can’t even go to the loo in piece, how can I possibly find time for myself?”

Over time ( 15 years of being a parent) I have come to realise that “finding time for you” doesn’t actually mean the same to us as carers as it does for guardians of the neurotypical. There is no spa day or hen weekend. There are no romantic meals out for my hubby and I or sneaky child-free trips to London. This realisation , although it took a little while to grieve over, has freed us from the pressures of social norms.

Time for me can be watching a movie with the kids after school… even though the sink is full and the laundry is literally everywhere! Or perhaps painting something that fits my current mood. A lot of the time they are complete and utter failures, certainly not pieces I would be willing to share, but the process has cleared my head and given me space.

For our marriage, a firm bed time for the kids has saved us. We are not perfect, they are often up way too late watching yet another youtube life hack thingy 😉 but they know that we need to be left alone to just be adults. I am literally only talking about the hours between 9 and 11 BUT THAT 2 HOURS IS EVERYTHING!!!

Don’t worry about everyone else’s routine. Most people have NO IDEA about how testing being a full time carer can be. Let them do them and YOU DO YOU.

Oh and if all else fails… wine 😉