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How Autism Together is transforming lives across the Wirral
1 hour ago
Autism Together on the Wirral has provided support for people living with Autism for almost 50 years, though many people will never experience just how tailored their care actually is.
On Friday, The Guide were given a tour of two of Autism Together’s sites to get an understanding of the important work that they do.
Beginning with their Raby site, we were met by Engagement Officer Chloe Jones who showed us around.
Chloe said:
“Our charity began in 1968 by a group of parents whose children were about to finish school. They felt that that system, there was nothing there for them, and in the world. There were no services at all, really, Then they purchased Raby Hall.”
The Raby site has residential flats for the people they support, with a strong emphasis on independence. Chloe told us about the importance of each person they support having their own front door. You could really feel a welcoming and inspiring aura around Raby Hall.
Raby Hall houses Autism Together’s farm. The farm is home to Alpacas, pigs, Wallabee’s and more, and you can really feel how much the animals feed into the wider mission of Autism Together. People they support take on jobs that range from growing vegetables for the animals to shearing the sheep. Some animals have been rescued from slaughter and graze freely around the farm at Raby Hall, being so close to them provided a tingling sense of belonging and a slice of calm away from all the noise of day to day life. We spoke to Activity Manager and Animal Lead, Claire Quinlan Fulton, about how caring for animals helps people with autism: “You don’t realise how much these guys depend on coming here, you know, (gaining) transferrable skills to home as well.
“We have a lot of co-production meetings with the guys, and they will ask us if we can get certain things. Some things we can’t get, but Wallabees came up, so we did a bit of research on them. We noticed a lot of wildlife parks have got Wallabee walkthroughs and they’re quite interactive with people, so we thought it would be a nice addition to our area. Seeing a different animal with different movements, they get such a sensory feedback from that and they love coming here and spending time with the animals.”
“Each Day Service site, we’ve got six in total, has its own unique stamp. This one (Raby Hall) is very much outdoors on the farm, but they all offer similar activities. So we still have computers here and IT equipment, we still do cookery here. So each Day Services offers something new.”
Leaving Raby Hall, next we were taken to Bromborough Pool Village, once the site of Price’s Candle Factory, the village now under the ownership of Autism Together, who provide services inside the village’s buildings.
Predating the nearby model village of Port Sunlight, Autism Together have provided guided tours of the village since 2024 in an aim to celebrate the village’s history. Inside the old church building at Bromborough Pool Village, we were treated to a performance from some of the people Autism Together support during one of the music classes they provide. Autism Together staff are music trained and the people they support can drop in during Day Services to jam together and bond with others through music. As one of the people they support put it: “We are Autism Together, and we’re here to Rock and Roll!”.
The unique stamp of this site is Bromborough Pool Cafe & Shop, where people they support work as part of Autism Together’s pathway to work scheme and earn money. We spoke to Activity Manager and Retail Lead, Mike Christiansen on the importance of the cafe.
He said:
“We try to help adults with autism gain skills of what it’s like to work in a cafe. We try to get (our staff) to do as much as possible. They’ve got (Autism Together) staff here to support them if needed. They can learn anything from cooking skills to being front of house. I know one person has left day services and he works as an admin at our head office.
“We needed a breakaway space if it was getting too much for anybody they’ve got that area because it can get noisy. If they need a time out, then we can either intervene or help them with whatever the problem is, so there’s not that expectational rush for them to have to do everything properly.
“We’ve got to follow food hygiene regulations, so I was able to break down what was required of us into a booklet for them to go through, the opening and closing checks so they can take the day to be able to do that as activities throughout the day and still be compliant with food safety regulations.”
Charities like Autism Together provide services that cannot be underestimated. Their sites provide a safe haven and life skills for people living with autism. This is a charity that is providing essential support, Merseyside is lucky to have them.
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