Appeal for £1.3m autistic respite centre launched

Mar 3 2008 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

TO CELEBRATE its 40th anniversary this month, Wirral Autistic Society (WAS) has launched a £1.3m appeal to build a new respite centre – the first of its kind in the North West.

The appeal was begun by the society’s president, the Duke of Westminster, with a reception at his family seat, the grand Eaton Hall, in Cheshire.

When completed, the new centre will cater for six people suffering from autism, providing a “home from home” and a chance for their families to have a brief break from the daily pressures involved in caring.

Wirral Autistic Society was founded after Wirral parent John Brady was unable to get help for his son, Shaun, who had been finally diagnosed with autism, a term which had only been in existence since 1943. In protest, he refused to pay his rates.

His action received media attention which resulted in parents of other autistic children coming together and founding the society in 1968.

The Duke of Westminster said: “There is a massive demand for respite facilities to relieve pressure from parents, brothers and sisters who live with the day-to-day problems.”

The new centre will be built on land alongside the society’s main building, Raby Hall.

Fundraising events planned for the near future by WAS include buy a brick at £5 each, sponsorship from the Wirral Coastal Walk on Sunday, May 18, a corporate Golf Day, Heswall Golf Club, and a Children’s Halloween ghost trail.