The objective of the Society is to promote the welfare of children, adolescents and adults diagnosed as having an autistic spectrum condition.

ASGMA exists to support individuals affected by an Autistic Spectrum Condition, and their families, guardians and carers in the Greater Manchester area.

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The Society aims to:

Cooperate with the ten Greater

Manchester Local Authorities and voluntary associations in supplementing the provision of educational, health and social services.

Provide facilities for education,

integration and guidance in a constructive environment.

Provide help, information and guidance

for parents and carers and provide a meeting ground for parents and carers to share their experiences and gain a greater understanding of their common problems.

Promote a greater knowledge and understanding of people with autistic

conditions amongst the public and amongst those concerned in their education, care and employment through various channels including, but not limited to, information and publicity, lectures, courses and conferences.

Establish and support any charitable trusts, associations or institutions whose

aims are generally in accordance with the promotion of the Objects of ASGMA.

Co-operate with other charities, voluntary bodies and statutory bodies operating

in furtherance of the Objects or similar charitable purposes and to exchange information and advice with them.

Brief History

The Society has been in existence since 1968 having been started by two Manchester teachers, Roger & Betty Delahunty. Many of the parents who helped them set up the Society were already members of the National Autistic Society and realised the importance of creating a local support network.

The original name was `The Manchester & District Society for Autistic Children’. This was changed in 1984 to `The Autistic Society for the Manchester Area’ and finally in 1997 to its current name, Autistic Society Greater Manchester Area (ASGMA) to reflect the area it now serves.

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Chair’s Report April 2010 to March 2011 As the new Acting Chair for ASGMA, I am excited to be writing this for the Annual report. I have only been involved with ASGMA since 2009, but the support my daughter and family receive is priceless and it is great for me to be able to give something back. Since taking on the role from Bill Haley, who remains as official Chair and support during a handover to me, I have been aware I have some very big shoes to fill. I have been learning a lot and have been fortunate to have the opportunity to see how ASGMA operates from a different angle and to make a contribution to shaping the future. I look forward to taking on the role in full as Bill retires from the Chair’s position after many years of dedicated support to the organisation at our 2011 AGM We have had a worrying year with funding cuts looming, and a lot of uncertainty about where our money would be coming from. Despite that, the staff and volunteers have remained their usual cheerful and dedicated selves and I want to thank them for what they give both from a Trustee and a personal point of view. The future is still uncertain though ASGMA is currently financially secure. One of the big challenges for the future will be becoming a more self-sufficient organisation and less reliant on capricious council funding. To this end, we have started a Funding sub group to look at ways of bringing money into the organisation. This group meets regularly and plans fund raising events, please do consider getting involved even if you only have a little time to spare. Being a Trustee of a Charity such as ASGMA is a real privilege but also a responsibility and I want to thank my co-trustees for their hard work and dedication. In particular Bill who is retiring from Chairing the Board after many years of dedicated service– I hope I can learn to do as good a job as he has. I would also encourage others to put themselves forward to become more involved, either as a member of a sub group or just contributing a few hours to a funding event.. If that’s you, we would love to hear from you. Best wishes Rosalyn Chandler Acting Chair

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Chief Executive’s Report April 2010 to March 2011 As can be seen in the Projects and Services Reports later in this document, this has been an extremely busy year for us. We have continued to increase our profile, improving our marketing and public perception. As a charity we rely on grants and donations to provide our services and we have worked hard to ensure our much-needed support reached those who needed it most. The role of Chief Executive within any organisation is a demanding one. As the lead officer in the organisation, there is a role to develop internal working practices, procedures and clear financial systems, as well as to support staff, service the Board and take the legal responsibilities of ensuring that ASGMA operates in a manner of Good Practice, meeting the requirements of funders and Charity and Company legislation. There is also a role in the development of services, including sometimes making difficult and unpopular decisions to ensure the viability and stability of services, ensuring we can still reach and work with as many people as possible. As a charity we have to demonstrate public benefit and it needs to remain a cornerstone of our work. We do this by supporting families and individuals who without us often would have nowhere else to turn. Amongst the range of support services we provide, we include direct support to families who may be having difficulties with statutory services, or who, despite being directly affected by a disability would otherwise receive no support, and much of this work is utilising charitable donations and support. The year 2010-2011 has seen us expand our work and the range of people we work with. There has been some restructuring in the definition of our Direct Services projects to enable us to take advantage of commercial opportunities to support more individuals in the way they want supporting. We are now providing more 1-2-1 and highly structured support than ever before mainly paid for by individuals own budgets (Direct Payments). Transition is a key word at the moment as more and more grants and block funding is cut and everyone is becoming more reliant on being able to demonstrate meeting social service criteria to be able to pull down and utilise individual budgets to have their needs met. We have been successful in receiving some government Transition funding for 2011-2012 to support people using our service to develop a person centred plan and request a social services assessment.

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During the forthcoming year we are hoping to continue to make changes to improve our services and outcomes for individuals and families. We hope to support more of the people we work with to develop greater independence and to achieve their goals. We hope to continue our work in achieving quality outcomes and making a real long term tangible difference to individuals and families. We hope to embrace even more commercial opportunities where this would not detract from the Charity’s mission. While 2010-2011 was a very good year for us, in the current political climate all charities and providers of support and services to vulnerable people are concerned as to what the future may bring, however, we remain focused on doing as much as we can and where we can to support the members and users of ASGMA’s services. I would like to thank all those of you who have worked with me and supported ASGMA over the past year. Paul J King Chief Executive chiefexec@asgma.org.uk

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ASGMA Projects and Services Reports

Autism Information and Family Support Service

“Providing support when you need it”

This has been another busy year for the Autism Information and Family Support Service (AIS) which provides support to parents and carers whose child has any Autistic Spectrum Condition.

The services provided by AIS have evolved over the years to meet our member’s needs, and currently comprise:

These services are provided primarily for parents and carers of people with autism living in the Greater Manchester Area, although we are often contacted by parents from further afield, by professionals involved in any aspect of Autistic Spectrum Conditions, and by adults who have only recently being diagnosed as having an autistic spectrum condition, who can also become members of ASGMA and access our services.

At ASGMA we feel strongly that if parents, whose sons or daughters have autism, are getting some emotional and practical support themselves, they can go on to help their child more effectively. In response to the growing demand for our services, the AIS has continued at last year’s increased level of hours, with Tony Turnbull working for two days per week and Alex Menhennet working for one day per week on AIS activities, in addition to her time as an Aspirations Key Worker.

Summary of activities during 2010-2011:

This has been another year of growth in ASGMA membership with more paid-up

members than ever on the database at the end of the year.

Parent and Carers Support Group meetings were held every month in the

ASGMA Resource Centre in Stretford. The meetings continue to be popular with members who find them to be a useful opportunity to meet others in a similar situation and talk freely about their problems – without feeling embarrassed or guilty, and without having to justify or explain themselves to people who don’t understand.

The number of telephone calls and e-mails asking for information or support

continued to increase, Monitoring calls over a 6 month period indicated a rate of over 700 calls per year directly to the information line, of which about 150 lasted over 30 minutes and a large number required follow-up information to be sent by e-mail or letter. Even more time was spent supporting families through the direct services staff.

Speakers Meetings, on Benefits and Bullying were organised for members

Information Line Parent Resource Pack Awareness Events

Library Parent Support Group Newsletters and e-bulletins

Website Speakers Meetings Other family support services

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Four editions of the ASGMA newsletter, Autism Matters were produced and

posted to all current members and associates on the ASGMA database. The newsletter is now printed professionally which has meant that we can economically print spare copies to send to professionals and prospective members and to distribute at Information Events, helping to raise the profile of ASGMA in the community.

A total of 11 e-bulletins were sent to members and associates, giving a timely

reminder of events, and updates on relevant information such as contact details, clubs activities and new support initiatives. The e-bulletins have proved very popular with members, and we are looking to establish them on a regular monthly basis in the future.

A major emphasis during the year has been on increasing awareness of

autism and of the services offered by ASGMA to help people affected by autism.

To this end, we have continued to support awareness/consultation events organised by Local Authorities across Greater Manchester, including information stands at Carers Events in Manchester, Salford and Trafford.

This year we have also organised two ‘Open Days’ at our Autism Resource Centre in Stretford, attracting professional, parents and carers, as well as people who have or suspect they have autism or Asperger Syndrome.

Our main event of the year to increase awareness of

autism in the community was our contribution to ‘World Autism Awareness Day’ (WAAD), an international event taking place on the 2nd April each year.

Working in conjunction with four major autism-specific charities based in the North West, we produced 15000 copies of a special four-page WAAD leaflet with the headline ‘World Autism Day is only 24 hours, but autism is for life’. The leaflet explaining the main characteristics of autism, and gave details of the five charities involved; ASGMA, the Together Trust, Autism Initiatives UK, the Wirral Autistic Society and Families Connected. In addition we organised a Bag-Packing event at a number of Sainsbury’s stores across the region.

For our part, ASGMA organised an Information Stall and Bag Packing Event at Sainsbury’s in Urmston. In all, over 50 ASGMA parents, members, staff, volunteers and friends spent the day talking to shoppers, packing their groceries and giving out almost 1000 leaflets. Not only did we raise awareness of autism, we found several new members and volunteers, and we also raised over £1400 in donations from Sainsbury’s customers. All in all, a very successful event which we hope to emulate next year.

Alex Menhennet & Tony Turnbull Information Officers

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ASGMA Direct Services Projects.

ASGMA Direct Services projects work face to face with people who have Autistic Spectrum Conditions, and encompass the Aspirations Project and the Autism Lifeskills Project.

The Aspirations project supports people with Asperger Syndrome / Higher Functioning Autism aged 10+ by helping them to access social & leisure opportunities and personal support.

The Autism Lifeskills project concentrates on offering 1-2-1 and small group support to people on the Autistic Spectrum who have an Individual Budget or are in receipt of Direct Payments.

Both projects also provide information & advice and access to specialist counselling.

Direct Services support individuals by:

Establishing a one to one relationship and group activities

Identifying areas of interest

Setting up new initiatives

Arranging support for people in community settings as well as support to access social & leisure situations.

ASGMA Direct Services works:

To support people over the age of 10 who have Autistic Spectrum Conditions and live in the Greater Manchester Area.

To be a point of contact for people with Autistic Spectrum Conditions

To be a point of contact for carers, parents, teachers and professionals.

To support existing education, employment, health and social service provision.

To aid greater understanding of, and positive attitudes towards, Autism in wider society.

To implement group and individual programmes to help alleviate the problems associated with Autism and related conditions.

To assist in the development of the members’ self esteem, independence, and social and communication skills.

To prevent and/or improve mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, of people with Autism.

To provide a variety of leisure opportunities and new experiences.

To maximise social and leisure opportunities already existing within local communities by enabling members to find and access appropriate local services and facilities.

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To enable the development of positive relationships between members.

To enable the members to have input into the development of the

project, and to learn self -advocacy skills in order to be able to influence wider service development.

Direct Services Projects have supported over 220 people with Autism during the year 2010 - 2011 Attendance varies greatly from member to member, from infrequent to some members attending activities several times a week. In total we have provided 5100 places on group activities throughout the year. This has totalled over 20600 hours of support. Direct Services projects have also provided over 500 sessions of individual 1-2-1 support totalling over 2000 hours. So that gives a grand total of 5600 sessions of support totalling over 22600 hours of support. Quite a significant amount I’m sure you’ll agree. Activities that we were able to provide during the year included: The Walking Group: After 10 years the Walking Group had its last walk in December 2010. We now organise 2 hiking and camping holidays every year, the first one climbed Snowden in August. Football: At the Trafford Soccerdome. Social groups: Pub nights for over 18’s meeting in central Manchester. Regular Social activities for younger members such as Laser Quest, Cinema and Bowling. Holidays: In October the 18+ group had a very successful holiday in Cornwall and the 10—18 group had a long weekend in Southport. The Girls Group: This is a small group, and activities have included bowling, cinema and swimming.

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Holiday Activities: During summer, Easter and Half Term holidays arranged trips out which included Alton Towers, a day in London, our annual barge trips and barbeques. Just like last year, extra trips had to be added to meet the demand. The Drop in Centre: - Weekly day long sessions at the centre in Stretford. We were also able to introduce a monthly evening drop in session Stretford Based Youth Clubs: During the year we increased the frequency of our youth clubs. We were able to run. Outreach Youth Clubs and Activity Groups. Due to funding through Aiming High For Disabled Children we were able to provide weekly groups in Salford and Bolton and a monthly group in Stockport. We also received additional funding to run an Independent Living Skills group in Bolton. Art Class. A local artist (Tish Attwell) has been running regular art workshops at the centre in Stretford. The first subject covered was mosaic and you can see the results of the sessions displayed on the walls around the centre. Independent Living Skills Group. A weekly group where members are supported to develop the skills needed for independent living. Topics include: Budgeting, shopping, cooking and exercise and healthy eating Family Group: A group open to families of young people with Asperger Syndrome. Quarterly Newsletters – Available to all Aspirations members, giving dates and information on all up coming activities.

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BBC Children in Need. Fun & Friendship Programme. The biggest impact on our services during the year was the funding that we received from BBC Children in Need. This allowed us to take on more staff and greatly increase the number of activities that we were able to offer to our younger members. The Fun & Friendship activities have included:

Activity group at different locations throughout Greater Manchester.

Increased youth club sessions at the Resource Centre

A Summer Club; running throughout the school summer holidays.

A weekend sports and activity groups that have included, raft building, horse riding and ice skating.

Weekend Cookery Class.

An “Out of School Club” aimed at young people who have been excluded or are unable to attend school or college.

The programme has been a great success and we have been taken aback by demand for the groups. In fact we had met all of our 3 year targets in the first 6 months. 145 young people between the ages of 10—19 attended activities during the year. The biggest challenge for the year ahead will be securing our existing funding and then identifying new opportunities to enable us to increase the levels of support to people with Autism who are over 18 years of age. We currently have over 20 members of staff and volunteers working on the project in one capacity or another, most of whom have been with us for several years now. Peter Halliwell Direct Services Manager

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Comments from our Members and Service Users

“I really value being able to call you for advice and support”

“I wasn’t sure whether my son had Asperger Syndrome until

I attended a Parent Support Group meeting, which I found enlightening and very helpful”

“It provides somewhere to compare notes, grumble or have a laugh with

others who understand, without having to explain or justify anything”

“I feel much happier knowing that my son has a ‘haven’ to go to, where he is accepted for who and what he is, without anyone passing

judgement on him”

“ has given me a new lease of life. It has supported me and helped me

to travel to college independently.”

“Through my son’s involvement he is more relaxed at home because he has enjoyed his time there”

“Simple shopping trips with siblings are now possible while

he is at Aspirations”

“I’m glad that this service is available so I can make friends and it

gives me something to look forward to”

“I really like going out one to one with staff members”

“It would be wonderful to have extra activities but I know

there is never enough money”

“Keep it going – it’s a life saver!”

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ASGMA Board, Staff and Volunteers serving during the year 2010-2011

Charity Trustees / Board Members

William Haley Chair Bernard Yardley Treasurer

Rosalyn Chandler (from 17th November) Acting Chair

David Clarke (Until 17th November) Leslye Vaughan (Until 17th November) Emma Shaw Catherine Connor-Guscott Anne Forster (from 17th November)

Justine Wallace (from 17th November) Staff

Paul J King Chief Executive / Company Secretary

Peter Halliwell Project Manager

Kayleigh Ruane Admin Officer Samantha Coates Key Worker

Michelle Tonge Key Worker

Alex Menhennet Key Worker + Information and Family Support

Bernard Woodworth Key Worker

Helen Childs Key Worker

Jonathan Cantliff Casual Bank Staff

Adam Lee Key Worker and Casual Bank Staff

Tom Gibson Volunteer and Casual Bank Staff

Sarah Layzell Key Worker and Casual Bank Staff

James Mason Casual Bank Staff

Paul Nugent Key Worker and Casual Bank Staff

Tony Turnbull Information and Family Support

Rita Carroll and Trudy Carroll Cleaners

Heena Oza, Leanne Creasy Sigourney Chippendale

Student Placements

Volunteers regularly supporting us during the year across the Projects

Barbara Newman Jonathan Cantliff Philip Martin Gareth Roberts Victoria Sambrook Luke Perczyk Billy McLean Rebecca Gallagher Rachel Stevens Rebecca Jones Jessica Williams

Jenni Ying Thomas Gibson Jonathan Harris Sarah Layzell Christopher Maudsley Alana Laisby Aikaterini Bourou Morgan Lonsdale Olivia O’Leary Smith Pauline Boywer

Amongst many others who have given us invaluable support throughout the year

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Summary of Financial Activities April 2010 to March 2011 (Taken from the traditional Income and Expenditure Account for the Year Ended 31

st March 2011 within the Independently Examined Accounts)

* While our accounts show a large surplus on the year, almost all of this money is restricted, including advance grants for the year 2011-2012, therefore the surplus is not a free reserve for the society to use as it pleases. The above is a snapshot of our independently examined accounts, which form part of this Annual Report. For a copy of the full accounts please e-mail us at chiefexec@asgma.org.uk

Income £ Grants 259,912 Membership 5,002 Bank Interest 105 Donations 3,742 Other Income 85,697 Total 354,458 Expenditure Employment Costs 217,225 Volunteer Expenses 1,002 IT Costs 555 Activities 16,677 Stolen Equipment 612 Staff Travel & Motor Expense 13,108 Rent, Rates 15,614 Heat, Light, water 3,106 Building and Liability Insurance 1,507 Photocopying and Stationery 4,293

Telephone, Internet and Fax 2,212 Office Equipment 752 Repairs and Maintenance 865

Publicity, Publications, Subscriptions 2,254 Professional Fees 2,768 Accountancy 1,104 Postage 2,017 Other Expense 1,120 Depreciation 7,738 Total 294,529 Surplus for the year 59,929 *

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With special thanks to our funders during the year 2010-2011

The following organisations, amongst others, have provided financial support in the year April 2010 to March 2011 Connexions Manchester Connexions Local Authorities Trafford MBC Stockport MBC Manchester City Council Salford City Council Bolton MBC Health Authorities Salford PCT Charitable Trusts Bailey Thomas Trust Lankelly Chase Foundation BBC Children in Need Three Guineas Trust Zochonis Charitable Trust The Clothworkers Foundation Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust In addition there are a host of companies / organisations / individuals who have collectively provided immense support either in terms of time, donations, and financial input. Without your support, ASGMA would be unable to provide the support it does and we are indebted to all of you. Many thanks!

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Supporting individuals, their families, guardians and carers affected by an Autistic Spectrum Condition in the

Greater Manchester area.

1114 Chester Rd Stretford

Manchester M32 0HL

Tel: 0161 866 8483

E-mail: admin@asgma.org.uk

Website: www.asgma.org.uk

Registered Charity number: 1089527 Company limited by Guarantee: 4326334.