A CUMBRIAN autism charity has received £1,000 in a recent donation.

Worldwide media company Gannett, which owns Newsquest – publisher of the News & Star, donated the sum to Bee Unique.

The charity provides support for parents ‘through the minefield that is gaining the correct support for their children with the EHCP process and making sure that they are in the right educational setting with the right help’.

They added that they provide craft packs for families to complete at home, ‘giving the parents the opportunity to enjoy time with their children while meeting their sensory needs’.

Furthermore, they said they give ‘autism families opportunities to enjoy everyday activities without judgement’.

“The stigma around autism is felt by every parent and most do not enjoy public sessions or feel able to join in," the charity added.

“We book entire sessions and then subsidise them to the 6,000+ community that we have created across Cumbria and Lancashire.

“We do not provide a respite service but always environments where parents can feel comfortable with their children and embrace their uniqueness."

They said they needed £30,000 ‘for the continued provision of sensory activities in West Cumbria’, which they added were often over-subscribed, so the funding will make it possible to have additional activities to fulfil the demand.

Through 2023 they have organised over 1,200 activity sessions catering for more than 15,000 individuals with autism, their parents, carers and families, they said.

The £1,000 awards are made through the Gannett Foundation UK, the parent company of Newsquest Media Group, whose titles include The Mail, the News & Star, The Cumberland News, the Whitehaven News, the Times & Star and The Westmorland Gazette.