A new centre to improve the lives of people with autism is set to be created after a charity received a £75,000 donation.
Matthew’s Hub will offer social activities, advice and support to people aged 16 and over. It will also help them access learning, volunteering and work opportunities.
The centre is being set up by Beverley-based charity FIND, which helps people with learning disabilities and autism from across East Yorkshire.
FIND’s dream of creating a specialist hub for people with high-functioning autism (HFA) and Asperger’s syndrome has been made possible after the Deflog VQ Trust agreed to donate £25,000 a year for the next three years.
Charles Hodgson, Chair of FIND, said: “Matthew’s Hub will offer a warm and welcoming environment and individual support to help members fulfill their true potential.
“There are a surprising number of people on the autism spectrum and we expect hundreds of people to be interested in this service.
“It’s the biggest project we have ever undertaken in terms of the number of people we hope to help. We are going to need external funding but the money from Deflog gives us the springboard to get it off the ground.”
Beverley-based Deflog VQ Trust delivers logistics related learning programmes to members of the Armed Forces, including service personnel based at Leconfield.
As part of its charitable remit, it seeks to reinvest surpluses to help improve education and learning in the community through the Deflog Foundation.
Chief Executive Paul Downey said: “We can’t think of a more fitting way to fulfill our charitable remit than to support Matthew’s Hub. This centre will be a fantastic resource which will reach out to lots of people and help them to lead full and active lives.”
People with HFA and Asperger’s syndrome are often isolated and can struggle to make friends and relationships.
Mr Hodgson, who is also Managing Director of Hodgson Sealants in Beverley, said: “What we want to avoid is people sitting at home on their computer with nothing in their lives. People with HFA are very capable. They might have a special gift but these gifts go untapped.
“We want to get them out of their bedrooms and into the real world to enjoy the same opportunities as other people. They need help and support in order to achieve that and maximise their potential.”
Deflog’s sponsorship will fund research and help finance the running costs of the hub, which has been named in memory of a young autistic man who died several years ago.
FIND hope the new centre will be up and running by the end of next year. In the meantime, it plans to develop a website, which will form a virtual social networking hub. Mr Hodgson estimates they will need up to £500,000 to fund the service for the first five years.
He added: “We are looking at a sustainable strategy so we are not here today and gone tomorrow. If we have hundreds of people engaging with Matthew’s Hub and finding a better life as a result then we will have done our job.”
