As a parent of four young children living in Muswell Hill, I was pleased and interested to tour TreeHouse, including the school earlier this year; particularly as a comparison to the education my own children receive.

The visit was both fascinating and an incredibly positive experience.  The staff gave an excellent insight into the care necessary for the children and an appreciation of the complex way autism influences their lives and educational needs.  The children were engaged and interacting not untypical to any classroom.  Overall the impression was of happiness and stimulation.

I was however overawed with the specialised ‘one on one’ care required to develop the children and the extent of qualified staff necessary to bring about the best response.  Work is currently underway at TreeHouse to build a permanent facility – a national centre for autism education.  The new facility will clearly enhance this process and enable additional pupils to benefit from the skills and expertise of a dedicated school for children with these special needs.

Following this visit I had a more informed knowledge and appreciation of autism and the work and goals of TreeHouse.  As a local resident, I had been familiar with the work at TreeHouse School but was largely unaware of the other services TreeHouse provides such as their policy and campaigns work and their parent support project. 

Following my visit, I felt an incredible desire to help.  By accepting the challenge to trek to the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro in June of 2008, my goal is to raise essential funds toward the completion of the permanent facility. 

Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. Please dig deep and sponsor me online.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: TreeHouse will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

So please sponsor me now!

Many thanks for your support.

Tim Barber