Autistic children have been hit particularly hard by the Coronavirus crisis. Over 70% of autistic children already suffer from diagnosable levels of anxiety and often struggle with changes in routine. The sudden lockdown took its toll on the mental health of many of these children, who were already struggling with social interaction and maintaining friendships. Some are eager to get back into school and familiar routines, but for many going back out into the world will be a massive challenge. We have heard from several parents that their children will not leave their rooms, let alone the house, for fear of catching the virus and many who do venture out are finding it very distressing. We want to help make that transition back to "the new normal" as stress free for these children as possible. We will be running woodland based activity sessions to help the children reconnect with nature and renew their friendships in a calm and non-judgemental setting. Takiwatanga will continue to assist parents too, via our face to face support groups, 1:1 meetings and information sharing. As soon as we are able we will also start our Family Board Game Club, to further support the children's social interaction and provide a fun environment for the whole family. However, to do all this we need your help. Due to the lockdown we had to cancel all of our usual fundraising events, so this Fun Walk is incredibly important to us this year. If you can spare some time to take part in a 5K or 2K walk and secure some sponsors, it will help us so much to continue to support these amazing children and their heroic parents. Thank you