On 30th July Simon Leatherland and Jonathan Dale will be squeezing into their lycra to participate in the 2017 Prudential 100miles London to Surrey Cycle Ride, and we would be extremely grateful if you could spare some change in your pockets/ back of the sofa/ bank accounts to donate to a very worthy cause.

 Raising Money for Autistica:
We both have close family members touched by autism and have personally witnessed the challenges this brings and the impact it has on the individuals, their family and friends. We are raising money for Autistica https://www.autistica.org.uk/about-us/ whose vision is for a brighter future for people with autism and their families, where advanced scientific understanding of autism means that evidence-based interventions are readily available, diagnosis is early, and causes are properly understood.

Nicky and Josh’s story shows the importance of autism research to families living with the condition. Josh is 23 years old and has Aspergers Syndrome, which was diagnosed when he was 5. Josh doesn’t mind, he accepts that this is a part of who he is. However, Josh was diagnosed with OCD and an eating disorder at the age of just 10 and these mental health problems have led to Josh being stuck at home with no quality of life. Josh’s life has been a journey of treatments not suited for autistic people - CAMHS therapy, solution focused clinic, counselling, CBT, adult mental health PCN sessions, psychiatric counselling CBT sessions, specialist ASD/OCD CBT - and thus all have been unsuccessful. Autistica’s research into mental health in autism has given Josh’s mum, Nicky, hope. 13 years of trial and error treatments is not acceptable. She wants to know that in future there will be better continuity of care, funding and autism training, and most of all, there will be treatments that work.

Every £ you donate will be matched by Deutsche Bank and the Government will add their bit if you tick the gift aid box.Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.