15 Feb 2005

INEOS CHLOR SUPPORTS HALTON AUTISTIC FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP

Local charity Halton Autistic Family Support Group (HAFS) has benefited from a £250 donation thanks to INEOS Chlor at Runcorn. HAFS is one of the charities being supported this year by Cllr Pat Tyrrell as part of the Mayor's Fund.

HAFS is a community based voluntary support group that operates in the borough of Halton and was officially constituted in November 2001. The chemical company has provided the charity with funds to continue its work to provide support and life enhancing services to the children and young adults of Halton (and their families) affected by Autism.

The charity provides holistic support for all members of the family. Children and young adults with Autism are supervised and led in play, learning and are encouraged to develop social and communication skills.

Ciaran Shanahan from the charity said: "We are grateful to INEOS Chlor for this donation. The money will help us to maintain and develop the services we provide to the families affected by Autism in Halton. We can see the difference every donation makes to the people we support."

HAFS is unique in that it brings together all members of the affected family including siblings and parents and encourages each group to interact separately to discuss the issues of living with an autistic son, daughter, brother or sister and to offer support.

Said Janet Ward, INEOS Chlor community relations manager: "This charity is a very worthy cause. We believe that HAFs' unique service is providing real benefits to the affected families in Halton, and we are pleased to be able to support them in the valuable work they do, in conjunction with the Mayor's Fund."

ENDS

Editor's Notes:

- Although it was first identified in 1943, Autism is still a relatively unknown disability. Yet Autistic Spectrum Disorders are estimated to touch the lives of over 500,000 families throughout the UK.
- People with Autism are not physically disabled in the same way that a person with cerebral palsy may be; they do not require wheelchairs and they 'look' just like anybody without the disability. Due to this invisible nature it can be much harder to create awareness and understanding of the condition.
- Because an Autistic child looks 'normal' others assume they are naughty or the parents are not controlling the child. Strangers frequently comment on this 'failing' (taken from The National Autistic Society Website).
- Official figures suggest that there are at least 50 families in the Halton area with children officially diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorders, but is its widely believed that there could be over 100 families.

Pictured: Janet Ward of INEOS Chlor presenting the cheque to Mike Fry, Chairman of HAFS.

For further information please contact the INEOS Chlor Press Office:

Janet Ward
Telephone: 01928 515227
Fax: 01928 569459
Email: janet.ward@ineoschlor.com