Ashley has been coming to Daisy Chain for three years now and is well known and loved by all the staff here.
He volunteers every Monday and Tuesday and he helps staff with jobs around the Day Centre.
Ashley helps with cleaning and makes drinks for the staff in the office and on Tuesdays he goes down to the Superstore. He sometimes helps out in the coffee shop as well as at the tills. He enjoys making hot chocolates and helping make the drinks.
“I get involved in lots of things,” Ashley says, “The Fundraising Team dressed me up as our mascot, Daisy Bear. It was fun but I was so sweaty.”
“When I started here I went to college at Stockton Riverside College and studied Performing Arts. I got bullied at College and I was so ill I lashed out with my parents.” This led to Ashley leaving college.
“I’ve been coming here for three years and it’s turned my life around. The staff here are so lovely it’s unbelievable. All the staff are so nice and understand me. They’re so patient. It’s like a new family and I look forward to coming here every week.”
“In the future I would love to live in Spain, I’ve got a Plan A and a Plan B in my head. Back home my mum sees me as a different person, calmer and chilled. She sees the potential.”
“I want to help other people with Autism. That’s why I’m here to learn and to teach other students how I was when I came here.”