A fabulous fun day was had by a host of Hartlepool families at autism support charity Daisy Chain, thanks to a substantial injection of cash from a Hartlepool company.
JDR, the leading supplier of subsea power cables and umbilicals to the global energy industry, raised £11,000 for Daisy Chain earlier in the year through its spectacular annual ball.
The activity day was in response to a demand from Hartlepool families who wanted to access Daisy Chain but travel was often an issue – on this occasion, thanks to JDR, return transport was able to be made available.
Jenny Hewitt, head of services, said, “It was a lovely day for our Hartlepool families and an excellent chance for them to see all we offer at Daisy Chain. As well as all the activities, families were able to enjoy a relaxed environment which is autism friendly and set up to allow them the time and space to have fun that is not always possible in a mainstream environment.”
In the last year, registration of Hartlepool families to Daisy Chain’s services has increased by 40% with 25 parents registering for the Links support group. A total of 1,348 direct hours of support to parents and young people has been provided with 677 appointments carried out.
Mandy Marriner, one of the organisers of the JDR charity ball, said, “It’s important to us as a major employer in Hartlepool to ensure we give back to the community. Daisy Chain is a local charity and has identified a need for services to support families with autism in the town so we were delighted to be able to raise funds to support those services.”