'I had no friends before using autism charity'

A woman has admitted she "had no friends" and "didn't really go out of the house" before discovering a charity for people with high functioning autism.

Tea Griffiths has been a member of Aspie, based in Worcester, for three years and claimed it gave her a social life.

"Now I have friends from here I hang out with outside of Aspie – we went bowling yesterday.

"The first time I came here I planned to stay for an hour – I was taken into the games room and ended up staying until it closed."

Aspie was created in 2011 by Sarah Micklewright and is now run by her mum Julia Micklewright and aunt Liz Green following her passing in 2014.

The charity has claimed it "filled a gap" in Worcestershire County Council's autism provision.

"The council provides what it thinks people should have – what we provide is what people need. Friendship, advice and support twice a week, 52 weeks a year," said Ms Micklewright.

"The world's not an easy place for people who are different. A lot of our members don't fit in out there in the outside world – here it's a low pressure environment in which they can find friendship, and start to feel confident and relaxed."

Members have access to a drama group, two football teams, games rooms, counsellors, Citizens Advice support and more.

A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council described Aspie as a "valued member" of its Autism Partnership Board.

They added: "We know that Aspie are one of the services across the county that autistic adults have told us they find helpful, they are listed on our dedicated autism Information and support webpages and we're really grateful for the support they provide."

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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