Mansfield autism charity wins national award and prize donation for exceptional work

The charity was up against four others across the UK and will now receive a donation of £1,000 from Park Christmas Savings

The charity, which has been running since 2009, provides support for children and young people who are on the autism spectrum plus their parents and carers, with nearly 300 people registered to date.

Spectrum WASP aims to help those in need with activities and learnings, giving them a chance to integrate into society and live an independent life.

Samantha Walters, Park’s England Agent, explained why she nominated the charity.

She said: “I chose Spectrum WASP because it has been a lifeline for my family.

“My daughter is autistic and struggles to socialise, Spectrum WASP gives her support and encouragement through the many activities they provide.

“The best thing about it is that every young person can be themselves with no judgement and every parent gets the recognition of not being alone.”

The Spectrum WASP team works with the local community and businesses across Nottinghamshire to build awareness, run tutoring groups and provide respite care.

Jess Mason, Spectrum WASP development, policy and resource coordinator, said: “We are totally thrilled and amazed to win this award.

“It is so special to have been nominated by Sam, a parent whose family is part of Spectrum WASP. It proves that the work we do really makes a difference to our children and young people and their families.”

The awards are an annual competition hosted by the UK’s longest running Christmas club, which has helped families save towards the festive period for more than 50 years.

Each year, Park asks its agents across all four UK nations to nominate local charities or causes close to their heart, with the national winner receiving a £1,000 donation.

The award adds to an ever-growing list for the charity, which also picked up the community award at your Chad’s 2022 business excellence awards.

The charity will be working alongside Sam and her family to decide how to spend Park’s donation, with a group trip for the registered young people to Alton Towers looking likely.

Alongside Spectrum WASP, three other charities across the UK were nominated as winners for their region.

The winner for Wales is Duchenne UK, which supports those with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a genetic muscular disease that has no cure.

Baby Loss Retreat UK was nominated as the Scottish winner, Its aim is to support families who have gone through the loss of a baby, including counselling, trauma therapy, listening music therapy and more.

The winner for Northern Ireland is Ladybirds Childcare, who provide a childcare service for the families of those living in disadvantaged areas, but also provide food and hygiene packs for families most in need.

Katherine Scott, Park Christmas Savings marketing director, said: “We’re very proud to support all these fantastic charities. Congratulations to them all, but special mention for our overall winner Spectrum Wasp.

“The work they all do is extremely important, so it’s good to know our donations will be going to great causes that mean so much to our agents.”

Each regional charity winner receives a £250 donation from Park Christmas Savings.