Winchester Personal Bests is now recognised as an AUTISM FRIENDLY event.
We are extremely proud to share with you that our event has been given Autism Friendly status by the National Autistic Society. In 2024 we focused heavily on what we can do to make the event more accessible and more enjoyable for everyone. With over 1 in 3 people with learning disabilities also known to be autistic it is important for us that we understand the needs of our autistic participants. We are committed to making the Personal Bests a brilliant day for everyone involved and this means that we need to understand and respect each other's differences and their needs.
We are enormously grateful to all our participants, colleagues in day services, volunteers, coaches and to Autism Hampshire for all their feedback and suggestions. We are excited to put some of their suggestions into practice for next year.
The Autism Friendly Award was originally created for businesses and venues that are accessed by the general public, the Personal Bests is the first time the award has been given to an event - we're the first of our kind.
Betty Chadwick, Executive Director of Active LD explains "Becoming Autism Friendly is really exciting. This is a big deal. It recognises the importance of making adjustments (not just to our autistic participants, but also for example those who struggle with anxiety), we realise that loud noises and high energy environments don't suit everyone and we're finding ways to be inclusive and enjoyable to everyone.
The Personal Bests just continues to evolve and grow, one of the best things about being involved in the event is knowing that each year we can help make it even better than the year before!"
