DAISY CHAIN PROJECT
Why was the charity founded?
Daisy Chain was founded in 2003. Founder, Lesley realised there was a lack of support available and dreamed of a place for autistic children and adults; a place where people could receive personalised support and feel safe to be their authentic selves. Nearly 20 years on, we’re growing all the time, expanding services and supporting over 4,500 families. Which area do you cover? Our state-of-the-art, therapeutic day centre and farm are based in Norton, Stockton-on-Tees. Many of the children, adults and family services take place on-site, and people travel from across the region to access them. Although our face-toface services operate in Tees Valley, some of our services reach beyond the local area such as our Autism Support Helpline which supports people across England.
What type of fundraising events do you have?
There are so many ways to support Daisy Chain through fundraising. From our events such as our annual golf day and winter ball, to individual challenges and corporate partnerships. If you’re the adventurous type, you can join us for events like the Cleveland 4 Peaks, Great North Run and much more. The biggest fundraising event in the Daisy Chain calendar is our annual Winter Ball. The theme for 2022 is Viva Las Vegas, and tickets are only £65 each. Tables are filling fast so get in touch with us to secure yours. Think a fun-filled evening of feathers, glitz, glam and fantastic entertainment!
How did you adapt during the Coronavirus pandemic?
Overnight we adapted services to offer telephone support and virtual support services. We created more COVID secure areas, utilising outdoor spaces through funding for a pod village, enabling us to run socially distanced support sessions. We increased our hours of operations and ran our Summer programme of activities after the first lockdown that helped young people be emotionally equipped to return to school. We also introduced wellbeing support, offering counselling to autistic young people.
What is your proudest moment so far?
Introducing outreach support services across the full Tees Valley was a huge win for us. Not all families can utilise our services due to accessibility and finance so being able to reach further afield and support people in all five local authority areas is something we’re very proud of.
Who are your main trustees and patrons?
We have nine trustees in total, including our Chair, Duane Hanson, who is also a co-founder. We also have two patrons, one of which, Anna Kennedy, developed Autism’s Got Talent which is a live, noncompetitive talent show showcasing the diverse talents of children and adults with autism. This year it’s in the North East, hosted by Daisy Chain in conjunction with Anna Kennedy Online.
What are you currently working on?
During the last few years, we’ve suffered financial losses due to the restrictions placed on our social enterprise income, and a halt to fundraising activity. Yet, at the same time, we’ve seen an increase in diagnosis and demand for support. We need to continue raising vital funds for frontline services, to meet a need that continues to grow and find new innovative ways to provide those services; that’s why we’re looking to open an adult centre to support the growing demand for adult services.
What does the future hold?
2023 marks our 20th year, and we’ve got some big plans which we can’t wait to share. Daisy Chain has proven that we are a small charity that continuously belts above its weight and we know this from the impact that our work has had on a local and national level. Most recently, our Understanding Myself training has been recognised by the UK Government. 2023 gives us the opportunity to support more neurodivergent people and families; we can do that with your support.
How do you get involved?
There are so many events and fundraising activities for you and your teams to get involved in to support us. We also offer the opportunity for you to explore neurodivergent placements in your workplace, thus helping autism talent shine.
