Charity Autism Unlimited helps youngster to gain his dream job at Hengistbury Head

WORKING in conservation at Hengistbury Head has been the dream of Tom Corner – and thanks to a Christchurch autism charity he has made it.

Autism Unlimited helps youngsters aged 18-25 to “fulfil their potential” through its Futures programme which teaches them employability skills.

Tom has Noonan syndrome which has affected his growth, movement, vision and hearing.

Futures coach Matt Egan helped him to gain the confidence to find work.

He said: “Tom had qualifications and a huge amount of knowledge, but he was also very shy, and his stutter made him feel awkward and unheard. He would often just give up and say ‘Oh, forget about it!’ when he couldn’t get his words out.

“I helped him to stop, think about what he wanted to say and then say it, and soon he was chatting and starting his own conversations.

“Then we arranged for him to start going to Hengistbury Head as a countryside volunteer – and he hasn’t looked back.”

Tom said: “I love nature, and my time at Hengistbury Head is giving me the chance to at last do conservation work, which has been my dream.

“Every day is different and a new opportunity.”

Phil Wetherell, a ranger at Hengistbury Head, said: “Tom has been a great addition to our volunteer group and is very popular with all the volunteers.

“He is very punctual and hard-working, giving 100% at all the conservation tasks we undertake, including clearing gorse, removing parrot’s feather, a very invasive plant growing in the ponds, and ragwort, a prolific seeding plant that would pose a risk to our cattle if not removed from our grazing fields.”

Futures students have gone on to secure placements, paid employment, and careers in a variety of business sectors, including retail, hospitality, and engineering.

Autism Unlimited is now accepting new applications for Futures. For more details contact email: futures@autism-unlimited.org or phone 01202 485305