Sway autism charity Positive Path Foundation in closure threat

A CHARITY providing a “vital lifeline” for young people with autism and hidden disabilities is in danger of folding due to a lack of funding.

The Positive Path Foundation (PPF) was founded by Jane Atkinson to give her son George Stooks and other youngsters “the life they dreamed of” by offering opportunities to socialise – something many of them struggled with before.

Jane said: “To have to close the charity will be catastrophic for our members and their families. Since it started in 2019 it has offered a vital lifeline for them.

“It has changed their lives for the better. There is no alternative service that does what we do.

“If we close, our members will go back to not being able to socialise and enjoying the kind of life people without their disabilities take for granted.”

The charity helps people over the age of 16 with learning difficulties and physical challenges to find friends, socialise and gain life skills through events and workshops,

Jane launched PPF having found a lack of provision of social groups and activities in the New Forest area for her son.

She said she is now regularly asked by parents from all over the UK if there is something similar to the charity in their area.

Jane said: “This highlights the ever-increasing problems faced by high-functioning adults with special needs and hidden disabilities who are constantly overlooked.”

At present the charity currently operates with two full-time staff, of which only one is taking a salary.

It needs £60,000 a year to keep going but Jane says her pleas for extra funding from BCP Council, Dorset Council and Hampshire County Council have “fallen on deaf ears”.

She said: “It’s like we are just constantly having the door slammed in our faces. We provide a service for the local authorities, but they do not seem willing to help us at all.

“The National Lottery Community Fund also turned down our appeal. No one wants to help us.”

She went on: “PPF deserves to be funded as it is one of the very few charities that exclusively supports high-functioning adults and children and their families.

“Our members may appear very able on the surface, but they struggle with social interaction, making friends, dealing with emotions, low self-esteem and depression, often creating complex social issues for the entire family.”

BCP Council said it could not offer the charity funding as it is based in Sway, outside its area. It suggested she contact New Forest District Council to renegotiate its business rates.

However, Jane questioned this as she claimed the charity is on BCP Council’s list of approved providers and most of its members live within the conurbation

A spokesperson for Hampshire County Council said it had no records of an application but added: “We are always willing to explore options for funding with voluntary sector organisations who apply through our grant schemes.

“If we are not able to offer grant funding ourselves, officers will seek to signpost and support organisations to other appropriate funding from other sources.”

Jane said: “I hope we get funding soon as we are getting desperate, and I don’t know how long we can continue.”

To donate visit www.positivepathfoundation.org