Autism and Asperger's Centre in Race Against Time to Survive

A care centre that was kick-started by Cash for Kids three years ago is in a race against time to survive.

Vale of Leven Autism and Asperger’s Forum was founded in West Dunbartonshire four years ago when two mums with autistic children met. They both felt lost and let down by support services that were available to them, so decided to hold small support meetings, with more and more parents coming along every week.

After a year VOLAAF outgrew the café where they were meeting and moved into a local community centre. Fundraising soon began and Cash for Kids stepped in, pledging £10,000 to kit the centre out with a sensory room. Then just 5 months later, the charity was made homeless when the centre was closed. A local councillor then helped the group secure their current space, which had been derelict for five years. With the support of the council, VOLAAF secured a low rent deal for 12 months. They got the keys on 20th June 2014 and worked tirelessly to get the space ready as quickly as possible. It opened just five days later.

The centre is the first in the UK to be led by the parents and carers of autistic children, and offers services not just for the diagnosed child, but also the whole family. They offer youth clubs, support meetings for families, activities and training sessions.

VOLAAF have secured almost £200,000 in funding to renovate the building for their needs but they can’t start to use this money because the council owns the premises. They’ve announced they will get rid of the centre, unless VOLAAF can raise the funds to buy it within three weeks.

The high cost of running the building means the charity are quickly running out of funds despite tireless fundraising. Completing the renovations would save the group money, but without them, the centre’s future is uncertain. More than 100 families could be affected if the centre closes, the charity now has just three weeks to raise £25,000 to save the centre.