Most bikers are used to organised rides from London to Brighton, but Club Member Paul Brackstone is doing the opposite and for the benefit of charity. On the 2nd April Paul is riding from The Cafe Racer in Brighton to the Ace Cafe in London to raise funds for the National Autistic Society.
When Paul's son turned 3 their lives changed when they found out that their son had Autism, which largely effects his speak and language. They also discovered that he had a Chromosome deletion. At the time they didn't know much about Autism.... why would they, but over time they re-thought the way they looked at the world with their son and began to understand what he needed and the way he approached things like social interaction and simple things like how to play. Read more about Paul's story and why he's doing this ride at his Just Giving page.
This year World Autism Week At School runs from the 27th March to the 2nd April. At least 1 in 100 people in the UK have autism... so there are autistic people at the school your children or grand-children go to, and who you see every day. Indifference and hostility towards autistic people and their families leads to social isolation, mental illness and unhappy lives. But helping young people – and teachers – to understand autism as they grow up will equip them to accept and empathise with autistic people.
The route for the ride has been finalised and if you'd like to accompany Paul then he'll be glad for the support. Keep an eye on the event's Facebook page - and if you can donate towards Paul's cause using his Just Giving page then that would be even better.
