I will be running the 2019 Belfast marathon for Shine Autism Support group. As i'm sure most of you know the wee dude was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder last year so I figured that's as good a reason as any to raise money for such a good cause. Anything you can afford to give is deeply appreciated!

-------------------
About Shine
-------------------

Support and advice, parent to parent, of children with ASD (or those awaiting diagnosis).

We promote and protect physical and mental health of children and young people with ASD and related conditions and their parents or carers through the provision of parent support. We provide a bi-weekly support group for families, including siblings of those with a diagnosis. We also run various sporting and recreational activities for children and teenagers with ASD.

Why the community needs us

Due to the nature of the group - being run for parents by parents, there is a very strong support system in place for those families awaiting and receiving diagnosis of ASD and related conditions. There are currently 30,000 families affected by ASD in NI, with huge waiting lists for diagnosis, Shine is a voluntary group set up by parents which offers information, signposting and support to those families engaging in the long, diagnostic process.

Our impact on the community

At the moment, there are currently 170 families who avail of Shine Autism Support Services. Due to the group being volunteer led, the capacity is stretched and ideally we would like to get our own premises and increase the services provided.

-------------------

Thanks for your time!
Chris