IN ONLY its first year a Borders charity raised £6,000 to help people with autism
The World According to Cory was set up by Jedburgh mums Sara Farqharson and Dawn Jackson following the diagnosis of Dawn’s four-year-old son Cory with autism.
The friends designed a website and opened a Facebook page detailing four fundraising events and started raising awareness of autism and Asperger’s along with money for Borders Aspergers and Autism Group Support (BAAGS), the Galashiels-based charity supporting children and young people with the condition.
Childminder Sara said: “We thought our target of £5,000 was ambitious and that we would be delighted if we got anywhere near it. But we made £3,000 at the dinner dance and thought ‘holy smokes, we are going to surpass it’!”
For the pair had amassed nearly £150 from an Ann Summers Night in July and a further £600 from their summer family day.
Last month at their ladies ‘shopping night at Glendouglas Village Hall the fundraisers presented BAAGS founders Derek and Rodelle Purvis with a cheque for £6,000.
And the fundraisers say there is a further £500 to come in to go to BAAGS.
The two mums are going to take time out to enjoy Christmas with their families for now.
But Sara continued: “We’re going to spend a few months downtime then next year we plan on doing it all again, hopefully raising the same amount of money or more for a different group: there are so many autism support and education needs groups. “
On the website Dawn describes the condition: “Autism can show itself in so many ways. In fact the autistic spectrum is so broad, some say every one of us has autistic traits. Whether it be the need for routine in our lives or simply a noise, a feeling or a texture; we can all find it hard to cope, although Cory’s autism is now controlling him.”
She describes how her son can get very panicky if his routine is changed and the feeling of not understanding why the world is not as he thought it was makes him confused, frustrated and scared.
He also has sensory issues, with sensitivity to certain pitches of sound.
“Sounds to him can be magnified 10 times,” said Dawn. “Can you imagine that every day, all day? He also has speech delay which affects his communication and he has eating issues, all caused by his autism.
“These are just a few of the hurdles Cory has to tackle in his day and that is what has made us so determined to help other people with this condition who need as much support as possible.”
For further information about BAAGS, contact 01896 668961, or visit www.baags.co.uk
To find our more about The World According To Cory visit www.theworldaccordingtocory.webs.com