An internet café specifically conceived for young people with autism will be soon opening its doors after a Portsmouth charity secured a £10,000 lottery grant.
Portsmouth Autism Support Network (PASN) offers guidance and events for young people with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and runs a range of activities across the city.
Now it has been awarded almost £10,000 in Big Lottery funding to help run a regular Wednesday night event from September 2015 for young people with ASD.
The funds will allow PASN to use the Pompey in the Community (PitC) facility in Anson Road to run an internet café, with a range of activities on offer including stadium tours, workshops and cooking classes.
The space will allow the charity to greatly increase the number of people it can help and give a much needed break to parents and carers of young people with autism.
Steve Jones, Chair of Trustees, said: "It is fantastic news for PASN and everyone here is delighted that we have been able to secure this funding.
"The climate for charities is very challenging at the moment and ours has suffered in recent years. For a small organisation such as ours, this funding is truly a lifeline.
"We really want to thank Big Lottery for their support - this grant will help us to support many more children over the coming year."
The sessions will be run by Pompey in the Community and PASN staff jointly, and the charities are hoping that it will introduce a range of new activities for its members.
"I am really excited about this amazing opportunity that the Big Lottery has given us. This is truly a gift to the children that we support and we will try to live up to the expectations of this grant." said Natasha Haji, Fundraising & Events Coordinator for PASN.
"Thank you very much to everyone involved for making this happen and I look forward to the coming year."
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