Bigger and Better in Leeds, the annual event celebrating World Autism Awareness Day and autism acceptance, has confirmed its schedule of speakers and has around 30 different stalls confirmed. The guest speakers are author, poet and comedy writer Henry Normal and Angie Balmer, who is the DWP’s local Learning Disability and Neurodiverse Conditions Community Partner.
Henry’s talk will be about his autistic son. He currently has a book out – ‘A Normal Family – Everyday Adventures with our Autistic Son’. Angie will be talking about her work in giving jobcentre staff the skills they need to understand autism. As an autistic person, she will also be talking about her experiences of working full-time.
Here is the confirmed schedule:
10:00-10:05: Intro by Danielle from Leeds Autism Services
10:05-10:20: Helen Gee
10:20-10:25: Steven Foster from the White Rose Shopping Centre
10:25-10:30: Speaker from Lookers Nissan (to be confirmed)
10:30-11:00: Henry Normal
11:00-11:30: Break
11:30-12:00: Angie Balmer
12:30-12:45: Individual speakers
Stallholders
There have been nearly 30 stalls confirmed. On the ground floor of the venue, children’s services and general information services will be present. These include Leeds ABC, the DWP, Through The Maze, Carers Leeds and the Chapeltown Citizens Advice Bureau.
Upstairs, you will find services for autistic adults. These include Leeds Autism AIM, Leeds Autism Services, Specialist Autism Services, Aspiedent and the Leeds Autism Diagnostic Service (LADS). The speaking area is also upstairs. Also, there will be an “autism tree” where you can write about what autism means to you on a paper leaf and stick it on the tree.
Date, time and other info
The event is on Tuesday 27th March at the Leeds Civic Hall. It starts at 9:30am and finishes at 3pm. It’s free to attend, and you can stay for as long or as little as you like.
Parking is available at the Merrion Centre for a discounted rate. To obtain your discount, simply go to the CitiPark multi-storey on the day and bring your ticket to Leeds Autism Services’ stall. They will discount your ticket by 50%.
Tea, coffee and soft drinks will be available to buy from Leeds Civic Hall catering. There are a number of food outlets nearby for light refreshments/lunch and in addition, we have arranged a discount of 20% off food orders only, at The Cuthbert Brodrick (JD Wetherspoon) in Millennium Square. Obtain your 20% off voucher from the Banqueting Suite.
If you are looking for something specific at the event, please ask one of our volunteers who will be wearing yellow t-shirts with the Bigger And Better In Leeds logo.
For more info on the event, please visit the Bigger and Better in Leeds website at this address: www.biggerandbetterinleeds.org.
