Shoppers are being urged to support a South Devon charity that helps parents of children with Aspergers, ADHD and autism.
Asperations, based in Kingsteignton, provides a place where parents can talk with like-minded people, share ideas and experiences, and offer their children the freedom to express themselves.
However, council funding that the charity has relied on in recent years has now been withdrawn, so the charity is facing a challenge to continue.
In an attempt to boost its coffers, Newton Abbot’s Tesco Superstore is hosting the charity on 5 July for an awareness-raising day.
Asperations’ members will be on hand to chat with customers, hand out information and receive any donations that people are able to make.
Amy Jackson, a fundraiser at Asperations, said: “We’re really grateful to Tesco for helping us in this way. It really does mean a lot.
“Funding is extremely low, so the charity is living from hand to mouth at the moment. We just haven’t got enough money to keep going like this.
“We have 40 families who come to us every Tuesday. Asperations is a lifesaver for them, so it’ll be a struggle for them if we don’t get further funding.
“It costs £426 a week to run Asperations, and we get between £100-£300 from our collections at Tesco, so you can see how important it is to us.
“Janette Parker, the store’s community champion, has been amazing. She’s so supportive of what we do and we’re very grateful to her and her colleagues for their support.”
Asperations was formed during 2003 to provide advice and provide a social place for young people with Aspergers, ADHD, autism and the whole spectrum of needs, including learning disabilities.
Janette said: “Amy Jackson contacted me for help because the charity had lost some major grant funding and needed to raise funds to cover the group’s running costs and activities.
“I was more than happy for the group to come to the store to raise funds and support local families.
“As always, I know our generous our customers will respond well to help a local charity in need.”
Anyone wanting to know more about Asperations or who would like to donate can contact Amy on 07974 897912.
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