Cost of living crisis: Crawley autism charity under threat of closure just when ‘the community needs something like this the most’

Autism All Stars was started 13 years ago, following the tragic suicide of a autistic teenage boy.

The charity pledged to ensure no-one would ever feel isolated or alone just because they have autism, ADHD or dyslexia.

As a result of the cost of living crisis, All Stars is now faced with a very uncertain future as people are donating less and running costs have increased.

All Stars has reached a crisis point and is considering the possibility of closing its doors, said CEO and founder of All Stars, Helen Wallace-Iles.

The charity works tirelessly supporting local autistic people and their families who are struggling and offer many services including: hosting free autism-friendly cinema clubs, helping create safe spaces at comic shops and setting up gaming clubs.

Helen said: “It would be devastating to have to shut Autism All Stars down, but without some help, it seems to be inevitable.

“We have many ways people can support us, with direct donations being only one of them. “Shopping with Amazon, or thousands of other online retailers, can bring in small donations for us that are completely free to the giver, and people can buy greetings cards, sell their goods on Ebay or their books and games on Ziffit, even donate their car or motorbike!

“We're such a small charity but we have a huge drive to do good in the community, and every penny that's donated really does go towards helping local autistic people and their families.”

The charity is holding two events at The County Mall at the end of October: Ghostbusters will be there on Saturday, 29 October and the rest of the team will be there on Sunday, 30 October. Please go along and support the team at All Stars.

Autism All Stars UK is a forward-thinking charity based on the Surrey/Sussex borders where everyone is dedicated to creating a happier, more inclusive world for autistic people and those who support them.

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You can find out all about ways to help All Stars here: https://autism-all-stars.org/fundraise/