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Welcome to our autumn NewsletterSince we began work in 2005, with your help Autism Speaks has been successful in securing new funds for state-of-the-art research, levering additional funding from other organisations and playing a central advisory role on autism research policy. And our success in generating new funds means that we need to consider strategically how we should spend the funds we have raised that are not already committed to current projects and to put together our thoughts on the future direction of UK autism research.
Although the UK autism research community is strong and progressive, we believe that an essential next step is to translate basic medical research findings into meaningful interventions. It is not just a simple case of deciding which areas of autism research to fund, but also thinking about how we can influence the direction of autism science. We aim to work in partnership with other funders of autism research to stimulate the research community, inspire growth and best practice, encourage researchers to work closely with stakeholder communities and bring in new expertise.
A few weeks ago Autism Speaks was pleased to be in a position to announce our first Call for Proposals to researchers in the UK. This means that we can seek out and fund high quality
biomedical research that will ultimately bring benefits to
individuals and families affected by autism. The Call for
Proposals invited researchers to apply for funding for pilot
studies, with the expectation that these studies will produce
results that will enable the future development of larger scale research projects. Calls for Proposals encourage diversity,
creativity and new talent in the UK and we are pleased to be able to facilitate this.
We received a good response: 48 letters of intent from 24 different universities throughout the UK of which 21 researchers from 14 universities have now been invited to submit full proposals of their pilot study. Following rigorous peer-review by distinguished experts, Autism Speaks will soon be making a number of awards to support the pilot studies deemed to be of the highest quality.
In our newly-published science strategy - which you can download from our website - we set out what we see as the key scientific questions which must be answered over the next five years, what scientists need to do answer these questions, and what we at Autism Speaks can do to help. We have consulted widely with the research community, with funders and with families in putting together our thoughts and we hope that this new document will provide a helpful guide to the areas and direction of our research funding over the next five years.
If you have any comments about the strategy, we would like to hear them. Please email us |
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We are extremely grateful for the ongoing support of the
internationally acclaimed authors who, by participating in our eBay signed book auction, raised funds for Autism Speaks. Thanks to:
Lee Child, Darren Shan, Jodi Picoult, Ken Follett, Esther Freud, R J Ellory, Susan Lewis, Patricia Wood, Fiona Walker, Christine Feehan, Ian Rankin, Melissa Hill, Marti Leimbach, Anna Kennedy, Jacqueline William-Hines, Dean Koontz, Alexander McCall Smith, Danson Wambua
Various locations in the UK
From
8th August to 11th October
The distance of each Fun Run is 5km and is an event that the whole family can join in with!
Each venue has been carefully selected, they all take place exclusively within scenic parks that are both safe and pleasant running environments.
Visit our website for more details or ring Lynn on 01491 411569.
Visit the Big Fun Run website
Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon, London
Sunday 11th October
We have an incredible 100 runners running for us through the Royal Parks of London. Several runners enjoyed themselves so much last year, they are back again. Amongst the runners are two brothers – Finian and Gerard Davern – their brother Ray ran for us in 2008, but is now ‘working’ in the Cayman Islands! Also Danny and Kate Martin – brother and sister have just signed up. Good Luck to you all – and see you there on the day!
We are looking for volunteers for the Royal Parks Half Marathon on 11th October – if YOU would like to help – come along to experience an unforgettable event then please email Lynn Hart.
Visit the Royal Parks website.
If you have been longing to trek The Great Wall of China or Vietnam, then we would love to hear from you. With enough participants, we can organise these fantastic trips and raise funds for autism research.
Walk on the Great Wall of China
We hope to organise a group to The Great Wall of China in 2010, beginning Jinshanling, looping the mountains either side of the Gubeikou Gateway. Each daily trek will be around 12km along a path that twists and winds its way along the mountains, interspersed by crumbling watchtowers. It is demanding but also very rewarding, particularly on a clear day when you can look at the vast and beautiful mountain ranges. Your imagination will take you back several centuries to when the wall was the frontline defence of Imperial China. On completion of your challenge you will return to Beijing to explore some of the many attractions of China's capital city - the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Lama Temple.
If you are interested in either of these expeditions and would like more information about dates and costs, please contact Philippa Stannard or telephone 01189 016876. |
Sapa Hill Tribe Trek
Vietnam is a country filled with captivating natural beauty and tranquil village life. Its highlands continue to yield new species and team with exotic wildlife. Its islands and beaches are among the finest in all of Southeast Asia, and its cuisine is excellent. Vietnam borders Cambodia, Laos and China and stretches over 1,600kms along the eastern coast of the Indochinese Peninsula. The Sapa Hill Tribe Trek will start in the capital city Hanoi and then head further north to Sapa on the luxury Victoria Express Train. Sapa is a typical rugged northern Vietnamese area with lots of terraces, large rolling hills, deep valleys and rice fields. Unlike other treks passing over similar terrain this expedition has the essence of a challenge without the discomfort, making culture shock less 'shocking' and the enjoyment factor higher! Each daily trek will be up to 17kms a day, through local villages of Black H’mong, Red Dao, Tay & Sa Fo minority People experiencing first hand, their culture and tradition of thousands of years. Night times will be spent camping in valleys, staying in local home-stays and in the beautiful Ban Ho eco-lodge with its organic cuisines and vital atmosphere.
Supporters often tell us that they would like to do ‘something’ to raise funds and
awareness for Autism Speaks, but are not quite sure what. We have come up with a
perfect solution; a Christmas gathering over minced pies and a glass of something nice!
Whether a minced pies and mulled wine evening do or day-time gathering at home, work, school or at your club, you supply the goodies and ask guests to pay a small
contribution to Autism Speaks for the pleasure! If you host an event for us, we will
send you a free pack of our Xmas cards! Please contact Philippa Stannard or
telephone 01189 016876 to register. More information can be found on the Dinner4Good website.
Runs that have been run!
So far this year, our wonderful, committed runners have raised over £17,000 pounding pavements at the following marathons:
Reading Half, Bath, BUPA 10K, Paris (Fiona Glaspool), Shakespeare Half (Dharmender Rai), London Flora (Mike Pummell), Edinburgh (Raksha Patel), Lisburn 10K (Cardosi family).
We are indebted to each and every one of you – a BIG thank you! Keep an eye on the website as dates as our 2010 marathons & runs will soon be added and I don’t want any of you to miss out!
We would love to support you if you already have a place in a run or marathon, just email lynn.hart with details and a sponsorship pack/ t-shirt or running vest will be in the post!
Lunch at Cliveden Hotel, Berkshire
After a champagne reception and a delicious lunch, our 120 guests were treated to an
illuminating, entertaining and moving speech by The Rt Hon Sir John Major. Sir John spoke about his time in office and his subsequent
international travels, as well as his support for our charity and his compassion for those
affected by autism.
A lively auction presided over by the
effervescent Edward Rising from Sotheby’s
followed. Guests really did have a wonderful time and we have raised a fantastic £24,000.
Head of Events, Lynn Hart said it had been a huge success. "Sir John was the most wonderful speaker and we feel highly privileged to have him attend our event. It was the most
memorable day in all respects. I received a huge amount of local support for the occasion and would like to thank everyone who helped to make the day so special."
Charity Clay Shoot at Royal
Shooting School
We had 5 teams come to our annual Clay Shoot in June – as well as two non-shooters. NBC Universal were our main supporters and managed to provide the winning team headed up by Pete Smith. Our very own Gordon
Smillie was Top Gun this year and Julian Tomkins headed the Clay Conservationists Team.
The auction was a great success – it included an Aston Martin Tour and a chance to sit in a BA flight simulator. Altogether the Clay Shoot raised nearly £14,000.
Congratulations to everyone – especially Pete Smith of NBC Universal and our thanks for such a fabulous day.
Jools Holland Concert Raffle
Autism Speaks was invited to hold a raffle at Jools’ open air concert in Oxfordshire in August. An
excellent gig, complimented by a gorgeous summer evening added to our delight, as generous guests raised £2,400 for the chance to win a crate of
champagne as the prize.
We couldn’t have done this without our loyal band of volunteers, to which we give our heartfelt thanks.
Ten year old Isobel Sims decided she would recruit her friends and raise funds for Autism Speaks at her school, Kingsley Junior School in Leamington Spa. Isobel, who has a cousin with autism, raised just over £200 at the school fete. Thank you girls!
Again, supporter Loekie Wigmore chose Autism Speaks to benefit from her annual garden party. On hand to help was nine year old neighbour Elsie Kress, who made bookmarks with pressed flowers from the garden. She sold them for 50p each and handed £10 to Loekie for Autism Speaks. Loekie also held a car boot sale and has in total raised an amazing £1234.05. Thank you so much Loekie for your continued support and hard work.
Newly-weds Tatina and Thomas Braziel did a wonderful thing for Autism Speaks this summer. Trading toasters for charity giving, they asked their family and friends to make a donation to our charity in lieu of gifts. Not only were we moved by their kindness, but also by the generosity of the donors, who raised over £10,000.
The Freemasons’ Grand Charity has provided support for the second year running to Autism Speaks. Their further gift of £20,000 is to contribute to the funding for the new Chair in Autism Research at Cardiff University, Professor Sue Leekam. Read more here.
Argus Media Group has chosen to support Autism Speaks for a second time and with a most generous donation of £12,000 – we are incredibly grateful for this gift which will make a significant impact to Autism Speaks.
