By Gabrielle Swan
A BANGOR family is gearing up for the iconic Glow Walk at Stormont this weekend to raise funds for the support charity Autism NI.
Walking together on this fundraising effort will be five-year-old Isaac Stubbington, with his parents Rebecca and Lloyd McBride, and sisters Freja (19 months) and Sophia (7).
Isaac was diagnosed with autism in his nursery years. Thankfully, this meant he entered Ballyholme Primary School with a supportive one-to-one classroom assistant in place to aid him in this early education.
Autism NI is a local charity which is close to the family’s heart, having provided the family with advice in the past. In addition to information, the charity also offers training courses, a help line and one to one sessions.
To raise money for vital services, the group hosts the annual Glow Walk at Stormont. This year on November 9, hundreds of families, including Isaac’s, will take to the sizable estate with glow sticks in hand, all to raise as much money as possible for the group.
So far the Bangor family has raised £268, but Isaac’s mother, Rebecca, is aiming to raise even more this weekend, and highlight the support offered by the charity in the past.
“We didn’t really know anyone with autism before, so we didn’t really know what to do,” said the local mother. “For example, how to get his support in school.”
“These organisations are so vital because the waiting lists on the NHS are so long. It really bridges the gap for families on what to do next, it is a very important service.”
“Isaac was diagnosed in his nursery year, so he was able to go into primary one with the support in place, which is very rare.
“A lot of children have to fight through school to get support, but he was really fortunate, going in with it.
“Autism NI have a really good reputation for knowing what they are talking about, so you know the information you are getting is accurate.
“It feels safer than doing a google search on what to do next. It’s nice to have people who understand what they are talking about,” said Rebecca.
When she asked her son how much he would like to raise for the charity, Isaac initially came up with £100m but mum Rebecca was able to talk him down to £310, a goal the family are very close to even in the run up to the actual event in the coming weekend.
“We will turn up as a family, bring our glow sticks and torches and then do a big walk around Stormont estate,” she added.
The annual Glow Walk is set to take place this Saturday, November 9, at 6pm. More information about the charity can be found at: www.autism.org.
