Images by GGC Media
MOSSLEY’S very own A Team is celebrating a year of helping the neurodiverse community find its voice.
The team of volunteers at the organisation has just racked up a year of progress for its members, who live with autism.
With members aged from 14 and into their 70s, A Team-Mossley started from parents’ quest to find more support for their children.
Now it is a bustling group, described as open to anyone who identifies as being in that neurodiverse group and their family members, meeting every fortnight at Mossley AFC’s Seel Park ground.
And the impact of what it has done is there for all to see.
Jackie Ellison said: “My son Ben’s nearly 27 and has Asperger’s.
“He really wanted to connect socially with other like-minded people he could have a conversation with.
“But people with autism struggle to have that first conversation. I looked around at other groups and thought, ‘If he wants to connect with other people, we’re going to have to start something up.’
“So, I put a post on Facebook to see if anyone would be interested and got a huge response.
“On our page, we’ve 56-60 people joined. However, a lot are on to see what’s going on but don’t feel confident to come to the group meetings, which see about 20 people go.
“Some of the younger ones have really grown in confidence. Bobby would come along at first with his headphones on, now he’s getting involved and joining in.
“Harry loves train spotting and knows so much about it, people listen to him. We went to York and he was our guide at the railway museum.
“There’ s a real mix but everyone’s supportive and understanding. You’re allowed to be comfortable and be yourself.
“What we’ve found is younger people and adults have the same challenges and we try and talk about them. Because people feel supported, they talk openly about them.
“Some people are at different stages, some are open and others are trying to get to grips with it.
“But their sense of humour is amazing.
“Mossley Football Club and the Mossley community have been brilliant. They got involved at the beginning and have been really supportive.”
As well as the fortnightly meetings, the A Team has set up book and film clubs because of members; interests.
They also have regular quiz nights, set by their own members, and attend monthly quizzes at The Gillery.
On Tuesday, March 26, they celebrated their first year, a year that has seen undoubted achievement.
Jude Hallam said: “Sometimes it’s just having a cup of tea, a biscuit, and a chat, we’ve got board games and we like a celebration but we’re also mindful of people with sensory issues.
“We’ve celebrated people’s birthdays and had a Hallowe’en party, as well as our first birthday.
“We also do days out and events. We’ve an events group and Ben’s the events organiser but it’s really good to see all the relationships that have developed over the year.
“We’ve all made friends and it’s really nice to see everyone having a good time and doing so in an environment that’s very inclusive and non-judgmental.
“Everybody is embraced, even if you’re not feeling very sociable, you can just go and sit on your own.
“We’ve had members sit on their own for the first couple of weeks, now they’re the life and soul of the party.
“They might have gone through that phase of thinking, ‘Why haven’t I got the dame interests as my peers?’ To us, their interests are amazing.
“One member is really into literature and we’ve set up a book club. If one person wants to do something, we’ll take that on board and try to accommodate it.
“We try to make things with as little pressure as possible, we don’t want to make any of these things bring any additional anxiety.”
Dannii Hyde may be responsible for the A Team’s social media but she has also seen how it can benefit members through her 15-year-old son Bobby.
She said: “He enjoys interacting with older people – his music taste isn’t a 15-year-old kid’s.
“He’s into bands like Pink Floyd, some of the older members are definitely more familiar with them.”
*IF YOU are interested in what A Team-Mossley does, you can contact them through their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093273777617.
There is also a discussion group available through that site.