Organised by Dan, a young person on Pegasus Ward and Chloe Eagle, Head of School, the 5km walk took place in Norfolk Heritage Park, Sheffield, on Wednesday 27th March.
Dan said: “I was diagnosed with autism in 2022 but before then it was a long process to get my diagnosis through long wait times and lack of schools understanding of the condition, leading them to believe I wasn’t autistic. All this and the fact that I’d lived for 14 years masking my emotions meant I never got the support I needed, and I ended up deteriorating in my mental health and just couldn’t cope any more.
“I was admitted to a mental health inpatient unit where I was diagnosed with autism and since then I’ve received way more support but it’s not come without its challenges as I’ve still faced discrimination and stigma, which is why I think it is important to raise awareness.”
Chloe added: “We are walking for autistic children to have a happy and fulfilled time at school. We are walking to ensure autistic people are given proper opportunities to work. We are walking for shorter diagnosis wait times. We are walking for autism acceptance.”
Tom, an Expert by Experience, who joined the walk, said: “This was planned by one of our CAMHS Service users. And in true CAMHS fashion we did this with lots of colour. We also found time to all embrace our inner child and have some fun using the swings and slides. I’m definitely too old to be using the slides these days! Everyone had lots of fun whilst supporting a charity that is close to the hearts of all involved!”
Donations to the team’s fundraising page can be made by clicking here.