Newsletter - April 2016

Message from CEO
Mary Simpson
The Trustees and I are delighted that Bishop Tim has taken on the
role of Spectrum’s President. We had a fabulous day when Lady
Mary Holborow handed the role over to him. For over 15 years, Lady
Mary has been an exemplary President for the organisation, and she
takes with her our sincere gratitude for her support and keen interest
in our work.
In March, Bishop Tim visited Spectrum’s Trustees to talk about his
new role and our commitment to providing the best possible services
to those who are entrusted to the organisation. We all look forward
to his participation and welcome him as our new President.
Autism News
Understanding Autism
A Cornish photography student is
campaigning to break down the myths
surrounding autism with the premier of
two thought-provoking videos.
The short films have been created by
Lauren Reid who joined forces with
Spectrum to highlight some of the
misconceptions surrounding the
condition. The films feature Eddie
Callis and Kyle Coleman who talk
about their friendship and shared love
of art, music and performing.
The videos can be seen via
Spectrum’s Facebook page as well as
on a specially launched website,
Understanding Autism. They have
already been viewed more than 5,000
times.
Myths surrounding communication,
levels of IQ, friendship and emotions
are discussed by the two friends and
their families and the films also feature
music written and performed by Eddie
and Kyle.
Falmouth University student Lauren
created the videos as part of her Press
and Editorial degree. She first met
Eddie and Kyle when in Italy with
Volunteer Cornwall. She was interested
in their story and how their close their
friendship shattered one of the many
myths surrounding people on the
autistic spectrum.
You can read the full article and watch
the videos at:
http://tinyurl.com/jfmarez
Good News from the
Houses
Recently there has been lots going on
for three individuals we support. A new
chapter has begun in their lives,
supported by the dedicated team
members.
The time had come to move homes to
another of Spectrum’s homes in Truro.
For several months, they visited their
new home for evening meals to get
used to the new surroundings and to
meet with their two new peers who live
there already. The team members have
supported this transition with great care
to ensure visits went as planned. They
also extended the visits to include local
café visits with their new peers to
ensure all individuals could get to know
one another. Its been a little while now
and we are pleased to say that the
move has gone very well, the two individuals already living at the home, are
enjoying their new housemates’ company and those that moved in are benefiting
already. They have all coped well with the big change with one service user
already referring to his new home as the happy house! This is a great
achievement for all involved. Let's not forget the team members for their hard
work!