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Wowsers, what a busy week.

As we have done in previous years, Archie and I have been proudly supporting Place2Be this children’s mental health week. The theme this year is ” express yourself”. Archie expressed his loves and all the things that help his mental health by dressing me in those things!

Place2Be do so much for kids who need support and we are so proud to shout about them! I’ve grabbed this from there website…

Every day, children and young people across the UK struggle with their mental health.

We are committed to helping children and young people with their mental health, and the need for our services grows daily. 1 in 5 children and young people experience mental health difficulties. Half of all mental health problems are established by age 14.

Our approach to children’s and young people’s mental health is to intervene early to prevent life-long mental health issues. We do this by:providing support early, spotting mental health problems before they develop and helping children and young people cope with challenges throughout their lives

using an effective therapeutic approach backed by research that combines several ways of working

offering a range of mental health support services, including advice and support for families and school staff, to build resilience and raise awareness of mental health across the whole school community.

You can see why we are keen to help in any way we can!

So, to support their amazing work this week I have been… Pikachu ( Pokémon) , A Lego man, an XBOX controller ( that was awkward!) and Marshmallow ( Fortnite character) . As promised, I wore these things to my everyday appointments Even supporting in school ( thanks team WG!) , weigh day at slimming club and a lunch date with the hubby at a Garden centre 🤣

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I agreed to do this because it makes me understand a little of what Archie feels like on a day to day basis. Arch, like lots of children with Autism, often feels self conscious, embarrassed, like everyone’s looking etc. It also meant we were encouraged to speak to lots of people about the importance of caring for yours and your children’s mental health!

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I don’t mind admitting that it has been a really fun but tiring week (trying to stay up beat, trying to look like I wasn’t embarrassed etc) but I only have to do this for 1 week of the year. Our Awesome Archie does this EVERY DAY!!! What a brave and awesome kid he is 🙂

Please take a look at the Place2Be website for all your children’s mental health support and donate by scanning this link if you can 🙏

And finally THANKYOU to the team at BBC Radio Solent for having us on again. It was a total pleasure to chat on two different regions about the incredible ” make a Difference” awards that Archie and I were were honoured to be finalists last year.

.We also spoke a little about why we do what we do and how we plan to expand moving forward. Link to the interview below 🙂

Well…..what a week it’s been here at Awesome Archie HQ!

Archie has had a tremendous week, he even experienced his first ever “interview” with the help of his support team at the Link. The purpose of this was to try and support Archie when it comes to making a decision about college and or career options. Unsurprisingly he explained that he adores animals, with a particular interest in cats and feline behaviour. The team are now looking at options to support him moving forward into adulthood. THANKYOU Link team!

Knowing this then , you may not be surprised to hear that Archie has real admiration for anyone who is knowledgeable and empathetic towards all animals. ENTER CHRIS PACKHAM!

Christopher Gary Packham CBE is an English naturalist, nature photographer, television presenter and author, best known for his television work including the  children’s nature series ” The Really Wild Show”. He has also presented the BBC nature series Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch since 2009.

Can you imagine then our sheer JOY when we received a personalised message from the man himself?! Link here ⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇

https://youtu.be/cXT2UkQYiZo

Chris, from the bottom of our hearts… THANKYOU!!! We are humbled, proud and even more driven to continue spreading knowledge, awareness and expectance for ALL living with the challenges of Autism.

YOU HAVE MADE OUR YEAR!!!!!!!

Awesome Archie non profit has grown from strength to strength over the last four years. We are always not only grateful for the work we are able to do in supporting Mainstream schools and families, but humbled by your support! This is where we share some exciting news.

Awesome Archie has been pretty much permanently booked up ( mainstream in school support, assemblies and or leading staff training) since we launched. This is because our non profit is run by Archie and myself.

I work full time ( no wages) and the amount of help I can give children is limited because I can only be in one place at any one time.

We are aiming to change this by the end of 2024 by becoming a fully registered charity.

The benefits of gaining this status are many, including our ability reach the wider community . We would be able to apply for big money grants and even lottery funding allowing us to eventually train and employ support workers etc. We can look at getting a space for parents/ Carers to meet and effectively grow to support so many more neurodivergent families.

If you, your company, your school . your organisation or your team could help us with this we would be forever grateful.

Here is the link to our crowd funding page.⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇ To get started we need to raise a whopping £8000. This will set us up for the first year and will mean that we can purchase lots of much needed SEN equipment, provide in school training and much more.

Thanks for your AWESOME support 🙂

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/rebeccaclapcottawesomearchie

Lots to get through so lets do it 🙂

We were invited to the stunningly beautiful Bournemouth collegiate school, to not only host an Awesome Archie assembly but also to lead the staff in a ” lived experience” training session. What an AWESOME day we had!

Not only were all the children so polite and listened so intently, but the staff were really welcoming . Everyone was receptive of how ( in our own experience) SEN challenges within mainstream school can negatively impact an entire family, mental health and all round wellness.

We spent an hour discussing the challenges but also some low to no cost adaptations and in class solutions to better support pupils with SEN. We were also please donate all 4 of our books for the children to reference as and when they in the BCS school library.

We’d love to publicly thank ALL the team at BCS for this opportunity and willingness to hear from us and we look forward to working with you again in the future 🙂

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Our thanks to the Christchurch carnival 2024 organisers.

Some of you may remember that last year, Archie and I were privileged to be a float on the Christchurch Carnival parade. We felt so lucky to be able to literally shout out about Autism to what felt like the whole of Christchurch 🤣

Fast forward to this year and Awesome Archie have been asked to support them in their efforts to make this years event even more inclusive.❤💙💚💛💜🧡 I can’t give too much away at this point, but we are so happy to help. It’s amazing that the organisers are keen to ensure that ALL families can feel welcome and be a part of all the festival fun.

THANKYOU CHRISTCHURCH CARNIVAL!

And finally

Never underestimate the importance of a great 1:1.

If you look at the job description for a 1:1 TA you may see these requirements

But let me assure you that it takes a whole lot more than that. It takes real empathy, experience , compassion and a drive to support a child that can be HUGLY challenging every single day. To get the right 1:1 support is almost impossible 🙁 We however, were one of the lucky few to find our perfect TA.

Mark was Archie’s 1:1 over 6 years ago ( during mainstream) and yet he still keeps in regular contact with all of our family. He supports me as a tired mum by being a phenomenal friend and makes a brilliant partner for a much needed night out 😉

Mark, thankyou for all you do for the kids that are lucky enough to have you as their teacher, TA or role model, in whatever capacity! We love you deeply 🙂

Today my daughter was privileged to be invited to Dorset school games “Dare to Believe” event at TGS.

You may recall me telling you that, not too long ago, I had a fantastic meeting with Mr Dan Moody (strategic lead for sports and development) and Mrs Claire Tabor (children and young persons manager and school games county lead). In this meeting they explained to me all about the Dare to Believe program.

It’s a sporting event for children who find sporting events tough. It may be that they are really shy and reserved, they may struggle to make friends or maybe they find teamwork tricky. It may also be that they have a physical disability or have a neurological difference. Whatever the reason, all are welcomed and what a JOY it was.

Dan asked me to come to the event with a criticising eye. He wanted me to spot any improvements that needed to be made or what they could do better moving forward. Well, I walked around the event, speaking to teachers, TA’s, parents/carers and the kids and had nothing but positive feedback.  The Event was beautifully organised, extremely welcoming, fantastically inclusive and, for me, very moving. What choked me up the most was the Dorset leadership team trained by Mr Moody himself. The team is made up of school pupils, some as young as year 7. They not only supported the kids but created a lot of the games themselves. Just EPIC!

We at Awesome Archie would HIGHLY recommend this AWESOME event!

Thankyou Mr Moody and Mrs Tabor for your AWESOME work.

Welcome to 2024!

This means that Awesome Archie is now heading into its fourth year 🙂 THANKYOU!!!

This Christmas break, superhero sibling Daisy decided that our website needed to do something to entertain the kids. In her words ” it’s all a bit grown up and boring!” So, in her defense, she got right to it and created a simple game to brighten up the site. We are so proud of her achievement.

“Awesome Archie pop” which can be found under the games heading on this site, is a take on the well known ” whack a mole” and has a simple but fun game play. This game can also be played on the mobile phone and is FREE so enjoy 🙂 More games will be added to our site as the kids get creating!

Finding head-space as a parent carer.

Having your own space when you have a child ( or in our case children) with additional needs can feel impossibly difficult to achieve . Every person’s idea of finding head-space is different. For me, an hour painting (its usually a disaster but the process is what I need) or 20 minuets reading can sort me out! The issue I find is that that time doesn’t come often enough and I regularly get overwhelmed. For me , this quickly escalates into a feeling of failure as a Mum, wife and a real resentment for the life I live having to put others before myself… ALWAYS! It’s only now I know that these feelings are normal. Its ridiculously hard being a parent carer and so why wouldn’t I feel overwhelmed a lot?!

I would also love to normalize sharing the moments of sheer misery. I get so tired of seeing peoples social media pages full of picture perfect moments that WE ALL KNOW are just a small glimmer of what life is really like.

Of course, it’s also important to create a support system for yourself as a caregiver. If you are able to, depend on friends or family members who can be a listening ear for you. Consider joining online support groups where you can share your experiences and learn from others who understand what you’re going through. It’s ok to say no to social invites if you can’t face it! Your true friends will understand that looking after your own mental health is ESSENTIAL for you to be a good parent/carer and remember YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

You are all welcome to join our facebook support group, link here👇:)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/3650909864922453/

And finally Our Awesome Archie pledge to you for 2024

We as an organisation have changed so much over the last 4 years. We started off with 3 assembly diary dates in local schools, chatting about the books Archie and I had written to get discussions going about ASD. Fast forward to now- our academic diary for 2024 is almost FULL!

We have been recognized at the BBC Radio Solent ” make a difference awards” . We have rubbed shoulders with super kind and generous celebrities like Harry Redknapp, Fred Dineage, Alun Newman, PDAdaduk . We have our books in the local library and are still proud affiliates of the Dorset Children’s Foundation. We hosted and live streamed a carol concert for those unable to be out in the cold. We continue to work with other HUGE charities like Autism Unlimited and Place to be, whilst still volunteering in school with FREE TA 1:1 support.

WE ARE SO PROUD AND GRATEFUL!

We pledge to continue this important work throughout 2024. To keep talking about Autism, the challenges, the joys, the gifts. To keep creating HONEST and lived experience content to support those who need it. To keep supporting both schools and parents and most importantly, keep trying to make the world a better place for our neurodivergent children.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL 🙂

Okay, okay, I know I said that my last post would be the final one of the year but we just couldn’t help it 🎅🤣🤣

We are so lucky to have returned from an wonderful short break at Centre Parcs Longleat. While we were there we were able to really rest, reconnect as a family and get ready for Christmas 🙂 However, Archie and I have promised to use every opportunity we can to talk about Autism and so of course we chatted to people while we were away. 🤗

We are always pleasantly surprised about the amount of people that say ” you came and spoke at my sons school” or, we “follow you on tictok!” We get to meet so many AWESOME families who, like us, are trying their best to manage the day to day and still carve out the time and energy we all lack to have FUN!

Hence this post. To all of the families that came and said HI, this is for you ❤🙏 Please know that via this site you can access all of our socials for daily updates and support.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

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I have to be honest, this one is making me very emotional ( although those of you who know me know that’s no surprise!)

Last night we finished our official 2023 diary with a truly moving evening. Each year we host the Awesome Archie Carol concert and we are supported by the BRILLIANT Boscombe Salvation Army band. This mini concert ( held on our driveway) is attended by our neighbours, family and close friends and is live streamed on our you tube channel.

We do this because so many kids are not able to enjoy evenings like this first hand. They may have a compromised immune system, be overwhelmed by their neurological differences or be receiving end of life care and we at Awesome Archie believe that EVERY CHILD deserves to sing carols if they want too!

The Band played Christmas carols and we all sang along with our carol sheets that they kindly provided for us. Mulled wine, hot chocolate, mince pies and Christmas cake were all consumed and we had so many moving and warm moments. It was truly the perfect end to what has been the most incredible year for us. Thankyou all 🙂

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Please click here if you would like to watch the livestream now saved on our channel for your enjoyment. ⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇🎅🎄

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpMeYeqBrGE&ab_channel=AwesomeArchienonprofit.

Our last term term has been wonderful. There have been nativity performances, Christmas SEN hamper deliveries, new families and children to get to know and a whole lot of fun.

I was also able to enjoy a very rare evening out with the William Gilpin school team. I feel so blessed to have made such kind friends in the truly unique and WONDERFUL WG school. I feel vey blessed indeed.

So as I leave you until the new year we must say THANKYOU. Thankyou for helping us raise our children, thankyou for ALWAYS donating your unwanted kids toys and clothes, thankyou for sharing our posts, channels and socials and thankyou for helping us to be on this AWESOME journey.

Thanks for EVERTHING, ITS BEEN THE BEST YEAR EVER!

Watch some of our moments this year here ⬇⬇⬇

https://www.tiktok.com/@awesomearchie_/video/7310237869371641120?_r=1&_t=8i3uA3uiwOf&fbclid=IwAR1b5A3amQllY-Rdkr7CIxY53x59qlQUvc0oGz8Sn_b78Tld_4qfD97Me_0

Sorry, I know…rubbish pun but I couldn’t help it. 🤣 CHRISTMAS IS HERE AT AWESOME ARCHIE NON PROFIT!!!

Loads to share so lets do it…

We started our Christmas season off by donating the hundreds of toys that you amazing people gave to us. The DCF were thrilled with your kindness. These toys will help not only some of the families with Disabled children in Dorset but also the children that use the treehouse facility THANKYOU!

We then had the brilliant opportunity to help the Boscombe Salvation Army with a family Christmas Craft event. This fantastic day , organised by Claire Randell and supported by the many wonderful volunteers at the SA, was to help local children receive a Christmas gift this year. Its so hard and upsetting to hear that so many kids wake up on Christmas morning without a present and so we were DELIGHTED to be able to support them with this.

We created a temporary Santa’s grotto for the main man himself. It was a real honour and we cant wait to help out again next year 🙏❤

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Most recently, the FPS Christmas fundraiser. I have been a supporter of the FPS charity for the last 14 years. The FPS is the PTA of the Priory school who tirelessly have volunteered their time to support their school and ALL the pupils that attend. For me, with a strong SEN connection with many of the Priory families, this is a really important part of my personal Christmas experience. It was great to be able to help them raise the vital funds that allow the pupils to have FUN and enjoy their school playtimes . Thankyou FPS for all you do, particularly to the Chair Hazel Hill. It is a tough and often thankless task and I am so grateful to you all as a team 🙂

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Aaaaand finally. We have bagged up and sent out our personalised Christmas Awesome Archie gifts . Archie and I have created some rainbow themed Christmas tree Decs that we have given to our families. We hope that this will remind those kids EVERY YEAR to be proud of who they are. Just like each decoration , they are unique!

As always please drop us a like on any of our socials and follow us for up to date stuff x

If you have been following our journey for a while, you will be well aware that we talk about Neurodiversity ALOT! We find this term so useful when talking to families and schools. The term “Neurodiverse” is the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways. There is no one ‘right’ way of thinking, learning and behaving, and differences are NOT viewed as deficits.

This is also helpful for us presently, in a time when the SEND system is at its most stretched. Children are struggling to get an ” official” diagnosis because of referral push backs, funding issues or trying to beat an ever growing NHS backlog. This where we can still talk to our kids about their own differences WITHOUT the need for a label.

Now, before I move on I want to stress that for us personally, getting official labels ( ASD, ADHD SPD etc ) has been extordinarly helpful. It has meant that we have been able to learn about Archie’s specific needs and meet him where he’s at. This means that team Awesome will ALWAYS recommend the official diagnosis route. However, we know that for so many, that is not currently achievable. This is when talking about Neurodiversity can open the door to a really great conversation with your loved ones.

Its important to share that everyone thinks, learns and processes information differently. Neurodiversity is all about recognising this, and understanding that people’s brains work differently to the next. For instance, if you are autistic or have ADHD, these differences can be more far more obvious. It’s a great idea to talk to your child about these differences and help them be more accepting and understanding of their own neurological differences.

So please, don’t feel like you need a label to address a really important issue with your child. Trust your gut and go for it 🙂 As Awesome Archie says ” neurodiversity rules, be proud to be YOU!”