New autism communication board unveiled at Holywell Ponds as volunteers dedicated to improving site

New autism communication board installed at Holywell Ponds, Longthorpe. Daniel Harris and his son with MP for Peterborough Paul Bristow and city councillors Wayne Fitzgerald, Nigel Simons, Lynne Ayres and volunteer Samia Merrington

A new sign helping people with autism to communicate has been installed as part of a wider community project in Peterborough.

The new autism communication board was officially unveiled at Holywell Ponds, in Longthorpe, on Thursday (March 23), ahead of Autism Acceptance Week next week.

It is one of 12 autism communications boards across Peterborough, with the council pledging to increase the number of boards in the city to 100 this year.

New autism communication board installed at Holywell Ponds, Longthorpe. Daniel Harris and his son

“Autism Acceptance Week is the global nominated week for raising society’s understanding of autism,” Daniel Harris, founder of Neurodiversity in Business (NiB), a charity helping to transform the life chances of neurodivergent people, said.

"We need to move the narrative away from autism awareness and towards autism acceptance. The reality is a lot of the population is aware of autism, but society is not yet set up to support it.

“The communication board will allow non-speaking autistic people to communicate their basic wishes and desires. What’s increasingly obvious is if you give these people access to technology and the ability to communicate they can interact in our community in a way which opens up and unlocks their brain and intelligence, which is something we should be encouraging.”

The board is located at Holywell Ponds – a series of ponds and green space in Longthorpe restored to its natural beauty by Samia Merrington, John Sidaway and a group of volunteers known as the Friends of Holywell.

It is now regularly used for educational outdoor visits by schools and a range of community groups.

"To include everybody, we’re pleased to now have the autism communication board,” John Sidaway, chairman of the Friends of Holywell, said.

“It’s not for us, it’s for everybody. It’s free for everyone. It’s got a real aura of peace and calm – it’s a special place.”

Samia Merrington, who has been integral in restoring the grotto, ponds, and green space at Holywell, added: “To see the community using the space again makes me so proud.

“All of our energy is going into improving this site and people’s lives for the better.”

Organiser have said alongside the autism communication board there will be history, ecology and nature boards.

You can support the Friends of Holywell here.