Hello, this is Anna Kennedy and we're at Women's Radio Station and we're talking all things autism and we're live and we're also on Facebook live. So if you check out Women's Radio Station, you'll see us all here sitting down with a bit of chocolate cake because it's my birthday. Happy birthday to you. So my guests today are the lovely Stephen Smith who's been our patron of the charity for five years now. And we also have Joe Wiggins and one of my charity champions. How long have you been the charity champion now, Joe? About four years. Four years. Yeah, so welcome. Thank you very much for coming. Thank you for having us on a special day. It's your birthday. I am so excited. You look fantastic. Oh, thank you. I was saying yesterday I was on Facebook chatting because I'm getting a bit worried about getting older and I think I felt like, oh, you know, my life is just flashing me by. But I think it's part of it is because I worry about my sons and thinking I need to be there for them. So I always say now, oh, well, you can't do anything about it. As long as I'm fit and healthy, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing. And you look incredible, I have to say, because you've had nothing done, you know, the Botox fillers or anything. And you're just a natural, nice looking. I think it's your energy that makes you so attractive. Oh, thank you, Stephen. That's really lovely. So, Stephen, you've been with the charity for five years. So what made you want to get involved? And where did we meet? Well, you know, I always believe in fate. And I think in life we go through a journey and it was really interesting. I was working for a charity called Models of Diversity. Oh, yeah. And I come from a background, as you know, of showbiz, fashion, hair, beauty. And I judge lots of competitions and lots of work in that field. And Samantha Tomlin is one of the models with Models of Diversity as a child that's living with autism. That's right. And as you know, you asked me to judge where for autism. Now, for those who don't know what autism is, we gave makeovers to the winners, et cetera. And it seemed like a natural thing for me to do. To be honest, I didn't know very much about autism. But, of course, Sam asking me, I went along. I thought it was going to be just an easy day, picking out some winners to be made over. Yeah. I'd done it on GMTV. I'd done it in the sun. So I turned up and, of course, met the wonderful you. What actually happened was I sat down and looked at the case studies of these people. And I just was blown away. No one can prepare for you what you're about to read and pick out winners from. It's impossible to pick winners from them. And it educated me so much in that day on autism. I just couldn't. I just wanted to be involved. And, of course, the actual day aware of autism, working with people that are not just living with autism or in the spectrum, but the people that support them, it was just incredible. One of the things that really hit me was how badly bullied people living with autism are, kids. I mean, it's just shocking. There's one case. To this day, I can only say that one child that went out to play with what she thought were friends, and they hung her from a tree. And it was only because some adults came along that her life was saved. Now, if you think this child would never be able to do anything, but instead, she went on to university. And reading stories like this, and I've always been very, very active in anti-bullying, I just wanted to be involved and make a difference. And I think it's important to have people like me, who have no background in autism or family members, to get the word out there. Because the point of the whole charity is to educate. People who are well known as myself can get the word out there. I wanted to be involved. And it's been a life-changing experience. And I have to thank you, Anna, so much for having me as a patron. Every day, I'm glad to do it. Thank you. We just clicked. And I think the thing is, with Where It Were For Autism, it was something that we've never done before. And we're always doing lots of different projects where we're jumping in, we think, we want to have a go at this. And we did a really good job. And it was very emotional. And people talked about it for such a long time. And I think it's one of the things Anna does for everybody, not just people in the autism. She challenges you. She'll be doing things like that. She does that, yeah. I'm on the way from doing a strip on stage, and Anna tells me to. I didn't do the football thing, because I just can't do football. But she did have a look at me going. And I think this is one of the things the charity does. We challenge. And you're out there educating all the time. And the more that gets the word out there, the differences have made us unbelievable. So, Jo, you've been a charity champion for us, and you look after the Watford area, but you also have many hats, as you know. Once you get involved with Anna Kennedy online, I give you quite a few hats. So, we met quite a few years ago, and it was because of Autism's Got Talent and your son. So, do you want to tell everybody a little bit about what happened? Yes. So, Ryan, he was, I think he was 13 at the time. And we applied for Autism's Got Talent. Mm-hmm. And we came along. And Ryan was diagnosed at age 10. Mm-hmm. After, it took six years to get him diagnosed. So, at age 10, he was diagnosed. And then that was it. Mm-hmm. I didn't have any contact with anybody, you know, anything to do with autism. No health or anything. So, yeah, we applied for Autism's Got Talent. And it was the first time I'd actually been in a room with other autistic people and parents. And it was, it was just like I'd come home. And I think it was the first time I actually thought, yes, he has got it. I don't know if I was a little bit in denial of it. But when I could see other children, how they, you know, acting in the same ways and different traits. And, yeah, and it was just a fantastic moment, as you know, Autism's Got Talent is. And from that moment on, we just, well, we couldn't keep us away. So, Ryan's one of our young charity patrons now. And he's been a charity patron for quite a while. And he looks after our YouTube channel. Mm-hmm. So, he is now at college and doing quite well. Yeah, he's at media college now. I mean, from the, you know, from when we joined Autism's Got Talent, he was going for a very bad time. Mm-hmm. Bullying. He went to. Terrific. Yeah, we had to keep changing schools, basically. We had to just keep moving on. Mm-hmm. Primary school, he went to three different primary schools. Mm-hmm. He went to senior school, had to move him, and move him again. Yeah. Lots of different scenarios. It was an awful time. But he's, now he's at college. Mm-hmm. And he's definitely come out on the other side. I think joining the charity gave him a boost. You gave him, yeah, and you gave him, yeah, a sense of worthless, you know, worthlessness. Some hands-on with the charity, too. Yeah, yeah. And it just made him see there was something else other than school outside. You know, there's something else going on other than school, yes. Mm-hmm. And he's, yeah, he's thrived from that. And he's at media college now, and he's just living the dream now. He's nearly 18. Yeah. I remember him sitting on the stairs at the mermaid theater, and he was sitting with another child that was quite nervous, and he was playing one of the games, and the child was sat next to him. Yeah. And they were just, you know, playing as kids do. And I remember the mum saying to me, oh, my son would never, ever have done that before, and it's because he felt comfortable. Yeah. And it was just like, for me, I know I keep saying it's what happens on stage is obviously fantastic, but it's also what happens off stage. Yes. The friendships that are made, the WhatsApp groups that they've formed. I'm going cold, actually. I'm going goosebumps. You're saying it now. Because I've seen Ryan grow and grow, and it's one of the stories that you know, what a talent, and never mind anything else. Yeah. He's a really talented boy. Yeah, and I think being part of the charity, it sounds cliché, but it really, it was just someone believing in him, someone giving him a chance, someone giving him a platform. Yeah. I just dread to think he used to come home from school, so I always say the worst case, how it ended was he even coming home, and he was 10 and wanting to go to bed for the day to end. No, no child should feel that, especially at that age, but no child should. But it just gave him the confidence to carry on and do other things. So we're going to talk a little bit later on about some of the projects I've given you, that you sort of looked at me, is it to say, are you mad, woman? Yes, quite a few times in our friendship. And also Ryan's little sibling, Lucy, she's one of our charity mascots, and she loves Autumn's Got Talent. She loves coming to our events, doesn't she? Yeah, and she's, it's great for her because she's got to become aware herself of how to be, and how to interact with them. And it's great to see, otherwise she may not have done. So she's got a real good understanding of autistic people. And she wants to help, like she does fundraise, and she goes around with a bucket. I always remember when she was younger, going around, give me money. Give me money. I hope you say no to that face. I know. So that's, you know, it's great. And we've built up a bond between all the charity champions, the patrons, the ambassadors, and I try to choose role models. I have had quite a few messages lately saying, how do you become an ambassador? How do you become a charity champion? If you're interested in becoming a charity champion, please send us a message at the charity website. Tell us a little bit about yourself and which area that you live. With reference to ambassadors, I actually look at people in social media. So for example, our last ambassador was Sienna, and I was watching her for the last year, and I saw that she got the Diana Award. I was watching how she was working. I was watching how she was interacting with others. She was actually shortlisted for the Hero Awards, and I thought, this girl is only 15 years old. She's amazing. And the things that she's doing, she's a real workaholic. You know, she's doing maths now, and she's like, I think she's almost at a genius level with maths. But she's been bullied, and she's been through an awful lot. So she now is one of our charity champions, and she's doing so well. She's like messaging me saying, Anna, I've thought of this idea. What do you think of this? And we're actually going to be speaking in London outside the Houses of Parliament for talking about send cuts, because there's so many cuts that are going on across the country now where parents are feeling frustrated. They're not getting the support that they need. And what's rearing its head for me again is autumn diagnosis. I've had so many messages in the last few weeks where parents, say, for example, are waiting in Slough. Twenty-two months. That's a long time in a child's life for waiting for a diagnosis. You know, a child's been bullied at school, or it's manifesting itself at home because the child is just about coping in school, and then they need somewhere to kick off, if you like, to release their frustration, and the place to do it is at home. So I'm thinking that we did a few years ago, did a survey where 2,000 families completed the survey, and they were saying, on average, they were waiting five years for a diagnosis. So I think I need to do something a little bit more updated. Is there a way of them speeding it up? Well, they said the maximum should be between six months and a year, but I spoke to one other lady, and hers was like seven years, and someone else is waiting. I'm at six. Six years. Six years, so yeah. So if you are going through a difficult time, you just want to sound off, you can always contact the charity. It's www.annakennedyonline.com. If you want to ring us, if I'm in the office, I'll chat to you, or Lisa can chat to you, or we can get someone to give you a call, and the number is 01895-540-187. If you want to contact us on social media, I've had so many messages, I'd say, on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. So the handle on Twitter is at AnnaKennedy1. On Instagram, it's at AnnaKennedyOBE. And on Facebook, it's AnnaKennedyOnline. And if anyone wants to contact you, Joe, are you quite happy to speak to people? Yeah, absolutely. So what's your handle on Facebook? Joe Wiggins and Ann, Amanda. A-N-A-N-D. That's right. And on Twitter, I'm the same too. Okay. And also you, Stephen, if someone wants to just have a chat with you? I ask Steve to see you on Twitter, and Steve Smith on Facebook. Okay. So we're always on hand to speak to people. You know, we can be a sounding board for you. Sometimes people just want to sound up, because no one wants to listen to them. So they want to listen to someone, who's either been through it themselves, or they've worked with families, and that's what we're about. So yeah, so it's a special show today. It's my birthday. Happy birthday. And we're going to have some cake in a minute. So thank you to Women's Radio Station for my chocolate cake, and I'm going to enjoy that. And we're live at Women's Radio Station, and we're also on Facebook. 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For more information on how you can sponsor a show, go to womensradiostation.com. Women, the possibilities are endless. That's what makes us different. If you are interested in sponsoring or advertising, please contact me on 07956-371-483 or alternatively zm at womensradiostation.com. Hello, this is Anna Kennedy, and we're back live on women's radio station talking all things autism, a special birthday show for me. And my guests today are Joe Wiggins and Anne, one of our charity champions, and we have Stephen Smith, who is one of our patrons, who's been with us for five years. So we must be doing something right. So Stephen, I'm going to go over to you. So you've been a volunteer for Alton Got Talent for four years. Talk to me about some of the families that you've worked with behind the scenes. Well, I've made so many friends through it as well, you know, the families. I think one of the most important families are the Avery's, Don and Aston. Aston has his own radio show, Down Gateway Radio in Essex, which I go down to do quite regularly. Yeah, because they look after the Essex area for me. They look after the Essex area. Yeah. They're an incredible family that have made a difference to my life and I think to everybody else. I'd say he has a radio show down there, which he's a really good DJ. I'm really impressed with them, so I go down and I do all the beauty tips there with them. And Don, as you know, is your patron. She's one of the charity champions with Keith. They were our first couple. Yeah. A charity champion couple. Keith and her are just an inspiration to me. They're a wonderful family that don't support me. They don't support them. And I can't tell you the number of families I've made friends with through Autism's Got Talent and through Autism Hero Awards. Every time I turn up, I meet new friends. I have to say that the Autism's Got Talent show is what highlighted my year to be quite honest. I like to volunteer behind the scenes. It's an incredible experience. It's not only great for them, it's great for me. I can't tell you what I've got out of it. So what sort of things do you do behind the scenes? Because obviously our families come, they come from across the country, or they might come from overseas. So they're quite nervous because they're not... We obviously try and give them as much information as we possibly can. We send photographs of the theatre, who's going to be behind stage. We have a meet and greet. But then I allocate our volunteers to each of the families to look after them. So what sort of things have you had to do? One of the things, I mean, obviously, the shows are made the fourth at the Mermaid Theatre. As I say, it's a highlight of my year. The families turn up, and you're allocated to family members. And they can come from any kind of spectrum. Some can be shy, or others are outgoing and quite fun. And you look after them for the day. And say we're looking after them. The theatre's autism-friendly, for starters. There's a quiet room for them to go sitter. It's the most amazing experience for me because I make two new friends at the end of the event. But basically, they do the pre-rehearsal, which I always end up in tears during after stuff, because the acts are so incredible. They come from as far away as America. I think we've got some coming from India this year. We've got India. We've had auditions from Hungary, Mexico. So yeah, we're really excited. And then obviously, it's a roadshow as well, which we take across the country. And also, we've had so many celebrities come and support us. With Kasey Ainsworth from EastEnders, who's also a patron. Emma Noble is the supermodel. We've had Billy Sykes. We've had Dr. Pam. We've lost a list of people that want to get involved with us. And also, part of it is looking after them. And I don't know any of them have left the theatre with a dry eye, not saying it's the best show and better than the other show. It really is. It really is, yeah. I didn't say that. So Joe, we touched briefly on Bullion, if you don't mind. And I asked Ryan to create an anti-bullying video for me. Because every November, it's anti-bullying week. And I remember he shared with me a video that he created with a young girl, who was being bullied. And I watched it and I thought, it's good, Ryan. I said, but it needs to be about you. And we had 48 hours to go before the start of anti-bullying week. And I said, Ryan, do you think you could do something that you can create where it's you that's in the video, where it's you? So he said, leave it with me. I'll see what I can do. So then, over to you, Joe. So what happened? So yeah, he went away, unbeknown to me, and created this video. And I think he just sent it to you, didn't he? He kind of did it between you two. Two little sweet secrets. Like 12 o'clock, 1 o'clock in the morning, we were chatting. And well, we put it out on Facebook. And from there, it just exploded, didn't it? A daily mail picked it up. And from that moment on, it just, yeah, it went worldwide. I think it sent to me like 450,000 views on YouTube. And he's been contacted by people who've been bullied. So can you tell us a little bit about that? Yeah. So the video is called Tomorrow. If you look on YouTube, you'll see it. And it's on our YouTube channel. So we just, it went crazy because it was trending on Twitter. And we had so many people. I had to kind of take over in the end because he was getting in on data with messages. But some people that were in support of it, some people that had experienced bullying, some people wanting advice. So I had to kind of just help him out with it. And we really couldn't keep up with it. But it was amazing, though, to know that we're helping people. Just some people had written to us and said, this happened to me when I was younger. And I'm going cold again. Yeah, I must be. I've never shared this experience with anyone. And I suppose they felt that they could share it with us because it was current and we were going through it at the time. And yeah, we just helped. I wouldn't like to say how many people. I need to read messages. And I think by talking about the subject of bullying, it opens up and you'd be amazed how many people have been bullied and have a story that can help other people. And talking is the most important weapon. It is. And I was, see, I'd never been through that ever. I didn't have one moment at school. I was fortunate that I, you know, I was quite popular at school. Of course. But I'd never experienced bullying. So to me, it was all new. But it was heartbreaking listening to some of the stories. And he didn't have, like, top equipment, did he? Do you remember anything? He did it with a selfie stick. So he did the lot. He videoed it himself. He edited it. He did everything. And he did it with a selfie stick on selfie mode. And he told me he had a tripod with a wonky leg. Seriously, I don't know. I actually can't believe it. It looks so professional. Yeah, but he cringes now looking at it because he's quite an expert, you know. But, yeah, it was amazing how it just took off. Yeah. It was in a lot of magazines. Yeah. So it was just a great, what we try to do every anti-bullying year and during anti-bullying week, I speak to one of our either champions, patrons, and just say, you know, let's create something. And then Macaulay created Hollow, where he'd written the words because obviously he'd been bullied. And that was a fantastic song. So, Jo, I've given you a couple of projects. And I remember one of them, he just looked at me as if I was mad. And I said, right, we're going to create. Just one. A couple of them, I'll let you say. A charity album. And we called it Building Bridges. So do you want to talk a little bit about that? Because it was obviously throwing you in the deep end. Yes, Jo. How would you like to launch an album? Because I've done loads before. Move forward. We're going forward a few months on from the conversation. We ended up being able to get the Hardrock Cafe in London. We launched it there. We got seven singers. All on the spectrum. All on the spectrum. And producer Aaron. He's got two recs. Yeah. And it was just an amazing time. We spent quite a few weekends together doing the video, doing the recording. And yeah, we launched at the Hardrock Cafe. And it was just such a fantastic. That, for me, was one of the highlights of my time. You couldn't move, could you? No, it was just. But to launch it there for these kids to be on the Hardrock stage. It was just like we went. I just said, oh, right. This is Anna Kennedy online. And this is what we were going to do. And remember the manager, Craig, looking at me. If I was mad. And I just said, they're really very good. And I got my phone out. And we're showing them videos of Autumn's Got Talent. And you could see his eyes were like opening. And then he just thought, OK, we're going to do it. Yeah. And it was just so exciting. And the two bits for me is watching the kids in the vault. Yes. Like experiencing. I saw the memorabilia. It's just like Jimi Hendrix guitar. Yeah. Madonna's outfit. Madonna's outfit. Elvis. And the kids were like, oh, my God. Look at this. Look at this. Yeah. And that was just like it was amazing. And then I sent some of our charity champions around the Hardrock Cafe and say, try and get some feedback. See what people are saying. And I remember Marla was actually said that I was one of the celebrities that was there, went to the bar. And as Kieran started singing, they turned around and said, oh, they're really good. And I thought like, well, yeah, they are. What do you expect them to not be very good? It was just like people are amazed, aren't they? I think I wonder what they're expecting. I know. The talent's unbelievable. Yeah. So you can still get some of the songs now. Yes. So where can you get them from, Jo? So you can download them on Amazon or Ditto and iTunes. And you can either do individual singles or the album, which is called Building Bridges. Yeah. So it's Building Bridges, typing Anna Kennedy online, and it's something like 99 p each. Yeah. So it supports the charity so we can do more projects. And they're amazing songs. Go and listen to them. They really are. Yeah. And I wanted to create something where it was all the songs were written by people on the spectrum. The music was created by people on the spectrum. It was produced by someone on the spectrum. All the photographs that were taken. So it was purely something that was all autistic, if you like. And it was just like we were. And something else I remember, the jamming that they did. Do you remember that weekend? Oh, yeah. They started jamming together. And it just came out of nowhere. Yeah. And you could feel like my heart and the blood pumping around my body. I thought, oh, look at this. It's just like. I quickly ripped out my camera to record it because it was just an amazing moment. How they all interact with each other. Yeah. Just blowing away the stereotypical, you know, typecast of what people expect of people with autism. People who come together. Yeah. They can create such energy and synergy together. And from that, it's given them a stepping stone to do other things. So say, for example, like Calvin, he does mic nights, isn't he? Yes. And he's for 17 years old. He's just 18 now. I was 18 now. He is 18, yeah. He's just like such a workaholic. And he works so hard. And we went down to see him once, didn't we, down in Bournemouth. And he, I mean, you wouldn't think he was 18. But he's so mature for his age. And he can carry a show on his own. I know. He's presenting, he's singing. He's running around. It was just that. And his mom supports him. But this confidence has got them to go on. And, you know, like, was Ryan end up receiving the Diana Award and so did Calvin. Yeah. And it's just giving them that boost. And that's all they need. Just someone to look at them and. I think people find someone to believe in them. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, that's the thing, believing in them. When they're being bullied, they're being put down. Yes. That's another thing. So most important thing that she teaches schools is trust and kindness. Yeah. I find that difficult. I'm very untrusting. Even he's got friends now, Ryan's a great group of friends. And at first I was very like, are you sure? They are, you know, they are genuine, aren't they? You know, it's hard for me to accept it. I think for such a long time, you know, that it was quite bad. But yeah. So the one other event we have is the Hero Awards, which you'll talk about in the next section. Yes. So if you know anybody that you would like to nominate, we've got nominations coming through already from last November. So that's the Autism Hero Awards. Again, it's on the charity website. If you know somebody that goes the extra mile, it could be a teacher. It could be a care. It could be a mom. It could be a sibling. It could be a business. It could be a reporter that writes really well because we have some reporters that, you know, they write about autism and it's just like, it makes you feel a bit uncomfortable. We've got some reporters that write really, really well. So again, if you're interested, check out the charity website. It's www.annakennedyonline.com. And you can see all of our events. And if you want to chat to someone, again, just ring the charity. Women's Radio Station is a fresh new broadcasting platform driven by love and passion. Connecting women around the world in a global network is all about diversity. From opinions, career, ethnicity, education, we aim to show the individuality of every woman everywhere, providing opportunities and a platform for your voice. Women, the possibilities are endless. That's what makes us different. And Liz spelled L-I-S at hazelmaytravel.co.uk. Get in touch with me at empowerandenriched.org and let's change your future together. We can help. Visit turntotus.org.uk. Women's Radio Station is creating a global network for the empowerment of women, and we want you to be involved. Join us on Instagram and Twitter at womensradioSTN or Facebook, Women's Radio Station, to keep up to date with all our exciting news. Women's Radio Station. 483 or alternatively ZM at womensradiostation.com. Why did he fail language? It makes sense, and as I said, going out and talking about it, I'm not embarrassed about it. I used to be. My friend used to say, when I was hairseater, this is like a sweet blonde hairdresser. Bless his cotton socks. But there's all these labels. He do try and hide away from things, I think, and don't talk about it. Now I talk openly about absolutely everything, and I think that helps other people. It also helps me to be quite honest. Thank you, Stephen. So Jo, talk to me a little bit about we're doing another piece of work that I've given to you about Watford Football Club. So when did we first go to Watford? I can't remember now. Last, about a year ago, actually. Okay. Yeah, about a year ago. Yes, I've known nothing about football. But I'm from Watford, so me. So I was used to Watford. There's a word association game there, isn't there? So Watford Football Club had just opened up at the time this sensory room, and we decided we would want to go and see it and review it and go and speak to them about it. We were amazed when we went there. It just... I say I don't really have anything to do with football, but going in there actually wanted me to go and watch a match. You see, it's got a brilliant view of the pitch. So basically it's for children that would maybe find it difficult, a football match with the crowds, with the noise, and they'd go in from a side door. So it's all quite discreet. But they can sit and watch a football match. It's a lovely atmosphere in there. They've got all-beam bags. They can sit and relax for the parents. Sensory equipment in there. So it's only made for three families. It depends how many there are in your family. So siblings and parents can enjoy it with the child who's autistic. So if you're interested, you can actually look on the Watford Football Club website, and David Messenger looks after that specific area. Is Elton still involved with Watford Football Club? No, no. That's West Ham you're thinking of. See, you know as much about football as I do. John managed Watford Football Club. Oh, Elton John. Yeah, he was a chairman. Sorry. I'm getting confused. He's a rocket man. Yeah, so we're going to be doing a couple of projects there. So keep checking out the charity website. And yeah, if you're local to Watford, or just enjoy watching football, you can contact them to apply to go into the sensory room. There's a bit of a waiting list. There is, because obviously, you know, they've got to keep it small because they want it overcrowded. Otherwise, it defeats the object. So why can only have three families in there? Because you want it overcrowded. Otherwise, it gets crowded and may as well be out. It defeats the object, really. But what happened, he said, was as we were speaking to him, that some of the kids have started off in there, and then they've ventured out slowly, and then they might go and sit, go down one of the steps, or they might go and sit on one of the seats for 10 minutes. So it's just like a gradual process. And he said, there are a few kids that actually now can manage it because they've done a gradual, like once they go, you know, and they move a little bit further forward, you go to the pace of the child. And obviously, it helps the children, but ultimately, it helps the parents. Like he was saying, there's one dad who's been a lifelong football man, football fan. Obviously, he had to enjoy the football match as well. But he can't. But obviously, by doing this, they can, you know, no idea as they end up going together. And there's quite a few football clubs that do it. We were invited to Arsenal. So I went along to see Arsenal, West Ham. They've got an area. They don't actually have a specific room. But they're trying to make some reasonable adjustments so that families can go along. I even went to the Saracens. I was invited to a rugby club there. And they've got, obviously, that's a huge place, but they've got lots of different things that they're doing. Have you got a place to fit the O2 and Wembley's? Do they have rooms for...? Not rooms. They have specific areas. But I haven't really looked into that sort of area. But I haven't heard of a sensory room at Wembley. I might be wrong, but I haven't heard of a sensory room there. But it's just, you know, just so that families can go together. Why, shouldn't they? Yeah, exactly. So, Stephen, you are up for a National Diversity Award this year. How do you feel about that? And what's it for? Well, I'm a bit embarrassed, actually, because I used to nominate other people, but this year somebody nominated me. Why not? It's getting bigger and bigger. My work with the LGBT community is anti-bullying. And I've written a lot over the last few years on anti-bullying. Right, for a magazine? Yeah, right, for Out News Global, Millionaire Magazine. I used to have a column called Single Middle-Aged Gay Man, which is actually quite serious. It talks about issues such as bullying, transgender. I've just done one on sex education at schools. As you know, everyone's out crying, because they think they're going to be teaching little kids all about. Well, try something they think they're not going to be talking about, because that's not what they're going to be talking about. So, I'm relating with that. And so, I've been doing a lot of work over the last sort of five, six years with the LGBT community. And that's what I've been nominated for, and I'm highly honoured. And as you are nominated for a Lifetime Achievement Award. This is fantastic. Lifetime Achievement. I must admit, I'm getting old. That's what I always think. But then I look and see people... My Cyrus has got a Lifetime Achievement Award. Is she 12? It's like, these osmographies that come out, you know. My life story of the X Factor test is 18. That's just a life you haven't even lived yet. You've lived a little bit, so you've brought a lot to the community. So, you deserve a Lifetime Achievement Award. Thank you for doing this. So, Joe, we've got obviously the expo that's coming up at Brunel University. So, you volunteer for that as well. Yeah, another hat. Can you tell me a little bit about what you think people get out of that, and what you've got out of it at the expo? So, obviously it's exhibitions, it's talks, it's clinics. And actually, a lot of people have gone, what is an expo? I think there's a lot of people don't go... If they're not in a business mind, or they don't go to these expos. So, basically, it's like an exhibition. You've got all the stalls and stands, and people can get advice and go to clinics. And there's some fascinating talk from people. I know when Luke was at Berlin, he talked about century overloads, and I learned something from our Ryan experiences about getting his haircut. And I remember saying to Ryan, I don't understand it. I don't understand why it hurts. And, yeah, listening to Luke talk about century overload, it's like it physically hurts having his haircut. It's the sensory of the scissors going close to him. It physically hurts him. I can never understand that, until I heard someone speak from the heart about it. But, yeah, it's a great day out. It's a whole day out, and you can go and find lots of information. Once you're in there, everything's free. So, we've got the auto experience boss that's there, which is a big crowd puller. We went on that. Yeah, so we're in our fourth year now, and if you're wanting to come along, it's £10 for the day. So, you can experience what it's like to have a sensory overload. You need to fill out a form just to let them know if you've got epilepsy or on any medication or what condition you may have. And then, you can experience it for three minutes. And then, when you come out, it's watching people come out, and it's like parents either coming out crying, or you've got professionals thinking, I need to think a bit differently now how I'm working with children or adults on the spectrum. So, if you're interested, yeah, it's at Brunel University. We've got one of our charity ambassadors who is 21 years old, and he's bringing Team Cartin, and he's diagnosis his autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia. He was told he would never amount to anything, and he now runs his own company, and he employs 50-odd people. And he also sponsors three or four children who are on the spectrum who are actually doing Team Cartin and racing all over the country. So, there's a lot of people there where you can network and have a chat and be motivated and be inspired. So, if you want to check out the information, it's www.acoexpo.co.uk. Welcome to Women's Radio Station, the voice of women worldwide. I'm Sarah Louise Ryan, and welcome to Love Lessons Live on Women's Radio Station. Hello, and welcome to Future Classic Women Awards with me, Stefania Passamante on Women's Radio Station. Hello, and welcome to Julie Mae Is Listening. Hello, this is Anna Kennedy at Women's Radio Station and live voice of women worldwide talking about all things autism. Women, the possibilities are endless. That's what makes us different. I'm Saskia at Sable Forex, and we specialize in saving individuals and companies money on their international money transfers or foreign exchange. So, when money's crossing currencies, whether it's euros to yen or rounds to pounds, that's where we can add value. So, for all your foreign exchange needs, I'm Saskia at Sable. You can contact me on saskia.johnston at sableinternational.com, or my number is 0207 759 7541. Hi, I'm Sue Openshaw, owner of Femme de Ciel, the luxury ski chalet in Samoix in the Grand Massif, France. 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Hi, I'm Nina Masconi, Head of Business Development at Women's Radio Station. Radio advertising is the most cost-effective way of reaching a huge audience globally. Moreover, our sponsorship and advertising packages can be tailored to your needs, whether it be a product or brand service you're looking to promote. If you are interested in sponsoring or advertising, please contact me on 07 956 371 483 or alternatively zm at womensradiostation.com. Hello, this is Anna Kennedy, and we're at Women's Radio Station Live, and we're talking all things autism. We're in the last quarter of the programme. I just feel like it's flown by. We've just got so much to say. I feel so just got here. I've never started. I know so much to say, but... So just before I go over to Stephen, I was at an event on Friday at the Holiday Inn, which was in Bloomsbury, because I was asked and invited as one of the 100 women for women. It's called the War Honour Awards. So it was such an inspirational and moving event. I spent the whole evening crying, but I was honoured to get the award. There was a lady that spoke about she had sickle cell and how she'd lost her three brothers and how she'd set up a support group. Another lady, first time she heard her daughter speak, who had HIV, and she was just a wreck, and I was a wreck, and Carl was a wreck, which was my mother-in-law. But it was such a lovely event, and what's going to happen is the 100 women that were nominated and honoured on that evening, when I'm pleased to say that I'm one of them, is actually going to go in a book that's going to be launched at the House of Commons at the end of the month. So when I have more information, I will let you know. So, Stephen, you are a diversity role model. Can you talk to me a little bit about... I think this year I've become a diversity role model, and what it is is we're starting at the core and going into schools to talk about our experiences of being bullied and coming out as LGBT. I think it's a really important thing to do, because if you start at the core and stop making everything safe taboo, we're not going in with an agenda, so we're going in to talk about our experiences. We go to different schools up and down the country. We answer questions as well. We talk about our experience. People sometimes shock when they stand there and say to them, all I've done in my life, I've been on television, but back when I was a 14, 15-year-old kid, it was quite terrifying for me. I was bullied every single day, and if you'd met me back then, you probably thought there wasn't very much hope for me. And I turned my life around, realising that being a gay man wasn't a crime and I wasn't going to let other people put me down in any shape or form or bully me. So I turned myself around for about 15, 16. I thought, you know enough of this. And I share my experiences, because there are people out there just hearing one voice tell you, it's okay. There's still a huge taboo to be a gay man, or be LGBT. So to talk to students about it and to talk about our experience being bullied, you can save one life. Because the suicide rate is incredible among young gay men. Sometimes they need prompting. They might not want to go to a family member, but to have someone like yourself go into a school, they don't feel so alone. Yeah, there's a story of a one boy turning up to it and there was a transgender woman there and he went, oh, I won't say what he said, at the beginning of it, and he put his foot up in the desk and at the end of it, he got up and hugged her. Wow, yeah, yeah. So he can't make a difference like that. Yeah, excellent, yeah, definitely. We've been giving a few talks at schools, haven't we, Jo? And we spoke to children and I remember a sibling coming up to me and sort of giving me a hug and saying, oh, thank you for talking about this. My brother's autistic, I didn't feel I could talk to anyone about it. And that was quite an uplifting experience. So important to get into the schools and start talking about autism. And as I say, as an adult, I wasn't, you know, until I got involved with you, I didn't know loads about it. It's been a big difference. So if you can't go into schools and talk, it's where to start. Because they can't always talk to family members. Sometimes it's too close for comfort. How many times have you read, my child was very popular, he killed himself, but, you know, he was very popular. And we discovered, of course, the poor kid was being bullied so badly, too frightened to tell mum and dad, they won't fit in. And there's a crime, almost, if people say, they're going to disappoint the family by not fitting in. Yeah, I always say, if you can get somebody to talk about it, that definitely helps, that's the only way. So Jo, as parents of children who are autistic, I know one of my worries is, as I'm getting older, because I miss my breakfast, we're talking about getting older, because it's like, I was having a panic attack yesterday, thinking, oh, my word, you know, my life is flashing before my eyes. I need to keep, well, and I need to keep going. But you worry about what's going to happen to your son. So is that something at the back of your mind? It is. I mean, mine's getting quite independent now, but it's still, there's certain things that I, only I know how to, how to work the line. No one else, so you feel like one of my... But that vulnerability still, I can see in him. Yeah, yeah. Other people are like, oh, he's fine. They've got their perceptions of what is okay. And only I know how to bring him up and how to deal with him. And no one could ever take that away from me. And it is a worry, the thought of not being there for them. It really is. So what do you do? What do you do to put things in place for them? So, I mean, I have, to be honest, I haven't yet, but like Anna said, to do a real... Yeah, you need to, I think personally, a lot of parents have got children with a disability need to set up a trust. Mencap have got great facilities. If you just check out their website about writing a wail, about setting up a trust, because if your child is struggling when you're not there, it could be that they can go in there and take some of the funding that you set up for them. It needs to be written really watertight so that the funding's not used for not what's appropriate, but it's used for the benefit of your son or daughter. So obviously we have to think about both our sons, Patrick and Angelo, even though Patrick is working now, he's still got pockets of vulnerability, but we're just there for them. And that's my constant worry, is I would say more about Angelo because he can't verbalize if somebody bullies him or whatever, and it's always me sort of looking at him. Is he happy? Has he got any bruises on his body? All those sort of things. It's just something I look at and it's just something I worry about who's going to look after him, who's going to look out for him. So that's something that always worries me. So talking about worrying, let's talk about relaxing. So that was something I was really rubbish at when I first set up the school for 11 years. Do you ever actually relax, apart from one Zumba class a month, I've noticed? No, I'm always on the go and I feel like I always have to be on the go. You're the energizer bunny of the autism world. But as people know, I love my dancing and it was four years yesterday that we were on Strictly. The people Strictly. That was just such an amazing experience. I absolutely loved it. So what do you do, Jo, to relax? I think the easy one would be to have a bath at home but that's never relaxing because I always get interrupted. That is my safe place. I don't think Mum's ever had a relaxing bath. No, they talked you through the door. So are they in the movies? Being my friends, definitely. I mean, we've got our own little rosack group and we do have laughs for that. And sometimes the kids will be like, Mum, what are you laughing at? But even if you can't get out just to have a rosack group, I do have friends that I go out with and it is nice just to not talk about anything with your children, not to put autism. Just time for you. Or like you said, dancing. I've done a few dance classes and that really is a good thing. So I think about nothing else other than what I need to do with my feet, that kind of thing. So something that just totally takes you away from. Yeah, that's why we have the Zumba farm as well because we've got quite a lot of mums that come along and we raise money for the charity and we have fun. So there's about 50 or 60 of us just depending on the track. What's the next one? Next one's in October. So we usually do them in Croydon because Marla, who's one of our charity champions, she organizes that. And we go along and we dance for two hours, three hours and we just have a really good laugh and then there's cakes and biscuits afterwards. So you have to sweat it. So you're attacked by the carbohydrates once you're done. Like afterwards, but it's just fun and it's just good to have a laugh, you know. And so we've done that and also we do some good for the charity. Yeah, exactly. Or we do a sponsored walk. We did something in partnership with Clasp where that was for suicide prevention where Damon came along and Angelo joined in and Joe and Lisa. So it was quite a group of us. We walked 10 miles. Well, that's relaxing, though. No, but we're having a natter, as we start walking along. It was therapeutic, shall we say. And then there's a nice big doughnut waiting for us at the end. More carbohydrates to take. So yeah, so that's something that's important for you. Yeah, I'm not going to the gym. I try and go every day to be quite honest. A little something, a weightlifting. And also I do a lot of thinking there. I say I'm lucky I don't have children or not. So I have a bath. And the bath, I think, are my best ideas. I've written things and the bath is going out very quickly and start writing. It's important to relax. But I do burn the candles at both ends and in the middle. So I'm very similar to Anna. Yeah, so keep yourself healthy, isn't it? Look after you. You've got to look after yourself first. I take my vitamins every day. And then I do lots of walking with Angelo at the weekend. So it's because it's a bit of structure for him. It's routine. It's a good stress buster. People know you now because we walk in various different parks and it's like, hi Angelo. Or we go into the cafeteria and the chap's Italian is going, And it's just like, you go in there and they go, sausage sandwich for Angelo. Skinny latte for you, Anna. So it's just like you're almost like... Walking is quite therapeutic. I do enjoy that as well. And I've seen like mums with buggies and prams and there's like a group of them together, walking around the park together, you know, and they're chatting and walking at the same time. So there's lots of different ways. I think it's a bit relaxing. Well, it seems to be doing this meditation and mind now. I've tried that. It just doesn't work for me. The problem is, the problem is, until I do something like that, I start thinking or something. I went to do hypnosis once and I sat down and started thinking what the ground rent was on the property. I can't relax. But it is important to keep, like you say, with friends, even if you can't get out, like you say, have a little group, mugs, it's amazing. If you start having a laugh with each other, how you can just be taken away from that moment. You just sit at the laughter. I think laughter is one of the forms of relaxation you can possibly get. If you get people to laugh and talk about subjects, it's incredible where you can go from it. I know. It's just like, it's just do whatever works for you. If you want to go in the bathroom, shut the door, jump up and down and have a scream, do it. If it makes you feel better, you do it. Attaches. Seeing you in the bathroom. It's amazing, though, what then five minutes can do to just totally change your whole mindset. Walk around the block, whatever it is. So that's great. So our relaxation at the end of this show, I want to say thank you to both of you. Thank you for having us. We're going to have chocolate cake because it's my birthday. We've got lots of little bits here, so we're going to just indulge and relax and then worry about the calories tomorrow. Exactly. So I've had a lovely day and with the family, we always do the same thing. It's very autistic in our house. We have pizza. That's nice. We have cake in the evening at the home. And it's something that Angela looks forward to. It's something that my son looks forward to. And I look forward to it. And it's just something we all do together. And I think it's important as well to do things as a family as much as you possibly can. It's creating memories as well for the children and creating memories for yourself. Obviously, the lads are growing up now. So, you know, they'll be moving on and you'll be having an empty nesting room. I know. Soon, Joe has talked about travelling. But it's all about moving on and it's positive. So I want to say thank you again and thank you to Women's Radio Station and thank you for my lovely cake. And we're talking all things autism. And we're on every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 1 o'clock if you'd like to listen. So if you missed today, you can listen to us tomorrow. If you want to chat to us on Anna Kennedy online, it's www.annakennedyonline.com. Our telephone number is 01895-540-187. Or we're on Facebook, Anna Kennedy Online. And we're on Facebook Live as well. Thank you. Women's Radio Station is a fresh new broadcasting platform driven by love and passion. Connecting women around the world in a global network is all about diversity. From opinions, career, ethnicity, education, we aim to show the individuality of every woman everywhere, providing opportunities and a platform for your voice. Women, the possibilities are endless. That's what makes us different. Hi, I'm Liz Van Linden, the UK travel consultant for Hazelmere Travel. People come to me as they want unique experiences and a personalized service. 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