All Things Autism LIVE SHOW – Dawn Avery, “Aston’s Way”

All Things Autism LIVE SHOW - Dawn Avery, _Aston's Way 040319.mp3 ========================================= Speaker 3 00:01 - 00:12 Hello, this is Anna Kennedy. We're at Women's Radio Station talking all things autism and we're live at Covent Garden. And may I say it's a lovely sunny afternoon. Isn't that a song? Speaker 3 00:12 - 00:30 And my guest today is the lovely Dawn Avery. I've known Dawn for quite some time now. and I'm just going to read you a little bit about Dawn and how we met and then we're going to be chatting about her lovely son Aston. So Dawn Avery is a mom of two whose youngest son has autism. Speaker 3 00:30 - 00:47 Dawn has been faced with some difficult times over the years alongside autism. Dawn's son also suffers from enterocolitis pica and anaphylaxis, is that right? That's correct. After his final major operation at age 11, he was given a full colostomy. Speaker 3 00:47 - 01:16 Determined to take a positive from a negative, Dawn and her husband and their oldest son have supported Aston in his dream of giving back to others and raising awareness of his condition. Before I go over to Dawn, I haven't been very well at all, so excuse me if you hear me cough. So, we were just chatting about when mums are ill in the family, it can have a real knock-on effect on the whole family. There's a little bit of anxiety going on because, you know, mum's ill, mum's never ill, mum's aren't allowed to be ill. Speaker 3 01:17 - 01:21 So, welcome Dawn. Welcome. Hello everybody. Hello. Speaker 3 01:21 - 01:31 So thank you for coming along and we're going to be talking about Aston. This is going to be strange for you because usually you're on the other side sort of listening in to everybody but it's over to you now. Speaker 7 01:31 - 01:35 Yes exactly that. It's normally I'm on the other end of it definitely. Speaker 3 01:35 - 01:39 Okay so talk to me a little bit about Aston. When did Aston get diagnosed? Speaker 7 01:39 - 01:45 Aston was diagnosed at two and a half. Okay and how old is he now? He's 27. Okay so that was quite a while ago. Speaker 7 01:45 - 02:02 That was quite some time ago. In the early stages we actually thought he was deaf and he did have very difficult behaviour back then. It was my dad actually that had done some reading up on autism and mentioned that I would. Speaker 3 02:02 - 02:04 Have you ever heard of autism before? Speaker 7 02:04 - 02:18 Until that point I hadn't, but my dad was very good and actually got a book from the library. And the first couple of lines, I can't remember to this day what the book was, but I remember the first few lines actually described Aston's behaviours and him. Speaker 3 02:19 - 02:26 So when did you notice the behaviours that you might have thought, oh, there's something not quite right here with Aston? Speaker 7 02:26 - 02:37 From about the age of one. Actually, maybe a little bit prior to that. So what sort of things? If I went to pick him up, if he was crying, he'd actually cry more. Speaker 7 02:38 - 02:57 So that initial being touched, like being swaddled, he was quite strange with. And also his hearing, we thought that's, you know, initially that's why we thought it was going to be a hearing problem. Because you could bang something really loudly and he wouldn't flinch. He wouldn't even blink. Speaker 7 02:58 - 03:17 So that was some of it. And then the behaviours as well, he was very standoffish with anybody outside of the immediate family. Yeah, so there was a lot of issues that kind of stood out then, and we realised that there was going to be more to this than met the eye, really. Speaker 3 03:18 - 03:23 Okay, so Aston's your second, your youngest son. He is. So you had something to measure him against, if you like? Speaker 7 03:23 - 03:28 I did. I had an insight into the fact that, you know, things were definitely different. Speaker 3 03:29 - 03:32 And what was the process like in Essex, where you live? Speaker 7 03:32 - 04:09 We was really lucky, we actually stumbled upon, Aston went for a hearing test and whilst he was having the hearing test there was actually a receptionist in the psychologist room that was in the same hospital ward. And she looked across and see Aston's adverse behaviour. He's screaming and headbanging, etc. And she come and sat next to me because we could see visibly other people getting uncomfortable with Aston's behaviour. She come and sat alongside me and suggested that we actually get an appointment to see her psychologist. Speaker 7 04:10 - 04:28 And she actually set the ball rolling and the psychologist was actually one of the... Well, he was a controlled consultant, paediatric consultant. But he was one of the best people we could have stumbled across at the time. So I think we was really lucky to be in the right place at the right time. Speaker 3 04:28 - 04:43 In a way it's great to hear a positive story, if you like, because so many parents that I speak to, it's the struggle that they have, the time they've got to wait for a diagnosis, where they live in the country. So for you, it's like the flip side. Speaker 7 04:43 - 05:07 It was, yeah. We was very, very lucky. We also, at the time, because Aston's behaviour was extreme, once we see this psychologist and the consultant, they actually put us straight onto social services for us to get someone to actually help within the home. So it was like the ball got rolling from the instant that we see this consultant. Speaker 7 05:07 - 05:33 And then we kind of it led on from that we then started to say educational psychologists behavior We see a group of people called the behavior intervention team Okay, so they got involved because Aston also used to buy it and buy it not just biting himself But you actually used to digest weird and wonderful objects. Yeah, and yeah, so the peeker then got diagnosed at a later stage and Speaker 3 05:33 - 05:36 Okay, so he had some health issues and what were they, if you don't mind me asking? Speaker 7 05:36 - 06:00 No, no, not at all. So obviously the pica, so we'd spend many a quite funny time at the hospital where he'd eaten parts of clothing, parts of a chair, bits of the shed. And also, at the same time, we was having a lot of issues with his bowels, his toileting. There was just no sign of us being able to get him clean. Speaker 7 06:00 - 06:16 Obviously, because of his behaviours, how they were, we was assuming there was a connection between the lot. He then underwent... some tests for his bowel and at four got diagnosed with enterocolitis. So what is that? Speaker 7 06:16 - 06:50 It's a form of inflammatory bowel disease but it also affects the entero system so he would get ulcers and inflammation. He underwent from that age, from age four till he was ten 20, over 20 operations, different tests and things that was done to try and figure out, you know, ways of making things easier for him. He was in a lot of pain, he was very poorly. Yeah, very poorly. Speaker 7 06:50 - 07:08 He looked actually like a a young cancer patient. His hair didn't grow. He weighed around two and a half stone. And yeah, he just looked generally poorly for that whole period of time. Speaker 3 07:08 - 07:22 It's tough to think of him like that because obviously he's a strapping healthy, such a happy young man, very positive, great role model. So how did his health problems impact on his autism, would you say? Speaker 7 07:23 - 07:41 Because of the health problems, he was actually schooled a lot at hospital. Now, this is another thing that we were very, very lucky with. We had a teacher that went that extra mile. So he started nursery at two, full-time nursery. Speaker 7 07:41 - 08:04 in a special needs nursery. It was an SLD, Severe Learning Disabilities. But at the age of five, they opened an autism resource base within a local special needs school. And the teacher actually come to meet Aston and he was the very first one to be on the books at this autism resource base. Speaker 7 08:04 - 08:23 And that teacher, sadly, she's passed away now. She was a very, very important part of Aston's early years, without a doubt. Made a very, very big impact. Early intervention, to me, is definitely where things turned for us. Speaker 3 08:23 - 08:29 I know that's the key, that's where parents struggle, a lot of parents struggling because they're looking for that early intervention and it can be quite tough to find. Speaker 7 08:30 - 08:51 Now we hear of it a lot back at home, I hear of a lot of people with fighting, you know, trying to get the system to wake up and look at the difficulties that they're going through. We obviously at the time just met the most amazing people. He had a care worker that we still see to this day, almost like family. Speaker 3 08:52 - 08:54 Those people are just like golden nuggets out there. Speaker 7 08:54 - 09:15 Without a doubt. And bear in mind, at the time, obviously, family find it very difficult because you've got a child that's showing some very difficult behaviours, especially with his biting. You know, he'd go round, he wouldn't think anything could be at his grandparents' or his auntie's house and having a two-out-of-day sofa. Speaker 3 09:17 - 09:20 How did that impact on his brother? What was their relationship like? Speaker 7 09:20 - 09:44 His brother, to me, I felt, knew Aston's autism before we even realised it. His brother's just absolutely amazing. Their relationship's something I don't think you could ever replace. And in actual fact, Aaron now will say that Aston's autism is what made him the person he is today. Speaker 7 09:44 - 09:59 He's gentle, he's kind, he's about to become a dad himself. And I really do believe that Aaron understood where others didn't. And he would make a point of, he was protecting him. Speaker 3 09:59 - 10:10 I've seen them together, you can see that there's a great bond there and Aaron's looking out for him. And you just talked about him becoming a dad, so that means you're going to become... A nana! A nana! Speaker 3 10:10 - 10:13 Some people like to say grandma, but I prefer nana. Speaker 7 10:13 - 10:13 I'm nana. Speaker 3 10:14 - 10:15 And how do you feel about that? Speaker 7 10:15 - 10:31 Yeah, it's wonderful. I mean, for Aaron, I've always felt, because of Aston's autism, and then with Aaron being how Aaron is, He's always had that second seat and that sounds awful to say that because Aaron would never say it like that. Speaker 3 10:31 - 10:36 So how does Aston feel about becoming there? He cannot wait. Speaker 7 10:37 - 10:39 He's so excited. Oh that's good. Speaker 3 10:39 - 10:43 It would be lovely to see them together. So you haven't got long to wait have you? Speaker 7 10:43 - 10:49 No, in April. April, okay. And does she know what she's having? Yes, we've got a little girl on the way. Speaker 3 10:49 - 10:53 Oh, wow. That's really so cool. So, you're one of our charity champions. Speaker 7 10:53 - 10:54 I am. Speaker 3 10:54 - 11:07 So, if people who are living in Essex might be looking for some support or might be just listening for someone to just listen to them chatting, they might have just gone through the diagnosis process, so they can find you on social media. Speaker 7 11:07 - 11:09 They can, yep, on Facebook. Speaker 3 11:09 - 11:11 So Facebook, on Twitter. So what's your handle? Speaker 7 11:12 - 11:13 Dawn Avery 13. Speaker 3 11:14 - 11:16 So Avery, A-V-E-R-Y. Speaker 7 11:16 - 11:16 Yep. Speaker 3 11:16 - 11:42 And or they can contact us through the charity website, which is www.annakennedyonline.com. And again, if you want to follow what we're doing across social media, you can follow me on Twitter at AnnaKennedy1. AnnaKennedyOnline, which is the Facebook page, or I'm on Instagram, which is AnnaKennedyOBE. So there's lots of information on the charity website. Speaker 3 11:43 - 12:03 If you want to write an article for us, I'm always looking for people that might like to write an article, whether you're autistic, whether you're a parent, Whether you're a grandparent, because we're always looking for support from our grandparents, please check out our charity website on the contact form again, www.annakennedyonline.com. Speaker 11 12:03 - 12:07 Welcome to Women's Radio Station, the voice of women worldwide. Speaker 13 12:07 - 12:12 This is Women's Radio Station. You're listening to Avril Price with Kitchen Sink Spirituality. Speaker 3 12:12 - 12:16 It's Anna Kennedy talking all things autism and my guest today is Karen Nunn. Speaker 9 12:16 - 12:23 Welcome to Future Classical Women Awards with me, Stefania Passamonte on Women's Radio Station. I listen to Women's Radio Station. Speaker 12 12:24 - 12:27 Women's Radio Station. We want to hear from you. Speaker 11 12:28 - 12:32 Women, the possibilities are endless. That's what makes us different. Speaker 2 12:34 - 13:01 Hi, I'm Sue Openshaw, owner of Ferme de Ciel, the luxury ski chalet in Samois, in the Grand Massif, France. We are open for skiing from mid-December to end of April, and we're only one hour from Geneva, so perfect for short breaks or longer holidays, single or multiple bookings. Contact us on fermedeciel.com or 07733100020. Speaker 4 13:05 - 13:24 Hi, I'm Farah Brown, founder of Feministy. Feministy is a platform dedicated to women all around the world. Through Feministy, you can connect with like-minded women, share any positive or challenging issues you may be facing, either work-related or personal. Together, we can all learn from each other and be stronger. Speaker 4 13:24 - 13:29 So sign up today at feministy.com or download our app, Feministy. Speaker 1 13:33 - 14:03 Hi, I'm Valentina Barbaci, and I'm the Executive Director of Media Matters for Women. We're a registered charity operating in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and we produce and share podcasts via Bluetooth on mobile phones, focusing specifically on women and girls excluded from information due to extreme poverty. We empower those living in rural areas with media that transforms how they access, own, and share information. To find out more and be part of this movement, come check out our website at mediamattersforwomen.org. Speaker 11 14:06 - 14:19 Women's Radio Station will give a voice to your brand. Advertise your product, services or goods on air with a package tailored to suit you. For more information visit womensradiostation.com Speaker 5 14:30 - 15:00 Hi, I'm Zina Moscone, 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 alternately zm at womensradiostation.com. Speaker 3 15:02 - 15:21 Hello, this is Anna Kennedy. We're at Women's Radio Station talking live at Covent Garden. And my guest today is Dawn Avery, who's one of our charity champions. Before I go over to Dawn, just to update you on the gentleman that we were helping that I spoke about last week, which was to do with autism and homelessness. Speaker 3 15:21 - 15:47 We're still progressing and supporting this gentleman. He's got a meeting as we speak, so I'll keep you updated. But whilst we were supporting this gentleman, I've discovered a great organisation called Autism Anglia, and they're a great resource. So if you're looking for support with benefits, so it could be with the PIP, applying for whatever benefit, they are a fantastic resource. Speaker 3 15:47 - 16:27 So I'll just give you their charity website and the telephone number in case you might need some support. So it's www.autismanglia.org.uk So anything to do with welfare rights and they have lots of other information on there as well. I'm going to be visiting them very soon in a few weeks time and their telephone number Tuesday to Thursday for help with benefits is 0300 1233 122 and that's 9.30 till 3pm. I'll just repeat that number again so it's 0300 1233 122. Speaker 3 16:27 - 16:37 Don't you just love those benefit forms, Dawn, that you've got to fill out? You need a degree, don't you, to fill out half of these forms? You certainly do, yeah. So thank you again for joining me. Speaker 3 16:37 - 16:54 You're welcome. We're going to be talking now about Aston's depression, if that's OK, because obviously that's something that's impacted him and impacts many of our young adults. So could you talk to me a little bit about how it impacted Aston and what options did you try? Speaker 7 16:54 - 17:10 He actually was on Prozac medication for quite a number of years. He was on that from about age of six. He was on it quite young. As I say, his behaviours were Quite extreme. Speaker 3 17:10 - 17:19 So how was he taking medication? Because I know some of our children find it difficult to swallow medication or they refuse to take medication. Speaker 7 17:19 - 17:33 It became part of his routine. So what we used to find is everything, and I'm sure everybody out there has gone through this same thing, every new thing you do takes a long while to master. But once you've mastered it, it becomes part of the routine. Speaker 3 17:33 - 17:36 I think consistency is key as well, isn't it? The way you do something. Speaker 7 17:36 - 17:59 And because, obviously, he was in and out of hospital, taking the medication was all part of the course because he was on medication for his bowels. His diet's always been very bad, so he's always been on medication for... He has calcium supplements, etc. So it was always part of... Yeah, it's just another tablet, I think. Speaker 7 18:00 - 18:12 That part of it was never difficult. So he was on the Prozac for quite some time, but when he got, he reached about 9, 10 years of age, the depression really kicked in. Speaker 3 18:12 - 18:15 Do you think that was the medication? Speaker 7 18:16 - 18:41 I think it was actually, if I'm honest, you could maybe look back and think he was going into puberty early. So I think that was possibly some of it. I also think there was this realisation, and his brother will say this to you now, that he realised he was definitely different. He realised that things were different for him than they were for his brother. Speaker 7 18:41 - 19:09 It's only just recently come out that apparently he was also, he was bullied slightly from some of the other students, although he was in a special needs school. So I think it was probably now a combination of things. So we had to go and see a psychologist and this psychologist was adamant. The first one that we see was lovely, it's the one that we were seeing for the Prozac and they was monitoring that. Speaker 7 19:09 - 19:30 But Aston then started to self-harm quite badly. At one point he would put rope around his neck and he wouldn't always do that. We had to watch him constantly because he just said he didn't want to be here and he'd quite openly tell you that now. He wasn't happy within himself. Speaker 7 19:31 - 20:06 So when we see this second psychologist, they suggested we try a psychotic drug. I can't for the life of me remember the first one he was on because he was only on it a matter of days. We got an emergency appointment to go back to the psychologist because Aston's behaviour, he just went almost like there was nothing, there was this nothingness there. So we got an emergency appointment to go back to see the psychologist and said we don't want him on this drug, he was dribbling, he wasn't in the room with us. Speaker 7 20:07 - 20:32 So they gave him a second medication called Abifly and I remember that one because we did try for a little while to get this to see if it was going to make, at the end of the day we wanted our son to be happier in himself. And if it meant we was going to try a drug, we'd try this drug. We wasn't looking for anything at that point. But again, it was like he had this vacant vacancy. Speaker 7 20:32 - 20:43 He wasn't there. So it wasn't something... We decided then that drugs wasn't the way forward. We then weaned him off of all of the drugs, including the Prozac. Speaker 7 20:43 - 20:58 So we just decided that we've got to deal with this on our own and the only way to do this is to make him feel good about himself. Let's get him feeling better about himself. Speaker 3 20:59 - 21:00 So did he know he had autism at the time? Speaker 7 21:02 - 21:21 I don't think he actually knew he was autistic, but I think he knew he was different. He knew that his feelings were different. Obviously his brother at that point was a keen goalkeeper, so he was out constantly. Go goalkeeping and go play football. Speaker 7 21:21 - 21:35 Aston didn't want to go out the house. Aston wanted to stay in the house. To get him out the house, I took myself and a carer. I could never go out with him on my own, where there was always needed to be someone with us. Speaker 7 21:36 - 21:49 So I think there was a realisation stepped in that I am different, plus also what we have to remember is he was still hospitalised a lot at that point. So it was a combination of things I believe. Speaker 3 21:49 - 22:00 Okay, so when did you think that Aston turned the corner? So you said you were trying, you weaned him off all the medication, which must have taken some doing. It was hard. You can't just do it like that, can you? Speaker 3 22:00 - 22:02 It's got to be done over a gradual process. Speaker 7 22:02 - 22:06 And everything we'd done, we had to do, we had to sit down. We actually used to sit down, myself and his dad. Speaker 10 22:07 - 22:07 Yeah. Speaker 7 22:07 - 22:30 My mum was a real big help at the time. I was going to say, did you have a supportive family? Yeah, my mum, she actually moved to live two doors away from us, so that she could be there for, more so for Aaron, because obviously with Aston being hospitalised, he's still working to keep a mortgage. So my mum was there for Aaron, because I would obviously stay in the hospital with Aston. Speaker 7 22:30 - 22:42 So yeah, we were quite lucky in that sense of the word. And as I say, going back to the consultant, we also had a real good backup with that. Speaker 3 22:42 - 22:54 So, he turned the corner. And what do you think was the turning corner moment, light bulb moment? Dance. Dancing. Speaker 3 22:54 - 22:58 Strangely dance. So when did he start dancing? Speaker 7 22:58 - 23:19 The consultant and one of his assistants actually suggested to us about a local dance school that was for special needs and mainstream. It was quite unique at the time. He was 11. Aston had also, at that point, for a year, couldn't have done much. Speaker 7 23:19 - 23:31 He was being tubed for his bowels. He'd had a special operation done, so he was being tubed. From age 11, he then went in and had a full colostomy. We had to make that decision. Speaker 7 23:31 - 23:38 How do we get things to move that step on? He was still in nappies. We need to move things on now. He's 11 years old. Speaker 7 23:38 - 24:14 So he had the colostomy, and at the same time, his self-esteem the consultant and his receptionist, actually it was a gang, suggested we try this dance school and it was almost like that lightbulb moment of never looking back. I mean, the teacher will tell you now, he still goes to the school. And she will tell you when Aston started with her, he used to scurry past, he wouldn't go near any of the other students, he wouldn't go near the parents, he'd scurry into the room. But once you got him in the room, she switched things over for him. Speaker 7 24:14 - 24:16 I just think everyone should learn how to dance. Speaker 3 24:16 - 24:24 I just think it's such a mood lifter and it just teaches you so many different things. It's great for discipline, it's great for body posture. Speaker 7 24:24 - 24:48 I think the discipline is a big thing and that's something I've realised with Aston and I don't know, it may not be the same for everyone on the spectrum, but for Aston, he needs that discipline, he needs to know them boundaries and that's always been very important. So the stricter the teacher, the more you could see Aston was getting out of things and so his teacher was quite strict but that worked really well for him. Speaker 3 24:48 - 25:10 That's great. So I first met Aston in 2015 and that was Autism's Got Talent and I remember him clearly. And he was such a character, but what I also remember about him was behind stage, supporting others. You were just an all-round great family. Speaker 3 25:11 - 25:35 And that's why I decided that you had to be one of our ambassadors, because having a child on the spectrum, you've been through it all, you've been through all the health issues, so parents can relate to you and obviously relate to Aston. So we're going to be talking a little bit more in the next half about the positive things now that Aston's doing. He's just flying. All those tough stuff you've been talking to me about, I haven't seen that with Aston. Speaker 3 25:35 - 26:10 I've just seen a positive young man, a proud young man, proud to be autistic and just doing whatever he can to help people. We talk a little bit about Keith as well and about the dynamics of the family and about how you all go out and fundraise for lots of different charities as well as Anna Kennedy Online and how Autumn's Got Talent is a turning corner for a lot of our performers and we've got it coming up very soon and we're very excited and also we can talk a little bit about Pineapple. Performing Arts, which is another fantastic project that we've been involved in. Speaker 3 26:11 - 26:32 So yes. So again, if parents are listening to the story and you might think, oh, I think my son might be very similar to Aston, you know, might like to speak to Dawn, please contact us on the charity website. So it's www.annakennedyonline.com. You might live in the Basildon area, the Essex area. Speaker 3 26:32 - 26:51 We're always doing different you know, projects or, you know, we've got the Relaxed Performance at the Pantomime, which was amazing at Basildon. So if you want to make yourself, make your way there in December, it's something not to be missed. It's just such an uplifting process. And that's at the Towngate Theatre. Speaker 3 26:52 - 26:58 So if you can check that out, that will be happening in December again. It'll be the Relaxed Performance at the Towngate Theatre. Speaker 11 26:59 - 27:27 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. Speaker 11 27:27 - 27:29 That's what makes us different. Speaker 6 27:29 - 27:47 Hi, I'm Liz Van Linden, a UK travel consultant for Hazelmere Travel. People come to me as they want unique experiences and a personalised service. This happens from the moment that they enquire till they come back home. I work with luxury tour operators. Speaker 6 27:48 - 27:59 You can contact me on 07825 44 1212 and liz spelled l-i-s at hazelmeretravel.co.uk Speaker 10 27:59 - 28:11 I'm Tamina Zaman, founder of Empower & Enrich. When it comes to money, do you clam up or get confused? Do you wish you could save more money, or are you hoping you have enough for retirement? You are not alone. Speaker 10 28:11 - 28:29 Many women want to be smarter with their cash, but just don't know where to start. At EmpowerAndEnrich.org, you will find a host of options to help you take charge of your finances and learn how to put your money to work for you in an easy, affordable way. Get in touch with me at EmpowerAndEnrich.org, and let's change your future together. Speaker 8 28:31 - 28:45 Are you struggling with money? Turn to Us is a national charity helping people struggling to make ends meet. Job loss, illness or bereavement can cause a real financial crisis. We give practical help to get people back on track. Speaker 8 28:46 - 29:00 Whether you're thinking of having a baby, trying to get out of an unhappy relationship or just unsure what benefits you may be entitled to, we can help. Visit turntous.org.uk Speaker 11 29:02 - 29:15 Women's Radio Station will give a voice to your brand. Advertise your product, services or goods on air with a package tailored to suit you. For more information visit womensradiostation.com Speaker 5 29:26 - 29:56 Hi, I'm Zina Moscone, 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 alternately zm at womensradiostation.com. Speaker 3 30:00 - 30:47 Hello, this is Anna Kennedy and we're at Women's Radio Station talking all things autism and we're live at Covent Garden and my guest today is Dawn Avery. Before I go over to Dawn, I was just checking on the internet because I was thinking, oh, it's sunny, oh, might like to have a holiday, haha, haven't been on a holiday for such a long time. But I didn't realise that Tui, T-U-I, actually have a specific page on planning a disability or autism friendly holiday and there's lots of information on there so if you're interested and you might like to go on holiday with the family there's so much information on there so that's really quite useful I've shared it on my Facebook page One holiday that we did have where it was myself, my sister and my two boys, we went to the Isle of Wight, if you want to stay a little bit closer to home. Speaker 3 30:47 - 31:00 And there's a specific hotel. Actually, it's like quite a few apartments together. And it's called Spectrum Holidays. And it was set up by a mum and dad who have a son on the spectrum on the autism spectrum. Speaker 3 31:00 - 31:13 And it's a fantastic place. They've got a sensory room, they've got trampolines, they've got swimming pool. And it's all set up specifically for children and adults who are autistic. So if you want to check that out, it's called Spectrum Holidays. Speaker 3 31:14 - 31:22 It's at the Isle of Wight and really, really friendly family. They can't do enough for you. So check it out. So how's holidays for you, Dawn? Speaker 7 31:22 - 31:41 They're not too bad. Obviously, with Aston's bowel condition, we can't go anywhere too hot. He also has anaphylaxis, which means we can't go anywhere too distant because he can't have none of the injections. But we have done Lapland a number of times and he absolutely loves it. Speaker 7 31:42 - 31:49 And we go with a big group of people that he knows. So, yeah, it's actually not too bad. Speaker 3 31:49 - 32:02 Well, Angelo and I went to Lapland, but in Windsor. But it was great, but we did it. There was a lot of children there, but I just thought, let's try something different. And he had two hours and he let me know that that was enough. Speaker 7 32:02 - 32:18 That's what I think is actually quite nice about Lapland itself, is that they only have a certain amount of daylight hours and everything's quite sparse, laid out. We don't go to the really... I know what you mean. Yeah, so he actually wears alcohol. Speaker 3 32:18 - 32:35 Okay, so Aston now, let's talk about the lots of positive things that he's doing. So he's a radio DJ, he's a fundraiser, he's a singer, he's a dancer, he's just an amazing young man. So, as I say, he performed for us on Autumn's Got Talent. So what was that like for you and for Aston? Speaker 7 32:35 - 32:58 We was actually introduced to Autism's Got Talent and Anna Kennedy online through one of Aston's nurses. She used to be, well she's a nurse, she was part of the behaviour intervention team, Rachel. So she introduced us to you, Aston put his application in and we took it from there. It was like he'd won the lottery. Speaker 7 32:58 - 33:16 It was like, suddenly, wow. And in actual fact, I remember going in there, we met one of the charity champions, Marla. And it was like this, we fit in. We're found somewhere where every, and I think that's what Aston got out of it more than anything. Speaker 7 33:16 - 33:34 He's actually here, I fit in. And it was from that point, he really started to more so embrace his autism. And B, as he quite happily says, he's autistic and proud. But that came from the realisation that there are other people out there just like him, feeling like him. Speaker 7 33:35 - 33:42 And yeah, that was just the most surreal experience. Emotional. Yeah, it is very emotional. Very emotional. Speaker 7 33:42 - 33:45 I don't think I had a minute where I wasn't tearing. Speaker 3 33:45 - 34:09 I think the thing for me is obviously it's the performance, it's when they do rehearsals and how they step it up for the night, but also what happens behind stage, the friendships that are made, the families that the friendship, the WhatsApp groups that they create amongst each other. So many of the either autistic adults or parents have said that once they just sit down, they just feel like they're part of a big family for that. Speaker 7 34:09 - 34:21 It is, it's that whole fitting in and it's that whole bit that, do you know what, we can do this, he can do this. And it's that whole positive side of it that we like more than anything. Speaker 3 34:22 - 34:34 So from Autumn's Got Talent, we created scholarships through the lovely Maggie from Pineapple Performing Arts. So Aston won one of the scholarships and how long has he been at Pineapple Performing Arts now? Speaker 7 34:34 - 34:43 Three years? Yeah, three years. He gets so much out of it. And do you know what's really nice? Speaker 7 34:43 - 34:48 A lot of the students there have actually said to us what they've got out of meeting Aston. Speaker 3 34:48 - 34:49 Oh, that's great. Speaker 7 34:50 - 35:05 And it's quite funny, they do a social every so many weeks, and the first few times he'd always be poorly that day. He wouldn't go to the social. And then one day we just thought, right, okay, we'll let him, you know, we'll go with him. Let's try it this way. Speaker 7 35:06 - 35:20 And so we just sat in the background and he, it was almost again like this, wow, I can do this. I'm me, this is me, I can do it. And he actually fitted in really well with the students. They're all lovely anyway. Speaker 7 35:21 - 35:35 He'd never hidden his autism, he's autistic, he's proud. and Maggie and the teachers, everybody, it's just he gets so much out of it and I can't tell you. That is truly for me an inclusive organisation. Speaker 3 35:35 - 35:50 I know a lot of people say they're inclusive but for me Pineapple Performing Arts is definitely inclusive, doesn't matter how old you are, You know, what disability that you may have, it's about your love of dance. Yes, it is. Speaker 7 35:50 - 35:59 And they're accepting of all of the scholars now. All of the other parents you walk along, everybody knows each other. Aston calls it Smiley Sundays. Speaker 10 36:00 - 36:02 I see them on Instagram. Speaker 7 36:02 - 36:15 So he's always, and to be fair to him, until like, you know, it wasn't that long ago that we used to crave to see a smile. And that smile's always there on a Sunday, so yeah. It's one of the best things. Speaker 3 36:15 - 36:26 So Aston also is a volunteer for Gateway Radio, and he's interviewed me many times, and hopefully I'll see him again in April for Autism Awareness Month. So how did that start? How did he become a radio presenter? Speaker 7 36:26 - 36:44 He was, again, quite lucky. The local school teacher, the dance teacher, she actually got him into doing some volunteering over there. He was just going to be doing the kind of backstage stuff. Aston being Aston, wants to learn and do everything. Speaker 7 36:44 - 36:50 And so within no time he was doing his own show and he's been doing that for probably about three, four years. Speaker 3 36:51 - 37:21 He's so in his zone that when I... It's freaky isn't it? Yeah, the first time that I went and I saw him doing the travel news and the updates and obviously presenting the music and then he presented our charity single as well and the charity album. You could see he's like really proud that it's you know he's part of it all and it's just he's just he's just like a real positive person and he's a positive person to be around and um he's always checking to make sure are you comfortable as well with Speaker 3 37:21 - 37:52 what i'm saying he does yeah he he's he's um they say that autism there's not that empathy i don't know but we were speaking about this earlier and it's definitely there it's just it manifests itself differently OK, we had a fantastic day with the Autumn Reality Experience with all of the first responders. So we first met the Autumn Reality Experience at Brunel University, which was three years ago. And there was queues of people to go through this three minute experience of what it's like to have a sensory overload if you're on the autumn spectrum. Speaker 3 37:53 - 37:56 So you went through the experience and how was it for you? Speaker 7 37:56 - 38:19 I actually went through with Aston. which is something now I look back and I'm so glad I done it in that way. It was the most moving experience because Aston actually found it quite amusing. He whizzed through the experience and he was there and the things he had difficulty with was putting on the gloves. Speaker 7 38:19 - 38:51 Once we actually done the experience itself he was fine. Mine was that realisation of, even down to the running water, I used to like, oh, get in that bath, I'd make him up. And when I looked and see what that could do to yourself because you're feeling what they would feel. it made me realise just how difficult things were for someone on the spectrum and that bus just changed the way I perceived a lot. Speaker 3 38:51 - 38:57 So you walk through and it's like a three minute experience of somebody listening thinking well what do you actually do? Can you remember what you do? Speaker 7 38:57 - 39:33 Yeah I can. So you start by you have to wear some gloves like spikes in these gloves, you have to put a set of headphones on, some goggles that straight away they disorientate you and it's like... Distort your vision a little bit. Yeah and it's sensory overload basically and whilst you've got the sensory overload you're watching a small film that's asking you to do tasks and the task you're asked to do is in a specific format and a specific time Because you've got sensory overload. Speaker 7 39:33 - 39:47 I totally failed. I was getting angry because I couldn't do it. The funny thing for me was watching Aston that got up and went from one end of the room to the other end of the room back again. He'd done it in exactly the way he was asked to do the tasks. Speaker 7 39:47 - 40:01 Whereas I was just happy to feel my way to the first box and couldn't do that anyway. So, yeah, it was definitely... I'm passionate about that bar, so I think everybody should get that experience. Speaker 3 40:02 - 40:15 So, because Aston had a negative experience with the police when he was younger... He did. ..we decided that we would like to show it to the first responders, try it out as a pilot in Baselton. And we had something like 120? Speaker 3 40:15 - 40:40 We did, yes, on the day, yeah. So, it was ambulance, police and... fire service and what came out of it was that some of the first responders had never shared that they might have had a relative on the spectrum so they were sharing that information with others but also what came out of it was that they thought that this needs to be shared across Essex Speaker 7 40:40 - 40:48 They did. They were so supportive. So supportive. And I think that people don't realise our services are actually there. Speaker 7 40:48 - 40:56 They want to know more about the condition. They want to learn. So if people are interested that they might like to Speaker 3 40:57 - 41:14 maybe book the bus for their school, for their university, for their workplace. It's called the Autism Reality Experience. And the information, if you're looking for it, is called Training to Care, and that's number two and care. And they are based in Colchester. Speaker 3 41:14 - 41:15 Is that right? Speaker 10 41:15 - 41:15 Yeah. Speaker 3 41:15 - 41:39 Yeah. And the telephone number, I'll just give you that if you want to call them. It's 01376 573 999 so that's 0 1 3 7 6 5 7 3 999 so it's training to care and it's the autism reality experience and I saw so many parents coming out of that bus crying because they realised what their sons and daughters were going through. Speaker 7 41:39 - 41:40 It's a realisation, most definitely. Speaker 3 41:40 - 41:58 Every day. So again, if you want to contact them, please do. It's a really fantastic experience and they put together a very, very good training package. And if you want to contact the charity again, it's www.annakennedyonline.com. Speaker 11 41:58 - 42:03 Welcome to Women's Radio Station, the voice of women worldwide. Speaker 13 42:03 - 42:08 This is Women's Radio Station. You're listening to Avril Price with Kitchen Sink Spirituality. Speaker 3 42:08 - 42:12 It's Anna Kennedy talking all things autism and my guest today is Karen Nutt. Speaker 9 42:12 - 42:19 Welcome to Future Classical Women Awards. With me, Stefania Passamonte on Women's Radio Station. I listen to Women's Radio Station. Speaker 12 42:20 - 42:23 Women's Radio Station. We want to hear from you. Speaker 11 42:23 - 42:28 Women. The possibilities are endless. That's what makes us different. Speaker 2 42:29 - 42:56 Hi, I'm Sue Openshaw, owner of Ferme de Ciel, the luxury ski chalet in Samois, in the Grand Massif, France. We are open for skiing from mid-December to end of April, and we're only one hour from Geneva, so perfect for short breaks or longer holidays, single or multiple bookings. Contact us on fermedeciel.com or 07733 100020. Speaker 4 43:00 - 43:19 Hi, I'm Farah Brown, founder of Feministy. Feministy is a platform dedicated to women all around the world. Through Feministy, you can connect with like-minded women, share any positive or challenging issues you may be facing, either work-related or personal. Together, we can all learn from each other and be stronger. Speaker 4 43:20 - 43:24 So sign up today at feministy.com or download our app, Feministy. Speaker 1 43:28 - 43:58 Hi, I'm Valentina Barbaci, and I'm the Executive Director of Media Matters for Women. We're a registered charity operating in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and we produce and share podcasts via Bluetooth on mobile phones, focusing specifically on women and girls excluded from information due to extreme poverty. We empower those living in rural areas with media that transforms how they access, own, and share information. To find out more and be part of this movement, come check out our website at mediamattersforwomen.org. Speaker 11 44:01 - 44:14 Women's Radio Station will give a voice to your brand. Advertise your product, services or goods on air with a package tailored to suit you. For more information, visit womensradiostation.com. Speaker 5 44:26 - 44:55 Hi, I'm Zina Moscone, 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 alternately zm at womensradiostation.com. Speaker 3 44:58 - 45:13 Hello, this is Anna Kennedy, and we're at Women's Radio Station at Covent Garden, and we're talking live, and it's all things autism. My guest today is Dawn Avery, and Dawn, I believe you are in the process of writing a book, so tell me more about that. Speaker 7 45:14 - 45:16 It's been a long time coming. Speaker 3 45:17 - 45:19 I believe you started a little while ago. Speaker 7 45:19 - 45:48 I did start quite some time ago, and it's one of them things I think where Aston's achieving so much, I get to a certain point and then another big thing happens and it's like, well, I've got to try and fit that in it somehow. So it's been, the book's a tear to hear. A tear to hear. And it basically, it's to try and give, from our point of view as a family, we try and look at the positive side of Aston's journey. Speaker 7 45:48 - 46:03 And so the book begins with the diagnosis. And I remember on that day quite clearly, the doctors telling us, unfortunately, Aston's, you know, going to have autism. He won't do this. He won't do that. Speaker 7 46:03 - 46:15 And I clearly remember, Kate, my husband, holding my hand, squeezing it really tightly. And I looked around to him and he had a single tear trickle down his face. Yeah. And that was quite prominent to me. Speaker 7 46:15 - 46:33 That was something that was like, almost this is the start of a long journey. How's this, you know, how's this going to pan out? I'm looking at my husband thinking things are never going to be the same for us again. And they haven't been, but in many ways positive. Speaker 7 46:33 - 46:53 It's just a different journey, a different path we're taking. So I wanted to put a lot of them feelings, and from Aaron's point of view, and as a family, I wanted to put that to paper. So I've got, I think Aston's up to about 15 in the book now. And we've been really lucky that Aston's had a sponsor for certain things that he's done. Speaker 7 46:53 - 46:58 So we've done some of the reality days and things. It's been funded through the sponsor. Speaker 1 46:59 - 46:59 Okay. Speaker 7 46:59 - 47:44 The sponsor actually has got the book at the moment but suggested doing a short film and he worked alongside a mum. got together a couple of local singers, Jessica Richardson, Talia, they all got together and they decided that they would do this short film of them singing the song This Is Me. And the idea behind doing it is to actually get part of Aston's journey on the film So it starts off with a bit of myself and Keith talking about Aston's journey, the difficulties. Aston then speaks himself about his depression and the hard times. Speaker 7 47:45 - 48:18 The girls go into the song and it then denotes Aston from a baby to the pinnacle of things where he's on the Autism's Got Talent stage, where he's met different stars along the way. to complete him jumping out 12,000 feet out of a plane for his charity. So yeah, it's kind of like trying to put the book to film to get it out there and that's basically where we're at with the book at the moment. I'm not sure, you know, I've got a lot more to add to it. Speaker 3 48:18 - 48:31 So Aston's dream is to give back and to help vast sums of money that he's already raised quite a bit for different fundraisers and he did recently a fundraiser for a special young man. Can you tell me a little bit about that? Speaker 7 48:31 - 48:40 Joshua, yes he did. He's a local lad, he has cerebral palsy and autism. Yeah I've met him, he's lovely. He's an absolute dream of a young man. Speaker 7 48:40 - 48:51 And a character. A character to say the least. And Aston, we was there visiting him. Basically from the age of two, Joshua really likes music. Speaker 7 48:51 - 49:02 Aston's a DJ. You'd say to Joshua, what do you want for your birthday? It would be DJ Aston. So Aston goes to Joshua's house, sets up the full disco equipment in his kitchen. Speaker 7 49:03 - 49:19 Joshua jives on down to the music. And then because obviously as Joshua's got older, he's in the wheelchair. Aston turned around and said, why does Joshua need his mum to push him anywhere? Why can't he have an electric wheelchair? Speaker 7 49:19 - 49:37 Joshua can't actually control the wheelchair totally on his own. So, yeah, that was his dream is to, let's get a wheelchair, let's get adaptations done so his mum has things easier and things are better for Joshua. is actually, yeah, we managed to raise over £7,000. Brilliant. Speaker 7 49:38 - 49:57 So, we've done all the adaptations. Joshua's just bought, which actually has been inscripted from the team that he's raised, he's just actually bought a special iPad that's going to go on the chair. Oh, that's great. So, yeah, it's really lovely that the fundraising worked in such a positive way. Speaker 3 49:57 - 50:01 And because I remember him coming along to support our charity football, Speaker 7 50:01 - 50:02 Always he does, yeah. Speaker 3 50:02 - 50:12 And the mayor let him wear the mayor's chain round his neck. I still remember that photograph. He just looked, like, so proud of himself. Oh, he was, he was. Speaker 3 50:12 - 50:17 So, yeah, so has he got any future plans, Aston? Was he thinking about stuff he might like to do, something new? Speaker 7 50:18 - 50:31 He's, I think... He'll go mad at me for saying this, but he's actually discussed wing-walking. which isn't something I'm really not happy about, but this is, yeah. So he's looking at doing other things. Speaker 7 50:31 - 51:01 He's got a charity football match, he's involved with a local group that he's going to do a charity football match for Anna Kennedy online, homelessness, which is quite nice. So that's in the summer. He's also doing, there's a lady that we're quite friendly with, her husband, they lost their son and Aston says, it's called the Reece Hawley Foundation. So we're putting together a ball for them later on in the year. Speaker 7 51:01 - 51:09 So that, you know, it's going to be quite small because it's our first time at testing the waters at something like that. So we're looking to do that. Speaker 3 51:09 - 51:13 There's a lot of organisation in these events. People don't realise the stress. Speaker 7 51:13 - 51:23 The stress, there's a lot of stress involved. And it's that whole bit. I mean, he's got quite a few other things in the pipeline he's looking at doing. He does the Pamper Project. Speaker 7 51:23 - 51:36 That's really going well. So there's lots of things that he's looking at. His main thing at the moment is going into the schools. So he's trying to help. Speaker 7 51:36 - 52:05 the awareness, all in the name, obviously this is in the name of Anna Kennedy Online, but he goes in and he's showing the film in schools and at parents' evening, he's got one again coming up, he's done a couple of colleges, so he's trying to spread the whole, yes I've got autism, yes life's been difficult, yes I've had a lot of problems along the way, but actually this is me and you can get a positive out of a negative. Speaker 3 52:05 - 52:14 He's got this fantastic t-shirt that's in purple and it says I'm autistic and proud. He has, yes. And he's worn it so many times and it's great and we've had quite a few. Speaker 7 52:14 - 52:30 A school we've just recently done actually, there was an email we got from one of the teachers and she said a little boy had said when I'm older I'm going to go into schools and talk to people about my condition, my autism and I'm going to wear an autistic and proud t-shirt. Speaker 3 52:30 - 52:39 Oh, that's great. I always say if you give a talk and you've changed one person's life in that talk, out of all the people that you speak to, it's worth going. Speaker 7 52:39 - 52:52 Totally agree and that's exactly where we feel as a family, if we can help one person's journey. along what they're doing now, from our own experience, and we've achieved. Speaker 3 52:53 - 53:08 So Aston's going to be performing again at Autumn's Got Talent. He's going to be alongside his fellowship scholars. So they're going to be performing, which is exciting. And also we're doing a show in Ryslip, which will be in October. Speaker 3 53:09 - 53:17 I can't remember the date now, it's gone out my date, but anyway. and he's going to be performing then. So that's great. So he's got lots to look forward to. Speaker 3 53:17 - 53:19 Where can you see him in 10 years time? Speaker 7 53:19 - 53:19 Wow. Speaker 3 53:20 - 53:24 Has he ever said to you as well, this is what I want to do? Has he got like a dream? Speaker 7 53:25 - 53:50 I think one of the biggest things is that my book, of his journey, he'd like to see on stage. So he would like, we see a lot of the relaxed performances and different things going on. His biggest dream would be his story, the story of someone with autism, depicted on stage for other people to be able to go and see. You've got the Towngate Theatre. Speaker 7 53:50 - 54:07 Yeah, I don't think it's something that we can just do overnight. But yeah, I think for him that would be. And I think just to carry on the fundraising, raising awareness. that to him that's good enough, that's where life is. Speaker 3 54:07 - 54:12 And I think he definitely should continue with his presenting because he's just so good at it. Speaker 7 54:12 - 54:40 Yeah, yeah, he really does enjoy it. I mean, yeah, he's got to interview some really prestigious people of late and he does enjoy that side of things and he's got this way about him when he's doing the presenting And I see him on stage with that same way. He's got this presence that kind of pulls you in and, you know, you can't help but smile. And, yeah, so I think that would be nice to see him go further on that. Speaker 3 54:40 - 55:06 What I do talk to mums about is about we always tend to forget about ourselves because we're so focused on our kids, like, from when they grow up to, you know, navigating through the system, then they become an adult, the teenage years. Then obviously now you worry as well that when you get older who's going to look out for you. Yeah, I think that's every person. What do you do to sort of help you relax? Speaker 3 55:06 - 55:12 I know there's not a lot you can do because everything you do is focused around your son and obviously now becoming a nana. Speaker 7 55:14 - 55:28 That would be my relaxation. I like to get my nails done and have a bit of a pamper. Mainly, I'm relaxed seeing him relaxed, seeing him smile and making a difference to other people. You know, that makes you feel good about yourself. Speaker 7 55:28 - 55:31 So that relaxes me and that makes me feel good to see him. Speaker 3 55:31 - 55:34 I think the thing is, if we see our kids are happy, we're alright. Speaker 7 55:34 - 55:35 Exactly that, yeah. Speaker 3 55:35 - 55:39 But you always seem like a pretty chilled out person to me. Really? Speaker 7 55:42 - 56:04 Is that the Dawn I haven't met yet? Yeah, no, I guess I am, yeah. Yeah, it's that whole, everything's always been geared around Aston, going back to that's what I used to say about Aaron. He used to really worry me that, you know, he always felt he was in, but he's never been in the background and he's about a family unit at the end of the day and yeah. Speaker 7 56:05 - 56:06 I want to say thank you for coming along. Speaker 3 56:06 - 56:14 It's just flown by. Thank you. I could have kept chatting away. I want to say thank you to yourself and Keith and to Aston for always supporting Anna Kennedy Online. Speaker 3 56:15 - 56:26 Always. For being so supportive, for being positive, to being the life of the party when we're out together. Yeah, you can't do enough for us, which is great. So I just want to say thank you. Speaker 3 56:26 - 56:42 And I hope to see you support us for many more years to come. So thank you, everybody. And next week, my guest is going to be Paul Isaacs. And Paul is one of our ambassadors, an autistic gentleman who's also partially sighted. Speaker 3 56:42 - 56:59 So listening to him. So if, again, you want to speak to somebody, don't feel alone. message Anna Kennedy online or you can contact the telephone line that we have which is 01895 540187. We're at Women's Radio Station live. Speaker 11 57:00 - 57:24 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. Speaker 11 57:25 - 57:29 Women, the possibilities are endless. That's what makes us different. Speaker 6 57:30 - 57:48 Hi, I'm Liz Van Linden, a UK travel consultant for Hazelmere Travel. People come to me as they want unique experiences and a personalised service. This happens from the moment that they enquire till they come back home. I work with luxury tour operators. Speaker 6 57:48 - 58:00 You can contact me on 07825 44 1212 and liz spelled l-i-s at hazelmeretravel.co.uk. Speaker 10 58:00 - 58:11 I'm Tamina Zaman, founder of Empower & Enrich. When it comes to money, do you clam up or get confused? Do you wish you could save more money, or are you hoping you have enough for retirement? You are not alone. Speaker 10 58:12 - 58:29 Many women want to be smarter with their cash, but just don't know where to start. At EmpowerAndEnrich.org, you will find a host of options to help you take charge of your finances and learn how to put your money to work for you in an easy, affordable way. Get in touch with me at EmpowerAndEnrich.org, and let's change your future together. Speaker 8 58:31 - 58:46 Are you struggling with money? Turn to Us is a national charity helping people struggling to make ends meet. Job loss, illness or bereavement can cause a real financial crisis. We give practical help to get people back on track. Speaker 8 58:47 - 59:00 Whether you're thinking of having a baby, trying to get out of an unhappy relationship or just unsure what benefits you may be entitled to, we can help. Visit turntous.org.uk Speaker 11 59:02 - 59:16 Women's Radio Station will give a voice to your brand. Advertise your product, services or goods on air with a package tailored to suit you. For more information visit womensradiostation.com Speaker 5 59:27 - 59:56 Hi, I'm Zina Moscone, 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 alternately zm at womensradiostation.com.