“ASK comes from the Greek word ‘AITEO’, which means “To be adamant in requesting and demanding assistance to meet tangible needs”

The aim of ASK within Wellington Church is to help give support and assistance to families who have a child or young person with any form of disability or additional, physical, social, developmental or special educational need.

ASK Club is our Youth Club for all young people with any form of additional need, and it is for the whole family – the young people attend along with their parents/carer as well as their siblings. It is a place where we hope everyone will feel welcome, accepted and loved within a safe, non-judgemental environment where they feel they can be themselves.

As we have a wide range of age groups that attend, we try to incorporate games/activities to cater for everyone from toddlers to teenagers. Typical nights also include craft, snacks as well as games in the Sports Hall.

During ASK Club we encourage the adults to sit and spend time having coffee with the other parents while the kids are kept busy. We recognise that parents may feel isolated, and often exhausted, as others may not understand the additional family pressures facing the parents of additional needs children. So throughout the year we also have occasional coffee meet-up evenings for all our parents/carers to meet up together to chat in a child free setting.

Please note that you are welcome to come along to ASK Club even if your child has not yet received an official diagnosis. Current waiting lists can be up to 3-4 years for an Autism diagnosis, so we would love you to come along and join us and other parents so we can support you and your child on your journey. To ensure a comfortable and safe environment for all the children and young people who attend we ask that you register before attending each month.

For more details about ASK Club please chat to Sandra Cooke.