Ambitious North East Autism Society development enters phase two
Part of our ongoing Growing Futures appeal, the second phase of development will see several new buildings erected – including a cider mill, a farm shop, and a café.
Fundraising
Artist's Sycamore Gap painting raises over £1000 in raffle
A North East dad has raised over £1,000 for a cause close to home after raffling an original painting of a lost regional landmark.
Paul Alderson raised a total of £1,121 for the North East Autism Society (NEAS) by giving donors the chance to win a painting of Sycamore Gap.
The lifelong painter, whose eldest son, Alex, is autistic, was inspired to raise money by his work in local communities as a Police Officer.
Paul said: “I work with a lot of services through my job, so I wanted to give back to the North East specifically.
"I knew it was going to be autism because of my son, it’s close to my heart, and I thought why don’t I paint Sycamore Gap. It’s a sad thing that it’s gone, but that’s what prompted me to do it."
The painting took around 40 hours of work to complete and features dark clouds giving way to a sunrise over the iconic sycamore tree, which stands proudly as part of the landscape.
Paul was drawn to supporting NEAS because of the charity’s work providing employment support and spreading the message of autism acceptance.
He said: “Because Alex is talking about going into college and going further into employment, I wanted to aid him.”
“I want him to be able to get some form of employment, not necessarily with a huge financial benefit, but just to keep him socially active, and to make sure he can gain some independence.”
Alex, 13, currently attends a specialist academy in Gateshead and receives support there to build independent living skills alongside his education.
Paul said:
"We waited to get him in the right school, and the school has brought him on massively, he’s got so many more skills and he’s just a happy little boy because of it."
A craft beer enthusiast, Paul partnered with podcast Ale & Audio to do an independent prize draw, which tied in to his promotion of the raffle through Instagram.
Paul said: “My main platform is where I’ve got the most followers is for my little garden bar, and that’s kind of linked in with that podcast.”
The winning number, drawn from over 400 tickets sold, was 53, belonging to Victoria Gray (above, right).
Jon Appleton, Community and Events Fundraising Officer at NEAS, said: “Paul’s painting is an amazing one-of-a-kind prize, and we’re incredibly grateful he chose to support us with this raffle.
“The money raised by everyone who bought a ticket will help us deliver lifeline support to families across the North East. With over 20,000 young people and adults just on the NHS waiting list for diagnosis in our region alone, this work has never been more in need than right now.”
Paul added:
"It’s been great, and a fulfilling experience to raise money and awareness. I am massively proud of the final amount and blown away by the support."
If you are also interested in fundraising for NEAS, we have a range of events throughout the year that can help you get started.
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