Image (L-R) Anne Ledgerwood, General Manager of St. Enoch Centre and Karen Scott, Scottish Autism Corporate Fundraiser’

Scottish Autism and charity partner Glasgow’s St. Enoch Centre have today launched a ‘Sensory Trigger Map’, visual aid aimed at supporting autistic individuals and their families during their shopping experience.  This visual aid marks the end of the charity’s fifteen-month strategic partnership with Glasgow’s St. Enoch Centre, which has not only benefited the St Enoch Centre, strengthening its brand profile, but created genuine value for Scottish Autism, helping to raise awareness and understanding of autism amongst the general public, staff and customers of St. Enoch Centre.

The ‘Sensory Trigger Map’ can be used to help prepare autistic individuals and their families for a visit to the St. Enoch Centre and highlight sensory trigger areas situated throughout such as smells, noise and change in temperature. This Sensory Trigger Map’ was informed by feedback received during Scottish Autism’s recent ‘My Five’ campaign which asked autistic individuals and their families to highlight the five most common challenges that they can face when visiting retail outlets and businesses. This public consultation informed a free guidance document for businesses, which details the top five suggestions of some small adjustments that can be made to create for a more welcoming and accessible environment. This resource can be downloaded here: www.bit.ly/MyFiveSA 

One of the major highlights of the partnership was the installation and launch of St. Enoch Centre’s quiet and safe room. In consultation with Scottish Autism, this was the first quiet and safe space to be created within the city’s retail sector. The space is a room that has been simply furnished and decorated in soothing colours, designed to provide a quiet sanctuary where those individuals can take time out with their families. The centre has also hosted quiet sessions at each of their hosted events since the beginning of the partnership, an offering which they will continue, to ensure each child has the opportunity to meet their favourite characters and participate in activities in a supportive and tailored environment.

Whilst raising awareness and understanding of autism, the centre has provided Scottish Autism with the opportunity to raise visibility of their brand through a variety of collection days within the centre, hosting the display of their Autism in Focus Exhibition in a prime location and supporting the launch of the charity’s #AutisticandValued campaign during Autism Awareness Month. Furthermore, St. Enoch Centre has raised over £9,500 towards supporting the charity’s range of services which includes their Autism Advice Line and their online support programme, Right Click. From in-house fundraising activities which included their staff trekking up Ben Nevis which raised close to £2,000, to hosting their Toddle Waddle event, which saw lots of children ‘waddle’ around the centre raising over £5,000, St. Enoch Centre have clearly went above and beyond with this ‘Charity of the Year’ partnership.

Commenting, Anne Ledgerwood, General Manager of St. Enoch Centre said: “It has been fantastic having the opportunity to work with and learn from Scottish Autism, while also helping raise awareness of the brilliant work they do.

“Over the years, St. Enoch has been working hard to meet the needs of autistic shoppers and visitors, those with learning disabilities and sensory conditions, in order to provide a welcoming environment for all shoppers in the city and the partnership with Scottish Autism seemed like the perfect fit.

“It has really helped us to strengthen the experience for shoppers while also creating genuine value for the charity and we look forward to continuing to support the incredible work they do in the future.”

Karen Wilson, Fundraising Manager, Scottish Autism, said “This strategic partnership delivered impressive results that not only benefited the centre, strengthening its brand profile, but created genuine value for Scottish Autism, supporting our mission of enabling autistic people to lead happy, healthy and fulfilling lives.

Through various initiatives, and supporting campaigns such as Autism in Focus, My Five, and most recently Valued and Autistic, the St. Enoch Centre has demonstrated its on-going commitment to making the centre, located in the heart of Glasgow, more accessible and welcoming for autistic people and their families.

The partnership between St. Enoch Centre and Scottish Autism has exceeded expectations and will benefit the centre and the autistic community in Scotland for a long time to come”.

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