A Caerphilly family has organised a charity event next year to help raise awareness of Autistic Spectrum Disorder and celebrate World Autism Awareness Day.
Holly’s Ball, organised by Caerphilly constituent Jo Salmon, will be held next year on April 2 at the
Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Jo is organising the event, in recognition of her daughter Holly Salmon who struggled for more than five years before being diagnosed with High Functioning Autism in 2009.
The brave family has been pushing all the boundaries to try and raise awareness of the disorder in Wales and when they discovered there were no events being held in Wales to celebrate the world wide day they decided they wanted to help.
Jo Salmon said: “It is important that no one goes through something like this alone, whether it be a family member, sympathetic neighbour or even a Facebook group, it is so vital that you have someone to turn to.”
Jeff Cuthbert, Caerphilly’s Labour AM, played host to the official launch of the ball yesterday.
He said: “Autism is a condition that affects almost 25,000 people in Wales, or one in 100 and for those affected it can be a frightening and emotionally draining experience.
“In 2008 the Welsh Assembly Government put the Autistic Spectrum Disorder Action Plan in place and much has been done to increase knowledge here in the Assembly, by the Cross Party Group on Autism and at a grassroots level the National Autistic Society, Autism Cymru and numerous support groups do amazing work in communities.’
“However more can always be done and it helps to show those who suffer from Autism that they are not alone. Both Jo and Holly are real inspirations and they have shown that, despite the difficulties, it is always important to stay positive and enjoy life.”