Kids will don a colourful range of fancy dress and people from across the community will take the plunge – all to aid the charity who provide a Dreghorn tot with vital support.
Freddie Paton, who turns four in December, was diagnosed earlier this year with autism and now mum Stacey and dad Graeme are rallying to raise money for the National Autistic Society.
Stacey said: “In March, after months of wondering and questioning, Freddie was diagnosed with autism.
“We were terrified; what is this? What’s next? What do we do now?
“So many unanswered questions, we reached out to a few friends and some charities to gain a better understanding. We want to raise awareness, to show autism in a positive light. It was important that other families had the same opportunities as we did.
“We wanted to say just because your child has autism it’s not the end of the world. There’s so much support out there and autistic people can thrive into being amazing, wonderful members of the community.”
Later this month, the couple are organising a fundraising Halloween disco at Dreghorn Primary School and on Saturday, November 6, Stacey, Graeme, her mum and dad Theresa and Dave Ross and other friends and family are braving a run into the sea at Irvine beach.
The disco is being staged for P6, Freddie’s sister Ellie’s class. All tickets are sold and on the night and there will be a tuck shop with sweets, juice and crisps.
Money raised will be split between the National Autistic Society and the Dreghorn Primary School nursery, which Freddie attends.
“So far we have raised £880 and our target is £1,000 so hopefully we can achieve that,” added Stacey.
The Irvine beach challenge will be a big test for everyone.
Stacey added: “We hope to achieve the feeling an autistic person has to deal with when they experience a sensory overload, the water will be freezing.”
The charity has certainly helped Freddie.
Stacey continued: “We reached out to the National Autistic Society who told us about their early bird programme where they educate parents on autism is and what type of things are out there and pointed out to us different groups which are available.
“Freddie is non-verbal and has been going through speech and language therapy to progress with his words.”
Anyone who would like to help should log on to https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/stacey-paton?utm_term=5knWzJq58
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