First and foremost, I am a mum to a fabulously funny daughter who got an ASD diagnosis aged 5. I am also a wife to a wonderful husband, who had diagnoses been common place when he was a child, would certainly have also been diagnosed.  Making me a very lucky but often exhausted human being!

I originally trained as a primary school teacher due to my desire to support children. However, I soon became disillusioned in the system and explored different avenues. I am now an account assistant, working flexibly to suit my homelife.

When my daughter was diagnosed in 2015 the sense of relief was huge but the lack of accessible support from like minded people was massively disappointing. That was until I found Reach North West. So far it has helped me to educate myself, to be able to help my family. Equally important I feel like I have found my tribe and now have a group of friends who truly understand.

This is why I wanted to be part of the team and try to give back some of the support that I have benefited from. Sometimes all it takes is a listening ear from someone who is actually in similar shoes, other times it can require a mountain of support. Reach North West is here to offer support in a variety of ways and I am looking forward to meeting more of you.