Axia Christmas Closing Times 2020 – plus some Useful Tips

Posted on December 22, 2020 by

Sue Power Posted in News — No Comments ↓

Our office will close
at 5pm on Wednesday 23rd December 2020
and will reopen at 9am on Monday 4th January 2021.

In the meantime, you can catch up on any posts you may have missed from our Facebook groups here and here , and you can catch up with the Anime Amigos vlogs here.

Earlier this month we piloted our first virtual Post Diagnostic Support Group. As usual, the presentation was uploaded and so if you were unable to make this session, you can view the presentation here.

Cal and I would like to thank you all for your continued support throughout 2020 and we look forward to seeing some more of you at our virtual Post Diagnostic Support Groups in the new year.

It has been, and remains to be, a challenging and unpredictable time. How we all experience this will be different for each of us individually. While some people look forward to and enjoy the festive season, other people find it a trickier time that presents some challenges. For some people on the Autism Spectrum, there will be lots of change, social interaction, expectations and demands to negotiate as well as sensory considerations to manage.

Here are a few useful links, including some useful overviews from the National Autistic Society:-

For some people, Christmas can be an especially difficult time when they feel very low:-

https://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/social-life-blog/2015/dec/16/austistic-christmas-festive-social-expectations

If you need help this Christmas, there are a number of organisations that can provide support if you are suicidal:-

The Samaritans are available round the clock every single day of the year, even Christmas day. They can be contacted on (0114) 2767277 or 116 123, or you can email jo@samaritans.org.
PAPYRUS HOPEline is a charity for the prevention of young suicide. Their helpline telephone number is 0800 068 4141 and is open from 10am to 10pm on weekdays and 2pm to 10pm at weekends. They are available from 2pm – 10pm on bank holidays (Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day).
The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is a charity dedicated to preventing male suicide. Online webchat is available via www.thecalmzone.net. Their telephone helpline (0800 58 58 58) is open 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year.
The Hub of Hope (https://hubofhope.co.uk) can be downloaded as an app, as well as having a website. It can help you find services that are nearby

Here are some documents with further information that we hope you might find helpful:-