Quarterly Newsletter
May 2024
See page 2 for details
of a truly epic
fundraiser completed
by a member of staff.
Turn to pages
4 and 5 to catch up
on what we got up to
during World Autism
Acceptance Week.
Head over to pages 6
and 7 to celebrate our
staff at the Second
Spirit of Prior's Court
Awards
Our Let Me Shine
Performing Arts Centre
fundraising appeal has
reached the £1 million
mark thanks to scores
of individuals and
organisations showing
their support.
Once open in the 2024/25
school year, the unique centre
will feature adapted facilities to
support autistic young people
with complex needs to access
opportunities in music, dance
and drama and the life-enriching
benefits this provides.
The £1m mark was passed
over the past months thanks
to significant donations from
The Gosling Foundation, The
Cadogan Charity, The Alchemy
Foundation, The Gerald Palmer
Eling Trust and The Beatrice
Laing Trust.
Also playing a key role have been
individuals taking on their own
fundraising challenges in recent
months which has included half
marathons, a 24-hour cycling
challenge, and a white collar
boxing event (see page 8 for
more details). These challenges
have been taken on by both
Prior's Court staff members and
employees from our corporate
charity partners and family
members of our young people.
Natalie Norris, Prior's Court
Fundraising Manager, said, "This
is a fabulous achievement to
have passed the £1m mark in the
fundraising campaign for this
vitally important centre. Thank
you to every single person and
group who has made a donation
to this appeal and played a part
in supporting autistic young
people with complex needs
to be able to better access the
transformational power of the
performing arts."
This project is now in its last
stages of fundraising, and this
is about creating an outdoor
performance space - something
which is vital to this unique
appeal as so many young people
here can struggle to transition
to an indoor space. An outdoor
space would provide the right
area they could use to begin their
performing arts learning journey."
Our ambition is to also use the
centre to research best practice
around providing support to
access the arts, and sharing
these learnings with others in the
education and performing arts
sectors for the benefit of autistic
people, and their families, across
the country and beyond.
Work is well underway on the
build for the project which is
transforming an existing building
at the Prior's Court site into the
bespoke performing arts centre.
£1m fundraising mark passed