Hello everyone,
Welcome to our August newsletter. The big news is that our Autistic Film Club returns in September, in a lovely new home near Aldgate, and registration is open now. Our Autistic Workplace Support Sessions also continue this month, and we have a new website that brings all our registration-based activities together in one place.
Further down, Jenny Teuten tells the story of how the LAGC Ealing Community Café came to be, and what belonging has meant for her and her brother Nigel. It is a lovely reflection on belonging, care and community. We also visited Pan Macmillan to deliver a session for their staff, and we are welcoming twelve new volunteers to LAGC.
If you missed our July newsletter, you can catch up there for all our recent updates.
🎬 Back in September
Our Autistic Film Club Returns in September
We are really pleased to share that our Autistic Film Club is returning on Wednesday 16th September 2026, in a new home at Artizan Street Library and Community Centre.
When: Wednesday 16th September 2026, 5pm - 8pm
(the film begins around 5.30pm to 5.45pm)
Where: Artizan Street Library and Community Centre, 1 Artizan Street, London E1 7AF
Getting there: Aldgate station is about 180 metres away
Places: 15 free places, for autistic adults aged 18 and over
Film: The Matrix
Our aim is a psychologically safe and autistic-neuroaffirming screening environment, where you can move around, use sensory items or step outside whenever you need to. There are free snacks, drinks and sensory items, and at least two LAGC volunteers are always there.
After the film there is an optional, relaxed discussion, with absolutely no pressure to speak. You can also nominate a film through our website.
Our huge thanks to Itziar, who helps run the Film Club and put in a great deal of work finding our new venue and getting everything arranged. We could not have brought it back without her.
💻 Our new registration website
We now have one place to find our registration-based activities, see dates and sign up. It currently brings together the Autistic Film Club, Autistic Workplace Support Sessions, the Autistic Women's Lunch, Fridays at Farringdon and Strolling with Neurokin.
Browse All Our Registration-Based Activities →
Employment Support
Autistic Workplace Support Sessions Continue
Our session on 25th July took place at King Square Community Centre, and we are pleased to confirm the next one.
When: Saturday 29th August 2026, 1pm - 4pm
Where: King Square Community Centre, Islington
Cost: Free, and autistic-led
The sessions offer practical advice and mentoring around employment, job searching, CVs, reasonable adjustments, workplace challenges, confidence and career options.
Register for the August Session →
❤️ Volunteer Spotlight · Ealing Community Café
Why Ealing Community Café Matters to Me - Jenny's Story
My brother Nigel was diagnosed as autistic in 2012, at the age of 56. Alongside his physical challenges, he was living with depression and anxiety. As his younger sister and primary carer, I wanted both of us to feel part of a local community where we could meet other autistic people and families facing similar challenges.
After visiting LAGC's Southgate Community Café, I began thinking about creating something similar in Ealing. The idea first came to me in November 2022. Three months later, on Saturday 4th February 2023, the LAGC Ealing Community Café was officially opened by Dr Rupa Huq MP.
From the beginning, my greatest priority was to create the conditions in which people could experience a genuine sense of belonging. Belonging is a basic human need, but sadly it is too often missing from autistic people's lives. It is much more than something that is simply nice to have - it can be the foundation of a healthy and fulfilling life.
Belonging means different things to different people, but five themes have become especially important to me as the café has developed.
A welcoming and friendly place
Every month I look forward to hearing the buzz of conversations around the room. Authentic connections and friendships can develop naturally, without being forced.
A safe place
Free from judgement and the usual social pressures.
Inclusion is fundamental
Many autistic people know what it feels like to be bullied, teased, labelled or treated as an outsider. At Ealing Café, inclusion does not have to look one particular way. It might mean having a conversation, drinking tea, sitting quietly, playing cards or joining an activity. People can participate in whatever way works for them.
Feeling seen and heard
The daily effort of trying to fit in can be exhausting, so it is vital that the café gives people an opportunity to arrive as themselves. Some people have also enjoyed sharing their interests by leading activities for the group. We have welcomed a wide range of activities and are always open to new ideas.
Finding support
Many people come because they are seeking particular support. The café gives everyone a place to share their concerns and explore possible options. LAGC can offer some forms of support directly and can help people learn about other services across Ealing and West London.
Three and a half years after setting up the café, I can now say that my family belongs to a loving community. Nigel's anxiety has continued to diminish, enabling him to enjoy being in the company of other people. Playing chess is one of his highlights. It has given him a comfortable way to meet people and has strengthened his confidence and social skills.
The Ealing Café community has transformed my life too. I sometimes joke that it has benefited me more than anyone else, but I think there may be some truth in that. I previously felt invisible and was often dismissed as an over-emotional sister. I do not feel invisible now. That is a wonderful thing, and it has inspired me to support the autistic community in other ways across Ealing.
Thank you, Jenny. Your insight, care and determination are the reason the Ealing Café exists. Thank you also to Nigel, to the wonderful Ealing volunteer team, to St Andrew's Centre for hosting us, and to everyone who has helped shape the café into what it is today.
Find Your Nearest Community Café →
Partnership
Giving Back to Our Friends at Pan Macmillan
On Wednesday 29th July, Chris Papadopoulos and Sarah Hill visited Pan Macmillan's London headquarters to deliver an autism and neurodiversity session for staff.
The session received very positive feedback. Pan Macmillan asked to share the presentation internally, and it was recorded so that it could reach colleagues who were not able to attend on the day.
Most importantly, this visit was our opportunity to give something back. Pan Macmillan has generously supported Fridays at Farringdon by giving LAGC access to a high-quality, welcoming central London space. That has enabled autistic people and others in our community to work, study, socialise, access support and spend time together in a comfortable, low-demand environment.
The relationship now reaches beyond the venue itself, with two Pan Macmillan colleagues volunteering with LAGC.
We are deeply grateful for Pan Macmillan's support for Fridays at Farringdon, and delivering this session was our way of sharing our knowledge and lived experience in return. Thank you to Elle, Jodie, Olivia, Joanna and the wider Pan Macmillan team.
Creativity, Music and Virtual Reality at Our August Activity Day
Our Activity Day on Saturday 8th August took place at Holy Sepulchre Church, Holborn Viaduct, EC1A 2DQ, with three very different things to try.
Our Activity Days always offer a range of fun, low-demand, neuroaffirming and inclusive activities for people to enjoy. Everything is always free of charge, and taking part in any activity is always totally optional.
🎨 An origami and creative-art session led by Liam Andrew Gonzalez
🎵 Music therapy with Netta Chachamu
🥾 A virtual-reality activity piloted by Nick Mottershead and Iolo
Thank you to all of our activity leaders, to the volunteers who made the day run so smoothly, and to everyone who came along and joined in. Our thanks also to Nick, Sarah and the team at Holy Sepulchre for their support and warm welcome.
Here are the next dates for Activity Day:
12th September 2026 · 1pm - 4pm
10th October 2026 · 1pm - 4pm
21st November 2026 · 1pm - 4pm
5th December 2026 · 1pm - 4pm
Visit the Activity Days Webpage →
LAGC at the Redbridge Disability Festival
We were at Disability Festival in the Park on Wednesday 22nd July, talking with local people, sharing information about our services and spreading the word about our South Woodford Community Café.
A big thank you to James Gordon, and to our volunteers Riccardo, Laura and Aaron, for everything they did on the day, and thanks as always to Daryl.
Thank you also to the trustees who represented the charity so warmly, and to the festival organisers for creating such a welcoming community event.
👋 Welcome
A Very Warm Welcome to Our New Volunteers
We are delighted to welcome a wonderful group of new volunteers to LAGC:
Joelle · Steve · Audrey · Ruby · Mairead · Billy · Cyril · Pranali · Antriana · Alfie · Fay · Isabel
Audrey will be at this Sunday's Old Street Community Café on Sunday 16th August, leading an arts workshop from 12pm to 1pm. The café is open from 11am to 1pm, if you would like to stop by.
Thank you all for choosing to give your time, skills and ideas to LAGC. We are really glad to have you with us.
👜 Fundraising
Support Diane and Will's 21-Mile Challenge for LAGC
Diane Bowman and her son Will are preparing to walk 21 miles from Seahouses to Holy Island on Wednesday 23rd September, to raise money for London Autism Group Charity.
It is a long and beautiful walk, and every penny they raise will go straight into the work we do across London. Their challenge is still to come, so there is plenty of time to get behind them.
Please donate if you can, and do share their fundraiser with anyone who might like to support them. Every donation makes a difference.
Donate to Diane and Will's Walk →
ℹ️ Useful Information
Community Information and Signposts
📱 Free Vodafone SIM cards still available
We still have free Vodafone SIM cards available for members of our community who could benefit. Each SIM provides 40GB of monthly data, unlimited UK calls and texts, free for six months. They are available through our community cafés, or you can email contact@londonautismgroupcharity.org to ask about one.
⚕️ Mental health crisis support - West London
The NHS Single Point of Access supports adults experiencing a mental health crisis in Ealing, Hounslow, and Hammersmith and Fulham. Please note it covers those three boroughs rather than the whole of London.
Freephone 0800 328 4444
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
🎭 An autistic and neurodivergent-led theatre project
A community member, Maks Marzec, is creating How I WrotE a book at 6 AND PROOFREAD IT AT 8 - a new Polish-English theatre piece made by an all-autistic and neurodivergent team. It explores masking, sensory pressure, language, migration, queerness and late autistic self-understanding.
The Crowdfunder supports research and development, access work, rehearsals, technical development and planned London previews. We are sharing it in case it is of interest - do explore, donate or share if you would like to.
The Crowdfunder closes on Friday 21st August.
Help Us Learn - Your Feedback Matters
We always want to keep our feedback channel open. Your input helps us understand what is working well, what we can improve, and how our services are impacting the community. We would be incredibly grateful if you could spare a few minutes to complete any or all of the following surveys.
General Feedback
Share any constructive feedback, ideas, or testimonials. Completely anonymous.
Wellbeing Survey
Help us measure our impact on your wellbeing. Anonymous, 3-5 minutes.
Impact Survey
Tell us what's working well and what we could improve. Not anonymous.
Thank you for helping us grow and improve. Every response makes a real difference.
Other things still running and growing
We now have a registration-based activities website, making it easy to view dates and register for activities that require advance booking, including Strolling with Neurokin, Autistic Workplace Support Sessions, Autistic Film Club, Autistic Women's Lunch and Fridays at Farringdon.
Alongside the updates above, we are continuing to run and develop a wide range of other support and community activity, including:
- Our Community Cafés across London - Ealing, Greenwich, Southgate, Grays, Old Street, South Woodford and Tooting
- Strolling with Neurokin gentle walk-and-talk sessions
- Monthly Activity Days and a growing range of inclusive activities - watercolour, music therapy, tai chi and animal therapy
- University peer-support sessions for autistic students and our Autistic Adult Women's Group
- Autistic identity support, autistic-led mental health support, and our befriending scheme
- The Autism Podcast
- Training, consultancy and commissioned engagement work
📅 Mark Your Calendar
What's Coming Up
Here is what is happening across our community over the coming weeks. Everything is free and everyone is welcome.
Sat
15th
11am - 1pm · including music therapy from 12pm to 1pm
Sun
16th
11am - 1pm · including an arts activity from 12pm to 1pm
Sat
29th
Autistic Workplace Support Session
1pm - 4pm · King Square Community Centre, Islington · register ahead
Sun
30th
1pm - 3pm · including an arts activity from 2pm to 3pm
Wed
16th
September · 5pm - 8pm · Artizan Street Library and Community Centre, E1 7AF
Wed
23rd
Diane and Will's sponsored walk
September · 21 miles from Seahouses to Holy Island
See Our Full Events Calendar →
An optional newsletter challenge
Can You Complete Our Community Crossword?
We have created a medium-sized crossword with twelve connected clues drawn from this month’s newsletter and the values behind our work.
Complete all twelve clues, then select Check my grid. A correct grid will reveal the code you need to email us using the entry button.
The prize is one £10 Amazon voucher. Entries remain open for seven days after this newsletter is sent. One winner will be chosen at random from the correct entries received during that time and contacted by email, so there is no advantage to finishing first.
Opens in a new browser window. There is no timer, and your progress is kept on your device.
A Heartfelt Thank You
We are incredibly grateful to our funders, volunteers, supporters, partners and friends. You make everything we do possible.
Our volunteers are the heart of everything we do. Their generosity in giving their time and energy so freely, driven purely by a desire to help others, is what makes our work possible. We simply could not do any of this without you - thank you.
Thank you this month to Jenny for sharing her story so generously, to our activity leaders and trustees, to our friends at Pan Macmillan, and to everyone working behind the scenes on the funding applications, planning and admin that keep our services free and sustainable.
If you would be interested in becoming a volunteer yourself, we would love to hear from you - please email contact@londonautismgroupcharity.org to express your interest.
Stay connected with us
Thank you for being part of our community and for supporting our work.
If you are interested in anything you have read about in this newsletter and either wish to support us or access our services, please email us at: contact@londonautismgroupcharity.org.