Feeling a bit lost now (rant)

Amy22

So recently I only found out that a local charity in my area has decided to close its doors for good. The charity in area was designed for adults with autism and neurodiversy to have a place to socialise and feel a sense of belonging. I now feel like my social life has been ripped away from me in a way eventhough I have got online friends and I got you folk here at TheMix!. It's just having someone local in my area for neurodiversity was fantastic and did my town great wonders. It's a shame they had to close but it was because of a lack of funding apparently and it makes me think why would a charity just give up when they have done so much for its community and their people. So many people/volunteers are going to loose their jobs including the charity shop I went to as well. They even run groups for art and even board gaming and its a shame to lose this. Sorry for the super long rant, I just need somewhere to vent into the void because I dont know what is next really for 2025. This was not what I envisioned for 2025 at all, as I had even ideas to help the charity diversify and become even better this year too with more events.

Laura_tigger82

Thank you for sharing this with us @Amy22. I can hear what a loss this has been, especially as there are already too few places which are designed for people with autism and neurodiversity and now some are having to close due to a lack of funding. There is also a sense of frustration. Hobbies sound like a particularly useful way of connecting with other autistic and neurodiverse people.

Have you got any local support to navigate if there are any other local art and board gaming groups you could join? (whether specifically aimed at people with autism and neurodiversity or just in general). It can be particularly difficult when you have experienced the benefits, such as social use, of such spaces and want to help them stay open - let alone improve further!

Are there any other charities or spaces you would like to volunteer for? Sometimes volunteering provides social spaces too. The National Autistic Society, as well as some additional local charities, provide links to social spaces you might find in your area, which you might find helpful

Amy22

Aw thank you so much @Laura_tigger82 this really means a lot to me right now . I do look at the National Autistic Society website quite a bit actually and I follow their social media pages. I am lucky I have got a good family support who have been helping with this new change and me and my friends might be setting up an art and crafts craft in a small coffee shop real soon which would be very nice actually. For me it's having a place where I can socialise and meet new people because I love talking and getting to know people especially doing things such as art or even having a cuppa too .