Galway’s Autism-Friendly City campaign was officially launched at the Clybaun Hotel, Galway on Sunday, 28th April
Guests were welcomed with a drinks reception and canapés from 7pm, before AsIAm CEO Adam Harris gave a welcome address. Speaking about the launch Mr Harris shared “It’s a privilege to have been at the Galway AFT launch and to see so many people from the community represented was very encouraging. Autistic people face pervasive barriers in the community that others don’t see, and this process will support the whole community to come together to reduce and remove these barriers so that the, at least, 1 in 27 people in Ireland who are autistic can enjoy the same chance to live, work and play there. A fantastic committee is already in place to drive the programme which includes the requirement to develop a 3 year community plan and recruit Autism-Friendly Champions – businesses, public services and voluntary groups from across the community who commit to undertaking training and making small changes to how they work which make a big difference for our community.”
Special guests on the evening included, Minister Anne Rabbitte, Galway City Mayor Cllr Eddie Hoare, Cubbie CEO David McIntyre, Fergus Farrell of The Toughest Trek and Robbie Kavanagh of JJ Rhatigan and Co Ltd, CEO of Ability West Julie Silke Daly, CEO of Little Puddins and AsIAm Manager Amanda McGuinness.
Also in attendance on the night were Maire Brid Ni Chonghaile from Galway Autism Partnership, Hazel Curran Director of AMZEL Ltd, Luke Ming Flanagan, MEP (Independent), Michelle Smith, running for MEP and Dr Deirdre McHugh from Access Centre NUI Galway.
During the evening, The Toughest Trek founder Fergal Farrell announced his latest fundraiser event the ‘4 Peaks Challenge’ where the team aim to climb the highest peaks in Ireland in a 24 hour period with all funds being donated to AsIAm and Ability West.
AsIAm is Ireland’s first autism charity and was launched in 2014. Their work focuses on representing and connecting the autism community in Ireland, empowering autistic people to reach their full potential, while challenging society to be fully accepting and accessible to every autistic person.
Crimmins Hotels & Leisure CEO Lorraine Crimmins who was the driving force behind the Autism-Friendly City campaign for Galway shared ‘We are honoured to host the launch event at the Clybaun Hotel, Galway. As part of Crimmins Hotels & Leisure’s commitment to making our hotels inclusive and welcoming for all, we partnered with Cubbie and installed three sensory wellbeing hubs in Hotel Killarney and Clybaun Hotel, Galway. Being the first to introduce Cubbie into a hospitality environment I worked closely with CEO David McIntyre, which opened the door to meeting and working with AsIAm and the fantastic work they do across the country.’ Lorraine continued ‘I am excited to work alongside my colleagues in businesses and communities across Galway to create a welcoming space for all in the city.’
An informative evening to celebrate and launch a wonderful initiative in Galway with the support of the many businesses, communities and charities located in Galway.
