Nathan, aged 15, has a fantastic knowledge of space and enjoys geography and history! He came along to our Big Top show with his family which included his two brothers, his sister, and his Mum.

The family received tickets because both Nathan and his younger sibling Lewis have an Autistic Spectrum condition, and he also has some mobility issues.

His Mum, Charlene, told us how difficult it can be to arrange trips with the family.

“It is extremely hard to manage days out or trips with the children. Their needs are so diverse that it is just too stressful for both the children and myself.

Nathan can have several meltdowns a day and struggles with loud noises, flashing lights and crowded places. Because the circus was fairly small this was not an issue for him.”

She also explained how our event was different to others they may have tried.

“I thought it was fantastic how the circus staff interacted with the children in the crowd. Instead of spraying water or squirting foam, giant balloons were thrown into the crowd for the children to touch and pass back.

It is all the little things that had been thought out beforehand by the circus which had a massive impact on the success of our day out. To be in an environment where the families at the circus face similar issues to us made the whole experience much more relaxing. I can honestly say that everyone had a fantastic time and it made me so happy to see how much the children enjoyed it.”

We are so proud that our event was able to have such a positive impact on this lovely family. But of course, this would not be possible without the generous support of businesses, as Charlene mentioned.

“The support from local businesses is so important because without it, there would be many families who would struggle to take their children on inclusive days out or trips. Thank you so much for such a fantastic day.”