Autism Awareness day Event in the West Midlands






This year’s event was held at the Birmingham Conservatoire and on arrival guests were able to view a wonderful art display. All the pieces on show were the work of people with an asd. The standard was extremely high and we were very pleased to see so many of the artists in attendance to discuss their work. A big thank you to Sabina and Caroline who worked so hard to bring the exhibition together.

As in previous years we were delighted to have the pianist Duncan Honeybourne play for us again. Duncan began by talking about his life as a man with Asperger Syndrome and the impact this has on his life. Though musically gifted there are many every day tasks that Duncan struggles to carry out and he is very grateful to his parents who continue to support his daily living skills in order that he might pur sue his career. Duncan spoke powerfully about his sensory sensitivities which means he often has to wear two pairs of trousers and how as a child buttons and zips were a major difficulty for him.

To hear Duncan speak so candidly of these issues makes it easier for us to grasp the reality of the sensory issues for people with ASD who are not able to talk to an audience about it and explain how they feel. For Duncan it would be impossible to cope without fabrics that are comfortable next to his both. A fact that may well be true for many other people who are not able to tell us and who are labelled as having a problem in keeping their clothes on!

Duncan went on to perform works from Brahms and Chopin to the delight of the sixty strong audience who had gathered to hear him, an audience that was spell bound as he played.

Duncan was then joined by Christine Cairns and John Lubbock both of whom have an international reputation, Christine as a mezzo soprano and John as an Artistic Director. John and Christine are married and their son Alexander was the centre of a moving documentary some years ago entitled “Raising Alexander.” Christine and John sang a variety of songs including compositions by Chopin and Quilter. They interspersed their singing with stories about having a son with autism and the pain and joy this has brought to them as parents. Alexander has made tremendous progress since that memorable TV documentary and yet there is much of life that he continues to struggle with and his parents Christine and John struggle as well. But it was a story of great hope.

The concert was brought to a close with a range of folk songs from Christine ’s native Scotland including a hauntingly beautiful version of Loch Lomond, the cries of encore, encore could be heard for quite some time.

If you were not there you really did miss a treat and do look out for something similar the next year to ensure that this time you get your ticket booked.