A huge thank you to the incredible team at The Family Psychologist for raising funds for Autism West Midlands by taking in the Bewdley Fun Regatta!
The Family Psychologist is an autism and ADHD assessment service based in Kidderminster, commissioned by the NHS to carry out assessments through the Right to Choose pathway. Over the years, they have worked closely with Autism West Midlands, regularly signposting people to our post-diagnostic support services and seeing first-hand the difference that ongoing support can make.
To raise money, team members Beth (Assistant Psychologist), Katie (Social Worker), Andrew (Neurodiversity Specialist Nurse) and Oren (Assistant Psychologist) swapped the clinic for the river, taking part in Bewdley’s annual beginner-friendly rowing regatta. With no previous rowing experience between them, the team trained for six sessions with their cox, Nathan, before taking to the water on race day.
We caught up with the team to hear about their fundraising experience:
What inspired you to choose Autism West Midlands as the charity for your fundraising event?
As clinicians working within a neurodevelopmental assessment service, we meet people every day who face systemic barriers to accessing the support they need following their diagnosis. AWM give to those we work with follow up (and sometimes prior) support, giving much needed, advice , guidance and help. They are a service close to our hearts; we receive positive feedback from people who have accessed them and have been lucky enough to meet some of the wonderful staff members that make post-diagnostic support possible.
Can you tell us a little about your event and what it involved?
We know it involved blisters, sweat, aches and pains! We took part in Bewdley fun regatta, a rowing race held specifically for people with little to no rowing experience (between us we had 0). We trained with our fabulous cox, Nathan for 6 sessions, who really believed in us as we all had a lot of nerves even getting on the boat and not falling in! We then raced some other beginner teams on 6th June. We didn’t win either of our races, although this was a slight relief as it meant we didn’t have to race the winners! There was also a fancy dress competition, which again we didn’t win, but we had a great time dressing up as ABBA.
What was your favourite moment or highlight from the fundraising experience?
It was particularly encouraging hearing the cheers grow louder as we approached the finish line.
How did your friends, family, colleagues, or local community get involved and support you?
Friends, family and colleagues checked in with our training progress. Some have suggested they may enter the regatta next year. On the race day it was great to see so many people, including our colleagues come out to support us (even if we did lose!) We also received incredibly generous donations from 60 people. Special shout out to our managers, Rachel and Gerry, for paying our race entry and buying our costumes.
What would you say to someone who is thinking about fundraising for Autism West Midlands in the future?
Do it! It’s great to fundraise for a local charity where you can directly see how the money will support people.
