Respite Care at North East Autism Society
We are working with the North East Autism Society (NEAS) who are expanding their facilities at New Warlands Farm in Burnhope, County Durham to give more people the chance to develop their social and vocational skills n a home from home environment. Works have begun on site and as part of the project, NEAS plan to add four new respite care lodges, designed by Gradon Architecture, where people with autism can enjoy short holidays and take part in therapeutic and skill building activities.
The designs allow each deluxe lodge to meet the functional demands of the site, including space for the specialist equipment required to provide respite care for people with special needs, while also creating a relaxing holiday home-style environment that can be enjoyed by children and their families alike. Each lodge can be used as a single large unit or separated into two individual units for use by families, and all the rooms feature views over the 72 acre farm site.
John Phillipson, chief executive officer of NEAS said, “For just over two years we’ve run a ‘short break’ service for adults at our farm site. These breaks have made a huge difference for people with autism and their families.
They ot only provide the perfect setting for a much-needed break but they’re designed to allow our specialist staff to work alongside adults with autism to help increase independence and teach valuable life and social skills.
“However, the fact is we cannot cope with the demand for these breaks so the decision was made to raise funds to build four more bespoke lodges”.
“We are looking forward to being able to work together to extend a service which will be a lifeline for so many families across the North East”.
In addition to these works a further project will also begin on site at the same time as renovating NEAS’s North East Centre for Autism school in Aycliffe, County Durham. The refurbishment plans will create eight self-contained accommodation suites both children and adult complex needs.
