Ben Howlett, Prospective Conservative MP for Bath recently met with Jonathan Scott, a local resident with Autism, who is preparing to climb Mount Kilimanjaro alongside a team from newly established charity, Autism Unseen. Jonathan, who requested the meeting with Ben, wanted to raise some of the issues faced by the Autistic Community and the extent of the challenge he was about to undertake.
Also in attendance at the meeting was Founder of Autism Unseen, Amanda Riley, who will be leading the Kilimanjaro Challenge. Autism Unseen seeks to offer opportunities for growth and development for young people with Autism, through challenges such as the Kilimanjaro climb, whilst raising awareness and providing support to people with Autism across the country.
Ben said of the meeting “This is my second time meeting with Jonathan and I am still in admiration of the challenge he has decided to undertake. I really appreciate him taking the time to come and raise some of the issues the Autistic community faces with me, and talk about his experience living in Bath. It is truly inspiring to meet someone with as much drive and determination as Jonathan.
“Further to this, it is great that Amanda is able to join us to discuss the work that her team is doing to support those with Autism. I wish them all the best for the upcoming climb and hope to continue to support Autism Unseen in their future work”.
Jonathan said “I thoroughly enjoyed meeting up with Ben for the second time, as I feel it is important for the mental health issues that surround autism to be discussed. I hope that employers can gain further awareness that autistic individuals can be valuable and hardworking employees and members of the community".
Amanda said afterwards “I wish to thank Ben for giving up his time, especially during an election campaign. The meeting was constructive with discussions taking place surrounding not only the Autism Unseen Kilimanjaro Challenge, but also social exclusion, bullying, mental health issues and the strengthening of future employment opportunities within local businesses for autistic individuals. I look forward to future meetings and, if Ben is re-elected, I hope that the Autism Unseen Mission Statements can be taken to Parliament for further consideration".
Autism Unseen - www.autismunseen.org
Donation page for the Kilimanjaro Challenge is - https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/jonathanscottkili2017