Autistic father & daughter backpacking 1300 miles
Donation protected
Hello Everybody...
Thank you for taking the time to look at our Go Fund Me page.
I'm Ian and this is my 8-year-old daughter, Eve, and we're both Autistic.
WHAT ARE WE DOING?
We will be backpacking 1300 miles from John o' Groats to Lands End...
This is NOT a virtual event!
We will be out there in ALL weathers for over 6 months, hiking the full length of mainland Britain.
THE PLAN
The plan is to actually start at Dunnet Head; a peninsula in Caithness, Scotland which is the most northerly place in mainland Britain.
We will walk from Dunnet Head to the start point at John o'Groats. Once at John o'Groats, we will start heading south to Lands End in Cornwall.
However, we will NOT be stopping at Lands End!
We will continue to hike around the coast to Lizard Point; the most southerly point of mainland Britain.
We will be completing the quintessential Lands End to John o' Groats (in reverse) but also backpacking from the very top to the very bottom of Britain at the same time. Quite literally End to End!!!
We will be starting in March 2022 and hopefully be finished before Winter October 2022
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
We are going on this adventure firstly to raise awareness of Autism in both males and females of all ages.
Autism comes with a lot of preconceived ideas, assumptions and stereotypes that we intend to challenge head-on, over 6 months and 1300 miles to be precise.
We want to prove to everybody that autism does not prevent people from achieving great things and it doesn't have to impose limits or restrictions on people's ambitions and their ability to achieve them.
Autism gives us the strength to not be limited or restricted by the seemingly impossible and insurmountable complexity of the challenge that we contemplate.
Throughout this journey we want to help people understand autism. We also want to challenge and change people's attitudes and perceptions towards autism and give a different perspective.
Hopefully, we can also give people the confidence and inspiration to go out and do anything they want to do and be whoever they want to be. This is what we are trying to teach Eve and we want to share this attitude and adventure with everyone who will listen (and watch).
AUTISUM & MENTAL HEALTH
Autism affects 1 in 100 people.
When most people think of autism the usual stereotypical traits come to mind including obsessive interest in specific topics, repetitive and restrictive behaviors, lining up toys, communication difficulties and public outbursts. However, these traits do not represent the full spectrum of people with autism.
Autism has long been thought to affect girls and boys disproportionately with boys four times more likely to be diagnosed than girls. One reason for this massive underdiagnosis in females is a phenomenon known as autism masking whereby a person disguises their autistic traits to 'fit in' with their neurotypical peers. This is very damaging to the individual and is basically their coping mechanism resulting in constant exhaustion, loss of identity and mental health issues.
For both Eve and I, our challenges due to Autism impact our lives every single day.
However, being outdoors in nature, be that in wind, sun, rain or snow, whether hiking in the mountains or wild swimming, we both just feel happy and free!
JUST GIVING PAGE
You can see our Just Giving page here, thank you.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast, and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
FOLLOW US (AND SUBSCRIBE)...PLEASE!
We will be RECORDING the whole trip and publishing it on social media including Facebook & YouTube.
- Facebook - we already have a Facebook page with several thousand followers that you can Like and Follow @ Facebook
- YouTube - we are starting a YouTube channel, so please Subscribe @ YouTube
- Website - we have started a very basic website @ Our Spectrum Adventures
ABOUT EVE & IAN
Eve is home educated and therefore we will be continuing to home educate her on our journey.
The trip was Eve's idea. Eve is an awesome child (I am biased!), with an ambition to match her massive personality. She has already decided that she wants to climb Mt Everest when she is older. She has a poster of Mt Everest right above her bed so that it is the first thing she sees every morning and the last thing she sees every night.
Through the NHS we both have a formal diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
One of my biggest challenges with autism is social interaction and communication. So I have started a YouTube channel!
OUR SUPPORT, STRENGTH, RESILIENCE, AND ROCK - SARAH
We could not do this without the support of Sarah; Eve's mum and my wife. Sarah will be supporting us throughout our journey by trying to meet up with us every couple of weeks to help with supplies, cleaning clothes and cuddles. Sarah is the most amazing kind, caring and patient person anybody could ever meet, and I am honored to be able to call myself her husband!
HOW CAN YOU HELP US
We are asking for donations to help us with some of the day-to-day costs (and a few treats for Eve) such as a hot meal, replacing worn-out shoes, and putting a smile on Eves's face with a few treats!
Emotionally, it would fantastic and mean so much to us to be able to give Eve an occasional cold drink or ice cream, being able to tell her it is from the people who support what she is doing and what she is trying to do!
- GoFundMe - You can see our GoFundMe page here thank you.
- BuyMeACoffee - I have set up a Buy Me A Coffee page... for a cup of coffee, thank you!
- (I was unsure about using PayPal) but thought people might feel more confident with PayPal than Buy Me A Coffee/GoFundMe.
THANK YOU TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU...
Just knowing that you are looking at our Go Fund Me page means more to us than you will ever know.
Have a great day and thank you again
Ian, Eve & Sarah
XXX
Thank you for taking the time to look at our Go Fund Me page.
I'm Ian and this is my 8-year-old daughter, Eve, and we're both Autistic.
WHAT ARE WE DOING?
We will be backpacking 1300 miles from John o' Groats to Lands End...
This is NOT a virtual event!
We will be out there in ALL weathers for over 6 months, hiking the full length of mainland Britain.
THE PLAN
The plan is to actually start at Dunnet Head; a peninsula in Caithness, Scotland which is the most northerly place in mainland Britain.
We will walk from Dunnet Head to the start point at John o'Groats. Once at John o'Groats, we will start heading south to Lands End in Cornwall.
However, we will NOT be stopping at Lands End!
We will continue to hike around the coast to Lizard Point; the most southerly point of mainland Britain.
We will be completing the quintessential Lands End to John o' Groats (in reverse) but also backpacking from the very top to the very bottom of Britain at the same time. Quite literally End to End!!!
We will be starting in March 2022 and hopefully be finished before Winter October 2022
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
We are going on this adventure firstly to raise awareness of Autism in both males and females of all ages.
Autism comes with a lot of preconceived ideas, assumptions and stereotypes that we intend to challenge head-on, over 6 months and 1300 miles to be precise.
We want to prove to everybody that autism does not prevent people from achieving great things and it doesn't have to impose limits or restrictions on people's ambitions and their ability to achieve them.
Autism gives us the strength to not be limited or restricted by the seemingly impossible and insurmountable complexity of the challenge that we contemplate.
Throughout this journey we want to help people understand autism. We also want to challenge and change people's attitudes and perceptions towards autism and give a different perspective.
Hopefully, we can also give people the confidence and inspiration to go out and do anything they want to do and be whoever they want to be. This is what we are trying to teach Eve and we want to share this attitude and adventure with everyone who will listen (and watch).
AUTISUM & MENTAL HEALTH
Autism affects 1 in 100 people.
When most people think of autism the usual stereotypical traits come to mind including obsessive interest in specific topics, repetitive and restrictive behaviors, lining up toys, communication difficulties and public outbursts. However, these traits do not represent the full spectrum of people with autism.
Autism has long been thought to affect girls and boys disproportionately with boys four times more likely to be diagnosed than girls. One reason for this massive underdiagnosis in females is a phenomenon known as autism masking whereby a person disguises their autistic traits to 'fit in' with their neurotypical peers. This is very damaging to the individual and is basically their coping mechanism resulting in constant exhaustion, loss of identity and mental health issues.
For both Eve and I, our challenges due to Autism impact our lives every single day.
However, being outdoors in nature, be that in wind, sun, rain or snow, whether hiking in the mountains or wild swimming, we both just feel happy and free!
JUST GIVING PAGE
You can see our Just Giving page here, thank you.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast, and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
FOLLOW US (AND SUBSCRIBE)...PLEASE!
We will be RECORDING the whole trip and publishing it on social media including Facebook & YouTube.
- Facebook - we already have a Facebook page with several thousand followers that you can Like and Follow @ Facebook
- YouTube - we are starting a YouTube channel, so please Subscribe @ YouTube
- Website - we have started a very basic website @ Our Spectrum Adventures
ABOUT EVE & IAN
Eve is home educated and therefore we will be continuing to home educate her on our journey.
The trip was Eve's idea. Eve is an awesome child (I am biased!), with an ambition to match her massive personality. She has already decided that she wants to climb Mt Everest when she is older. She has a poster of Mt Everest right above her bed so that it is the first thing she sees every morning and the last thing she sees every night.
Through the NHS we both have a formal diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
One of my biggest challenges with autism is social interaction and communication. So I have started a YouTube channel!
OUR SUPPORT, STRENGTH, RESILIENCE, AND ROCK - SARAH
We could not do this without the support of Sarah; Eve's mum and my wife. Sarah will be supporting us throughout our journey by trying to meet up with us every couple of weeks to help with supplies, cleaning clothes and cuddles. Sarah is the most amazing kind, caring and patient person anybody could ever meet, and I am honored to be able to call myself her husband!
HOW CAN YOU HELP US
We are asking for donations to help us with some of the day-to-day costs (and a few treats for Eve) such as a hot meal, replacing worn-out shoes, and putting a smile on Eves's face with a few treats!
Emotionally, it would fantastic and mean so much to us to be able to give Eve an occasional cold drink or ice cream, being able to tell her it is from the people who support what she is doing and what she is trying to do!
- GoFundMe - You can see our GoFundMe page here thank you.
- BuyMeACoffee - I have set up a Buy Me A Coffee page... for a cup of coffee, thank you!
- (I was unsure about using PayPal) but thought people might feel more confident with PayPal than Buy Me A Coffee/GoFundMe.
THANK YOU TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU...
Just knowing that you are looking at our Go Fund Me page means more to us than you will ever know.
Have a great day and thank you again
Ian, Eve & Sarah
XXX
Organizer
Ian Alderman
Organizer
Scotland