For children and their families affected by Autism, lockdown has been especially difficult. Important coping mechanisms such as familiar routine, activities and lessons were disrupted. At a time when all charities had their hand out, we had to find a groundbreaking way to get people’s attention and donations to help them. Low awareness of autism and its challenges meant we needed to translate these difficulties into something that people could easily understand and empathise with. So, with best-selling children’s author Kes Gray (“Oi Dog”) and illustrator Chloe Batchelor we created a storybook to help explain lockdown to children affected by autism. Crucially, it was a story that all children could relate to and enjoy. It was available to download on the AaA website alongside a CTA to donate and was promoted in donated social, digital and outdoor via MSix. We smashed our target of £500k inside three months of activity.
