Neurodivergent Dorchester

12/05/2026

Love to see this!

30/04/2026

On Tuesday last week we celebrated our one year anniversary!

Take a look at what we've achieved over our first year in this excellent booklet that one of our lovely members put together.

17/04/2026

Our little group is celebrating our one year anniversary and you are invited!

We have over 470 members in our Facebook group and around 30 people that regularly attend our in person social meets.

Tuesday 21st April
12noon to 4pm
The King's Arms

This will run in the same way our usual social meets do - it will be relaxed and people are welcome to drop in or out at any time.

If you've been curious about our meets this would be a good opportunity to come and say hi and find out what we're all about!

If you'd like to join the group you can find it here 👉 Neurodivergent Dorchester - Community Group

08/04/2026

This morning we were visited by the incredible Cerys Bradley and their talented artist friend Hana for a wonderful 'Choose Your Own Adventure Story' workshop!

From Alchemist ducks with belly's full of daisy's to getting a job at Ikea (finally).

The creativity was flowing, stories were written and Zines were made, there was even a castle!

Thank you Cerys and Hana! And thank you to The King's Arms for the lovely venue!

You can find Cerys on Instagram here 👉 https://www.instagram.com/hashtagcerys

And you can find Hana on Instagram here 👉 https://www.instagram.com/hana_sciart

27/03/2026

This sounds incredible! Wishing all at Cow & Apple the very best of luck with this 👍

We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who offered advice and support while we planned our Sensory Friendly Evening 💛

We’re pleased to announce that our first event will take place on Monday 20th April from 4:30pm.

This will be a booking-only event, as we’ll be limiting numbers to allow extra space between tables and create a more comfortable environment.

We’ll be offering a special event menu in a “build your own” style, with foods served separately. This menu will include pictures and will be sent to guests around two weeks before the event. You’ll have the option to pre-order for quicker service, or order on the evening. Our main menu will also be available.

If helpful, we can also send photos of the restaurant and facilities ahead of your visit.

On the evening, we’ll have:
• No music
• Fidget toys available
• Space between tables
• Friendly, trained staff
• A relaxed, safe, and judgement-free space

As this is our first event of this kind, there may be some trial and error, and we really welcome any feedback to help us improve. This first event is open to both adults and children, and we hope to run more in the future, possibly with separate sessions.

For more information or to book, please email:
📧 [email protected]

26/02/2026

What is neurodiversity?

Monday 9th March

2pm to 3:30pm

Come and join us at the Shire Hall Museum as we explore what neurodiversity is and what it means to be neurodivergent.

This event will be suitable for anyone regardless of your current knowledge level.

We meet in the conference room at the back of the cafe which is accessible via a lift near the main reception.

There will be time at the start to get a drink, find a place to sit and get settled.

We will then start our discussion which will be led by me (Hollie) and aided by some slides and a projector!

The vibe will be informal and relaxed with an emphasis on information sharing with no obligation to participate and no expectations.

We will wrap up around 3:15 to allow time after to chat as we gather our things.

If you'd like to join the community group for further updates you can do so by clicking here 👉 Neurodivergent Dorchester - Community Group

04/12/2025

Next week our second talk at the Shire Hall Museum !

This time we will be discussing the importance of neurodivrsity in the workplace.

We will also learn about reasonable adjustments and employment rights.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

26/11/2025

Here are some pictures from our Sensory Painting event at The Crafty Cuppa.

It was such a joy to share this way of painting and processing the sensory experience.

Painting in this way can be challenging as the aim is to 'feel' your way through rather than think about a 'picture'.

As a late diagnosed autistic person I have spent many years being told my sensory experience is either wrong or 'too much' and so I eventually became detached from it. It took me a long time to realise that a lot of my 'anxiety' was in fact due to sensory overload.

Painting in this way helped me to reconnect with myself as a sensory being. I use it now to help me process difficult emotions and If I feel a build up of unexpected sensory load.

Thank you so much to everyone who attended, you were all so brave in getting stuck in and trying new things even if it was difficult.

Hollie

05/11/2025

03/11/2025

Next week!

Come and join us at Shire Hall Museum as myself and members of the community group talk about neurodiversity and neurodivergence.

Monday 10th November
2pm to 4pm
The Shire Hall

This event is open to all

[Text on image:

SHIRE HALL
MUSEUM, SHOP & CAFÉ

WHAT IS NEURODIVERSITY?

MONDAY 10TH NOVEMBER
2PM TO 4PM

THE SHIRE HALL MUSEUM

Join us for an afternoon in this special event where
members of the community will give brief talks on
neurodiversity; what it is, what it isn't and what it
means to be neurodivergent
There will be time before and after the talks to relax
and chat in the usual ND dorch way where we can
catch up with friends and have an opportunity to
meet new people. As with all our events there is no
obligation to participate.

NO NEED TO BOOK, JUST TURN UP ON THE DAY.
DROP IN AND CHAT FROM 2PM
TALKS STARTS 2:30
QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSIONS 3PM
REFRESHMENTS AND CHATS 3:30

SHIRE HALL
MUSEUM, SHOP & CAFÉ
HIGH WEST ST
DORCHESTER
DT1 1UY

[email protected]]