05/09/2026
❤️ A VERY BIG THANK YOU FROM SUNBEAMS ❤️
As CEO of Sunbeams Community Hub, I wanted to personally say a huge thank you to everyone who helped make our Celebration of Autism Festival such a lovely day.
There are so many people who deserve our thanks.
Firstly we need to recognise that without people being prepared to open their gates, give their time and simply say “yes, we’ll help”, events like this couldn't happen. Judith and Paul — from all of us at Sunbeams, thank you for once again welcoming us to Highfield Farm and making the day possible
Then theres our amazing Sunbeams staff and volunteers. Many gave up their own time to help run the event, man stalls, welcome visitors, set up, pack away and do the hundreds of little jobs that go into making an event like this happen. I am incredibly proud of the team we have at Sunbeams.
A huge thank you also goes to our Trustees, who didn't just support the event from behind the scenes — they were right there beside us on the day, serving, helping and taking the time to chat with visitors. That support means a great deal to me personally and to Sunbeams.
Thank you to Babs, The First Aid Lady, who very kindly donated her time to keep everyone safe throughout the event.
A special thank you to the YFD Mobile Entertainment Escape Room team, who not only brought their fantastic mobile escape room but stayed afterwards and rolled up their sleeves to help us pack everything away. That unexpected kindness at the end of a very long day was certainly appreciated. The Autism Reality Experience for for helping some of us gain more awareness of the sensory difficulties faced by those with autism and Isys Mascots for adding that extra bit of fun.
Thank you to the councillors who came along to support us, or took the time to send their good wishes for the day. Knowing that people within our wider community are behind what we are trying to achieve means so much.
To every stallholder, attraction, entertainer and organisation who joined us — thank you for being part of our day and helping us create such a varied event for our visitors.
And, of course, everyone who provided our live entertainment throughout the day.
Lucy Short who did a fantastic job hosting the festival as well as taking to the stage herself.
All of our wonderful bands and musicians who gave their time and talent to entertain us.
And a very special mention to Raoul & Tim from the Floating Greyhounds, who quite literally sang us out at the end of the festival!
Most importantly, thank you to every single person who came through the gates. Whether you stayed for an hour or spent much of the day with us, we hope you enjoyed being part of our Celebration of Autism.
The purpose of the day was exactly what its name said — to celebrate autism, diversity, inclusion and our wonderful community. Seeing children, young people, adults and families enjoying themselves together made all the hard work worthwhile.
There will always be things we learn from organising a new event, but today I am simply incredibly grateful to everyone who stood beside Sunbeams and helped make the day happen.
From me personally, and from everyone at Sunbeams Community Hub...
THANK YOU. 🌈❤️
