Cafe is giving autistic teens a safe place to meet
Paisley coffee shop supports young folk with its new sessions
Big-hearted staff at a Paisley cafe have started a weekly autismfriendly night after a worried mum appealed for help.
Blend Coffee Lounge, in Causeyside Street, sets aside two hours on a Tuesday night to allow young people aged 16 and over, who are on the on the autism spectrum, to interact with each other.
People with autism often find it hard to relax in noisy places where there are lots of people, leading to isolation.
Paisley mum Fiona Milne, whose two sons Graeme and David have the disorder, decided to approach the cafe and the team at Renfrewshire Carers Centre after David told her he was lonely.
She explained: “David has got autism and he got very, very lonely during the week.
“There is not an awful lot in Paisley for people with autism to do at night.
“We’ve been to this coffee shop a couple of times, we did an autism walk from here and the staff were really nice to David and the other people with autism.
“So I sent the owner an email to say if we could have an autism- friendly coffee shop.
“It’s just for David and other boys and girls and to come down and hopefully meet some new friends.
“Quite often people who don’t understand can be quite rude, so this is just a place where teenagers can come down and feel safe.
“The Carers Centre are fantastic and they are going to help facilitate everything.
“It’s fantastic and it’s hopefully going to break the social isolation that people with autism live with on a daily basis.”
Alan Baird, managing director of Blend Coffee Lounge, says it is company’s aim to make the space as inviting as possible to everyone.
He added: “Blend was always created to be a space for the community. “A safe space - for anyone and everyone. “Being able to open up our doors or enable those with autism to gather around the campfire of coffee is important to us, as it is what Blend is all about – creating a community where people get to be together, share stories and enjoy the experience of doing life together.”
The autism friendly cafe runs on a Tuesday from 6pm to 8pm.
It’s fantastic and hopefully will break the social isolation