KATHERINE BAINBRIDGE
AN ex-professional boxer is swapping the ring for a literal box to raise awareness of autism.
Luke Saulino will spend 50 hours locked in a glass box outside Tesco in Portwood, Stockport, as part of the Locked in for Autism campaign from the charity Caudwell Children.
Now a manager at the Tesco Extra store, Luke, 36, will spend two-anda-half days eating, sleeping and living in the box, starting at noon on Thursday, March 30.
He said: “The idea is to raise awareness of autism as a condition, and let families know that they can get a diagnosis and help early on.
“The box signifies someone being cut off from the world and from other people, as often people with autism can struggle to communicate.
“It is also generally about mental health and I have a grandparent who suffers from schizophrenia, so it is a cause close to my heart – I jumped at the chance to do it.”
Luke says he is looking forward to the challenge, but is also somewhat apprehensive.
“Fifty hours with no TV, phone or anything to do is quite a long time,” he said. “I think it will be quite tough, but it is all in a good cause.
“I will get a five minute comfort break every few hours, but aside from that I will have to do everything inside the box.”
Representatives from Caudwell Children will also be on site throughout Luke’s sojourn in the box to give information about their own and other charities and collect donations.
Mark Bushell from the charity said: “We give a lot of support to families with children who have autism. One of the parents was trying to describe the condition, and she said it is like being in a goldfish bowl.
“Several other parents agreed with that metaphor, which got us thinking about it. There are so many families who don’t know where to turn to get help and we wanted to use the metaphor to take ourselves out into the public and help people understand it.”
He says that when they have done it elsewhere it has also served to bring people together, as people travel to see the box and talk about their own experiences.
For more information visit caudwellchildren. com/locked-in-forautism.