Alison Bethel is one of the founders and chairperson of Friends4Ever, a social club for children and young adults with ASN.
She has helped hundreds of families find a community with the group’s Friday night meet ups – a community that she says has helped support her own family.
The idea to start the support group came after Alison’s son Aaron was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at the age of four, and her and husband Stephen’s life was ‘changed’.
Alison Bethel helped found Friends4Ever in Greenock nearly 11 years ago (Image: Munro) Alongside a group of other parents who attended a previous club, the 54-year-old mum-of-two created a small children’s playgroup for parents and carers to connect while their young ones had a safe, judgment-free space to meet new friends.
Alison told the Tele: “After the first group folded, we realised that we had to continue because our kids relied on our meetings so much, but so did the adults.
“When Aaron was diagnosed it was a completely new to us and at some points, we felt lost, but by building this support system of people has been the best thing to happen.
“We wanted our kids do the same things as everybody else’s kids and experience life and have opportunities.
“Why should they miss out on a life of fun and friendship just because of their condition?”
Alison said 20-year-old Aaron has been her ‘inspiration’ the past 11 years while running Friends4Ever. She has watched his confidence grow and made ‘so many incredible memories’ with him because of what the group has been able to offer.
As well as the social club, the group members also go on summer holidays and day trips, with this year’s holiday seeing 44 people journey to Wales for a few nights’ respite.
Alison said the group has been a ‘labour of love’ for the past few years but despite the hard work to keep the group going, she says she is lucky to have a board of members who are passionate about ASN support in Inverclyde.
She added: “These parents have been on this entire journey with me and their dedication to supporting families is just incredible and it is all down to the love for the kids.”
Every week Greenock’s Westburn Parish Church is packed with parents and board members attending the Friday night club with their children but there’s also 16 volunteers that help out – support Alison says the club ‘couldn’t run without’.
To Alison, the Friday night club is ‘organised chaos’ as youngsters are free to roam around, take part in games, and perform the occasional spot of karaoke while the parents catch up with each other.
The group also offers people a chance to learn new skills.
Alison says as her son has aged, he now helps the other members and volunteers – but always makes sure to sing a song during karaoke.
When Aaron was at school, Alison recalls, she would worry about him making friends but now doesn’t need to worry because he will always have friends in the club.
She said: “I owe a lot to the club for helping build on Aaron’s social skills because it has given him the space to be independent.
“And that is still the same with the new members and I love now being able to watch other children grow and be supported the way we were.
“Most children before coming to Friends4Ever have never made friends because at school they find it difficult to express themselves or don’t fit in at other clubs, especially mainstream school kids.”
From ASN children as young as seven to young adults, Alison has seen members of all ages grow with the club and says everyone who attends are like ‘one big family’.
The group now has a waiting list of over 30 children as the news about how helpful the service is, something Alison says she ‘can’t believe’ and is grateful to have welcomed so many members over the years.
The group continues its busy schedule of summer fun and members look forward to an annual trip to Finlaystone this month.
Thankful Alison added: “For me, all I wanted was to do the best for my child and to be able to help others along the way has been amazing.
“When we started this over ten years ago, I never knew what it would become, and I feel so proud of all the board members who have helped keep our group running and helped created such a wonderful dynamic within the club.”
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