London Autistic Pride organiser to take on West Highland Way to raise money for Highland Autism Rights Group
An Englishman will be travelling north to walk the West Highland Way as part of a fundraising effort for a Highland-based autism charity.
Tunbridge Wells resident Joseph Redford, originally from Crowborough in East Sussex, will be taking on the 96-mile challenge to raise money for the Autism Rights Group Highland (ARGH), which he connected with at autism conference Autscape over a decade ago.
The pioneering charity have run the longest continuous Autistic Pride picnic, and were the first to light up landmarks such as Holyrood in Edinburgh in autistic friendly colours.
As a result, ARGH have been a source of advice for Mr Redford, who has helped organise Autistic Pride events at London’s Hyde Park and contributed to nationwide campaigns.
This particular escapade is part of a wider personal project to walk to all four extreme cardinal points on the United Kingdom mainland.
He has already ticked off southerly Lizard Point in Cornwall, and Lowestoft Ness in the east, with his two remaining points being Neist Point on the Isle of Skye (west) and Dunnet Head in Caithness (north).
Getting there from the south of England means travelling through Glasgow, so he has decided to take on the West Highland Way to make it to the north of Scotland.
Adding to his challenge, Mr Redford intends to stop off at every train station towards the cardinal points, meaning that on this trip the 40-year-old will either board or exit a train at every stop between Glasgow Charing Cross and Arisaig.
He will kick off the challenge on July 16, intending to complete it by the end of that month, with money raised going towards ensuring that ARGH can continue to provide crucial resources, campaigns, and support services.
Mr Redford said: “A lot of autistic-led groups have popped up in the UK in recent years, but their quality is variable as it's still a poorly regulated sector. ARGH seems like one of the few that keeps running and keeps running well without collapsing or turning toxic.
“Although I do these long distance walks for my own pleasure, I noticed that often people go on long distance walks to raise money for charities, and as I work in the field of autistic led activism, I'm more inclined to do this for autistic led disabled people’s organisation (DPO) rather than mainstream charities.
“I suggested this to several Autistic led DPOs, and ARGH were the most helpful and responsive. One of their members who lives in Kinlochleven offered to let me stay for the night when I walk through that area, and since I'll be walking through the area that ARGH serves it makes sense to raise money for Autistic people in these communities.
“I am Autistic myself and it influences most things that I do. I certainly have a very autistic tendency to hyper focus on certain things, and a determination to see them through, even if they are uncomfortable. It is a big undertaking to leave the house on some days, but it also means that if I set myself a challenge to walk 20 miles, I do it if it is physically possible.
“I don't do challenges like this in spite of my autism, but because of it.
“It's also problematic that autistic rights are dependent on the whims of those in power. A lot of charities sink or swim according to the whims of government funding – for example, Autism Understanding Scotland in Aberdeen collapsed two years ago because the Scottish government withdrew funding.
“I hope that in my own little way, that this action can encourage a culture of mutual support and autonomy amongst Autistic communities which in turn can lead them to be more resilient.”
Donate to Mr Redford’s fundraiser for ARGH here
