Contact us:
The Toby Henderson Trust,
Toby House,
Earth Balance,
Bedlington,
Northumberland,
NE22 7AD
The Toby Henderson Trust,
The Autism Hub,
10 Gordon Street,
South Shields,
Tyne and Wear,
NE33 4JP
Latest News
Parent Carer Forum Conference
Recently some of the team enjoyed a day out to attend the Northumberland Parent Carer Forum annual conference hosted in Cramlington. The theme this year was deep rooted in parent/carer wellbeing and the importance of that, with some amazing guest speakers to give lots of top tips. We were thrilled to be asked to give a brief overview of “Energy Accountancy” to everyone and it’s certainly a concept that our whole team love talking about. It’s brilliant for autistic individuals alongside the whole family too. If you weren’t able to join the conference and would like to learn more about parental wellbeing please drop us an email to support@ttht.co.uk and we’d be happy to schedule a family support session.
Charity of the Year
Earlier this year we were absolutely thrilled to hear that TT Electronics in Bedlington had selected us as their charity of the year.
Recently Lynda and Sheila had the pleasure of visiting their site to speak to some of the staff about our services and perhaps more importantly, what their money will fund.
They had such a lovely morning & it was lovely to see so many people engaged with our service offer.
We are so appreciative of all their support and immensely proud to be their charity of the year.
Year in a Ballgown
It could be argued that a year can be seen as either a short time in life, or a very long time – and especially if day in, day out, you are doing something that is totally “alien” or “out of your comfort zone” often to the point of making you feel unwell. So welcome to the often tortuous world of autistic masking. To this end, throughout 2025 our friend and Mum, Jennifer Gane is showcasing the world of autistic masking (that she experiences on a daily basis) by spending this year dressed in a ballgown.
We are so happy to support Jen’s mission to spread autism awareness and acceptance of difference (and hopefully raising some funds for TTHT – yes, this is a sponsored event). Jen is totally committed to this despite her physical and emotional comfort zones being well and truly tested for the whole of 2025.
For further information Jen’s website is https://shorturl.at/N1Z1c and her Facebook page is Year in a Ballgown. For the recent BBC News article about Jen, click here.
How donations and fundraising efforts make a difference to our charitable services
This year it has been extremely difficult to secure any funding to run our charitable services here at The Toby Henderson Trust. These services include a range of sessions for families across the North East and beyond – both directly for the children and young people themselves (MATES and Siblings) 1:1 therapy sessions, our monthly book club, online families of autistic girls support group and online grandparents support group, borrow boxes and bags scheme and lastly, maintaining Toby’s Magical Garden and Toby House (and paying our rent and ever increasing utilities bills!).
We are so grateful to the families and local businesses that support us time and time again. They help to keep us going by attending our fundraising events, committing to online monthly donations, purchasing gifts from our Amazon Wishlist, taking part in (and giving to…) sponsored events, making donations in memory of a loved one, holding fundraising events, and volunteering their time and support.
There are a number of ways you can help us to continue these valuable services.
If you’re wondering where your money goes and how it helps us here at The Toby Henderson Trust here are some examples of the way your money could be re-invested into our charitable service offer:
⭐£3 would fund a cuppa for anyone visiting Toby House.
⭐£5 could pay for basic necessities that we need here at Toby House such as a pack of toilet roll (which we go through a lot).
⭐£15 will fund one young person to attend one of our Sibling Superstars sessions.
⭐£17.49 would pay for one business Zoom account per month (we currently have 6 accounts which are used for our non funded family support sessions).
⭐£20 could buy a game for us to use with our groups.
⭐£120 will fund an off-site activity such as Clip and Climb with one of our 4 monthly MATES groups.
⭐£150 could pay for one online support group for families of autistic girls.
⭐£780 would fund 12 therapy sessions with children which includes an initial intake with parents.
⭐A purchase of a gift from our Amazon Wishlist could provide us with a new book to use at our monthly book club group for families or a resource that we would incorporate into our sessions with children and young people. Not forgetting basic necessities that we need here at Toby House such as toilet roll, hand wash and paper hand towels.
We appreciate that times are hard and that’s why we appreciate every single penny that is donated to us because it makes a HUGE difference to our charity and allows us to continue all the services that we love to provide and that you tell us, that are invaluable to you.
PLEASE BE ASSURED THAT WHATEVER YOU GIVE, IT GOES DIRECTLY INTO MAKING THIS MAGIC HAPPEN.
Thank you from us all at Team Toby.