The National Autistic Society’s Autism Hour, supported by The Entertainer, is launching this October.

The National Autistic Society’s Autism Hour has partnered with The Entertainer to launch Autism Hour 2019. Together they are encouraging other shops, businesses and shopping centres across the UK to hold Autism Hours throughout the second week of October (5th-12th).

Since the National Autistic Society launched Autism Hour in 2017, 16,000 shops and businesses have joined the campaign and over 38,000 autism friendly hours have taken place. As a result of the campaign, stores such as The Entertainer have committed to regular hours throughout the year.

An Autism Hour involves shops and businesses:

• Turning down music and other noise: where possible, in-store tannoy announcements and other controllable noises are reduced.
• Sharing information about autism with employees: The National Autistic Society will provide information about autism to help staff make a customers experience a positive one.
• Dimming the lights: wherever possible, whilst maintaining a safe environment, lights should be dimmed or switched off.
• Helping the public understand autism: during the week commencing 5th October, the National Autistic Society will be asking participating shops and business to share information about autism with their customers.

Gary Grant, founder and executive chairman of The Entertainer, said: “We are delighted to sponsor the National Autistic Society’s Autism Hour for the second year. We always strive to make our stores a happy place for people to visit and so it is imperative that we adapt our in-store environment to create a more comfortable space for autistic people. We hope by supporting Autism Hour in addition to running our own Quiet Hour initiative, more families will feel confident when it comes to shopping with us.”

Find out more about the National Autistic Society’s Autism Hour and how to get involved by visiting the website.