AIREBOROUGH Rotary Club had a sweet first-hand introduction to the work of an organisation helping people with autism into work by making chocolate.

The club had first come across the work of Autism Plus when Michelle Lumb, the group's social co-ordinator, gave a demonstration to members some time ago.

They have now been able to take up Michelle’s offer of a return visit to Autism Plus’s Park House Barns facility at Ampleforth, North Yorkshire.

Park House Barns provides training and placements for young adults in the heart of the North Yorkshire countryside.

The enterprise has been designed to offer a variety of roles for different levels of ability, from crafting, decorating and packaging chocolate, and also working outdoors in their horticulture centre, to administration and customer service.

For anyone that is unsure of what they want to do, this offers a valuable taster into different areas of work, with the chance to work to qualifications and learn new skills.

Autism Plus has a shared vision of supporting people with disabilities into work and an opportunity arose some time ago to present this view to the Ampleforth Abbey Trust.

The Trust’s immediate response was to offer currently redundant chocolate making equipment as well as the nearby Park House Barns as a potential working base. Since then artisan Belgian chocolate handcrafted by individuals with autism has become a flourishing enterprise.

Aireborough Rotary members were able to see chocolate making in action with full explanations and demonstrations of the complex process given by two of the people who work there, Johnny and Linda, proudly wearing their Rotary sponsored aprons.

An opportunity to taste the finished results was readily accepted by the visiting members! Corporate branded chocolates are now available in the shops of both the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and at Beamish, the living museum of the North. Their artisan chocolate branded gifts are perfect for events and campaigns.

Half of Michelle’s paid employees are on the autism spectrum and as well as offering an average of 160 placement sessions in the chocolate studio and horticulture centre to develop work skills, partnerships have been formed with local special schools.

A group of managers from Sky were working on the site on the day of the Aireborough visit

Aireborough took with them a further batch of 20 aprons and agreed to supply bespoke chef’s hats. Their support for this adventurous venture will certainly continue.

To learn more contact Michelle Lumb at www.autismplus.co.uk or chat online at www.parkhousebarns.co.uk