One of our main aims here at Bristol Autism Support is to connect parents and carers of autistic people with each other. We want to create supportive safe spaces where we can share information with no judgement. It can make all the difference talking through things with people who truly get it. Our in person coffee mornings are casual opportunities to meet other parents and carers along with our team. No need to book just turn up on the day.
Where?
Our North Bristol Meet up is at Grupo Lounge, Westbury-on-Trym, 8 Canford Lane, Bristol BS9 3DH. Grupo is part of the Lounges group, they are a restaurant / bar so can be busy / noisy although we hold our groups at their quieter times of day. We use a table on the ground floor next to the entrance. There is on street parking locally as well as parking near the doctors surgery on Westbury hill and another car park behind the Co-op on Westbury Court Road.
Who will be there?
Our North Bristol meet up is hosted by team members from Bristol Autism Support / Autism Central South West, the team you can expect to meet include Lizzie our Peer Educator / Wrap Around Co-ordinator who is pictured on the left below. Lizzie is also joined by our Volunteers pictured on the bottom right below Debra (bottom left) and Donna (bottom right). All of our team have lived experience and look forward to meeting you.
Who is the session for?
The sessions are for parents and carers of autistic people (any age), no diagnosis is required / any level of support need. Many people come whilst they are exploring if their family member may be autistic.
People come to our coffee mornings and meet ups for all kinds of reasons:
* To ask for advice and support. If the team can’t advise you, they will be able to signpost you to someone who can.
* To chat to other parents and carers of autistic children and share their experiences with people who understand.
* To meet others and make new friends.
* To feel seen and heard.
What to expect
When you arrive look for our A4 sized ‘BAS Meet Up’ sign on the table – pictured below, there will usually be 1-2 team members who will be wearing lanyards that say Bristol Autism Support. Team members will say hello and introduce themselves, if we have a few people arrive at once it may take them a moment to get to you but please take a seat at the table and say hi to other parents and carers.
Join us at the table and our team will purchase you a drink, you can see a full drinks menu here (please note we are unable to purchase alcoholic drinks or food but very happy to get you a tea, coffee or soft drink). As it is a drop in meet up numbers vary at each session but generally we get around 1-10 people at each session. There is no pressure to share anything, unless you want to. The team and other parents and carers are friendly and the atmosphere is very supportive.
It can be hard to come along for the first time so if you are nervous or anxious about coming and want to talk in advance you can get in touch with Lizzie on Lizzie@bristolautismsupport.org
When?
During term time we hold our North Bristol meet ups fortnightly on Fridays from 10am -11am:
- 4th April 2025
- 2nd May 2025
- 16th May 2025
You can check dates and details here.
Do I need to book?
There is no need to book our coffee mornings or meet up groups you can just show up on the day. You are welcome to bring a friend / family member with you. The sessions are designed for peer to peer support. You are able to bring your children with you but keep in mind these are often in public spaces and activities are not provided for them and they will be exposed to the conversations.
Bristol Autism Support hold a variety of coffee mornings and meet ups, find out more here.
If you have an autistic loved one of any age and are struggling, you can book onto our free information sessions on the Autism Central Website here. Or use this link to arrange a free 1-2-1 support call with us.
