A YATE café owner is throwing a party for autistic children, many of whom have never been invited to parties before.

Karen Clark, owner of Cupcake Fashion tea room based at Ridgewood Community Centre on Station Road in Yate, is holding a party on Sunday, September 2 between 11 am and 5pm for a group of twenty children on the autistic spectrum.

The party at Cupcake Fashion tea room, which will include fun-filled events such as a bouncy castle, games and party bags, was arranged after Karen read an article online about a boy with autism who had never been invited to a children's birthday party.

Autism is a lifelong, developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with and relates to other people, with autistic children often being misunderstood due to their different way of interacting with the world around them.

Karen said: “I read the article about the little boy and it broke my heart.”

“So, I put a post on Facebook asking any parents if their autistic children would like to go to a party, and so many mums got straight in touch.”

For Karen, holding the party is very personal, following the recent death of her sister.

Karen said: “My nephew is autistic and disabled, and last year his mum – my sister – died.”

“She was the one I would have asked about how to hold a party for autistic children, but instead I had to do a lot of research and that was the hardest bit of all.

“Autistic children can’t cope with certain things – like too much noise or light all at once – so I had to look into it all.”

Karen’s nephew is now 24-years -old, but has the mind of a three-year-old, and so requires significant support.

Of help for others on the autistic spectrum, Karen said: “I want to make sure, with the party, awareness of autism is raised, but it is good now that more is being done, like Morrison’s holding autism friendly shopping times for example – it’s getting better.”

The children’s party will be held at the Cupcake Fashion tea room in two stages on Sunday, with the first half starting at 11am for a three to six year age group, and the second party for a seven to ten year age group being held between 3 and 5pm.

For Karen, who has run the tea room with her daughter, Alice, for a year now, thinks that, due to the huge interest in the event, the party idea may be the first of many.

Said Karen: “We have had so many generous donations from local businesses, it means we could hold another party near to Christmas.

“I’m hoping that, if we get enough sponsors like we already have, we can hold a party for autistic children every month.”

For further details of this event, people can contact Karen on 07881738523 or go to the Cupcake Fashion tea room Facebook page.