TODAY marks the start of World Autism Awareness Week, aimed at increasing understanding of a condition that affects 64,000 people in the North-East alone.

There’s nothing that aids understanding more than being in the company of someone having to cope with the challenges of autism, and last week I spent an hour in Darlington with single mum Em Wright.

Em, from Staindrop, has two autistic sons – Noah, five, and Isaac, three – and just a short time in her company underlined why it’s so important to raise awareness of the issues people like her face every day.

The purpose of our meeting was to highlight the efforts Darlington is making towards becoming “autism-friendly”. In December, businesses in the town centre began trialling a monthly “Quiet Hour” on Sundays, with music and children’s rides turned off to create a calmer atmosphere. From yesterday, Darlington went a step further by making the initiative weekly. Between 10.30am and 11.30am every Sunday, the town centre will be a quieter, more relaxed place to help those with autism, many of whom struggle with sudden noises.

A host of shops, the Dolphin Centre, and Vue cinema have signed up to the initiative, in partnership with the North East Autism Society, with staff being trained to be more understanding.

Em acknowledges that it’s a step forward but there remains a long way to go, and the difficulties she faces soon became clear.

She can’t even attempt venturing into the town centre with Isaac because his condition is too severe. Noah, meanwhile, was in a pushchair and wearing ear-phones, leading me to make the common mistake of thinking he was listening to music. The truth is he simply needs the ear-phones to block out noise.

Before we stopped to chat in a cafe, Em had to buy Noah his favourite Lego figures to distract him. She’s learned to adapt to her sons’ needs and her patience is admirable.

She left me with the feeling that Darlington deserves credit for what it’s doing. But anyone who has ever shopped with children will know how time flies. Once you’ve parked up, got the pushchair out, and gone into one or two shops, an hour has flashed by.

So, if Darlington is really serious about branding itself as an autism-friendly town, it has to be much more than a token effort. Hopefully, this is just the beginning. Let one hour become two hours, then see how far each step takes us.

JONATHAN Raiseborough has suffered with autism all of his young life – Asperger’s Syndrome and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder to be precise.

I met the Darlington 19-year-old two years ago when he won a “Vibe Award” for his artwork at school, and it led to us working together on a children’s book called Snowdrop The Spikeshuffler.

Jonathan’s illustrations have now been animated by Teesside University graduates Stephanie Hodges and Johnny Stafford. With Jonathan supporting the project as art director, the animations will be used by the North-East Autism Society as educational aids in schools, college and workplaces.

On Thursday, Jonathan will go back to his first school, Firthmoor Primary, for the official unveiling of the animations – and I’ll be very proud to be by his side.

THANK you to everyone who turned out last Wednesday night at the Park Head Hotel in Coundon to hear me speak (and, more appetisingly, tuck into pie and peas).

The evening, organised by Bishop Auckland Rotary Club, raised £533 for the Bishop Auckland and Darlington MRI Scanners Appeal appeal, with newsagent extraordinaire Graham Sheldon pulling the strings.

It was also a pleasure to meet Rotary Club president Keith Black for the first time and to discover how he’s made his life add up.

A Darlington lad, he delivered The Northern Echo to almost every house on his paper round and grew up as a Quakers’ fan, playing football in the Northern League and Auckland District League along the way.

His professional life has revolved around maths, teaching the subject for 40 years, starting at Ferryhill and finishing at the International School of Geneva.

At nigh on 74, Keith, right, now works for Cambridge International Examinations, a role which has taken him around the world, including Namibia, Lesotho, Hong Kong, China, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.

That’s sum life.

STILL strumming up support for the scanner appeal, Keith’s organising a Ukulele Night at Shildon Civic Centre on April 21.

The Stockton to Darlington Ukulele Express will be performing and the menu is even more appealing, with not just pie and peas but chips as well.

Tickets are £15 and can be booked through Keith on 07761 864591 or at k.black@sky.com

HAVING talked at the Park Head Hotel about the difference local papers like The Northern Echo can make, it was a particular pleasure to discover how much of a difference it’s made to Marjorie and Will Reah.

The Eaglescliffe couple came over to let me know that The Northern Echo had actually brought them together, through the old Two’s Company dating page. Joyfully, they’ve now been married for 16 years.

Love is...your local paper.