Author Richard Haslam Inspires at The Loddon Conference

We are incredibly proud to share the inspiring journey of Richard Haslam. Richard is an author and uses our services in Penwortham. He recently presented at The Loddon Conference.

Richard delivered two well-received back-to-back workshops titled ‘Richard’s Journey to Becoming an Author’—a memorable opportunity for him to share his story and significant achievements.

The Loddon Conference and awards evening is an annual two-day event. Loddon Training Consultancy is Autism Initiatives’ chosen training provider for PROACT-SCIPr-UK®.

Richard’s journey highlights the transformative power of the support he receives from the Autism Initiatives team at Braid Close in Penwortham. Since meeting the team in 2020, Richard’s Quality of Life has flourished, and he has been able to fully realise his artistic and literary aspirations.

Reflecting on the experience, Richard shared his increased confidence and the joy of presenting his life story and books:

“Speaking at the Loddon Conference was a memorable experience that will last a lifetime… With the support of those who you love and care about, anything is possible.”

“Beforehand I felt nervous but still confident due to doing lots of planning with the team… Afterwards, I felt even more confident. The best part was getting to showcase my life story and my books.”

Richard has published six books in his young adult series, ‘Now.Here’, which he also completely illustrates himself. The series kicked off with ‘Kiona the Gardenian’, an exciting story enjoyed by teenagers and young adults, which follows heroine Kiona and her friends through a post-apocalyptic, alternate 18th century.

During his conference presentation, Richard spoke candidly about the difficulties he has faced and how coming to Autism Initiatives in March 2020 profoundly improved his Quality of Life.

The presentation itself was a collaborative effort, co-designed and featuring slides created by Richard, information provided by his mother, Christine, and formatting support from Gareth, an Autism Inclusion Practitioner. The final structure was put together with Group Coordinator of PBS, Tiah Houghton.

Following the workshops, Richard was interviewed by Spectrum Radio Station, further showcasing his journey. He was also presented with an award for doing his workshops, and gave his acceptance speech in front of a large audience.

Richard’s parents, Christine and Martin Haslam commented:

“We were genuinely impressed with the way Richard conducted himself whilst presenting his two back to back workshops and whilst sharing his acceptance speech in front of a large audience at the conference. He made us very proud”

Tiah Houghton, who has worked alongside Richard for almost six years, echoed this pride:

“I’m so proud of Richard. I think he’s an inspiration to everyone who’s fortunate enough to meet him. He continues to blow me away in every interaction no matter how big or small.”

Richard is already focused on the future, announcing his plans for the publication of a seventh book – perfect for a Christmas gift!

You can purchase Richard’s books on Amazon.