Happy New Year!

Looking back & looking forward.

Historic England proudly announced the addition of two new Grade 2 listed buildings in Huddersfield in late 2024. That’s two of just 17 awarded this last year. This is a wonderful achievement, and we have much to celebrate!

The first is the place where I was born. Princess Royal Maternity Hospital, built in 1928, is now a community hospital. I feel a sense of pride in its legacy, especially for its pivotal role in enhancing care for expectant mothers and children. It’s fascinating to learn that the strides made in care for the sick, inspired by the work of Florence Nightingale years earlier, eventually paved the way for significant advancements in maternal care well into the 20th Century, but not for 70 years.

The second contender hardly worth being called a “building”is just four feet tall! Believe it or not, this Grade 2 listed marvel is actually an electricity junction box from 1895—way ahead of its time for powering up a town. Who knew a box could make history?

Now onto this blog! Exciting changes took place last year when I transitioned from my other blog. The Kirklees Autism Group began its journey in November 2021, and with the wonderful support from Touchstone, who established a fantastic advocacy service for autistic adults. It was a joy to set up their website with their assistance! In 2023, while Touchstone faced funding challenges, Kirklees Council redirected those resources to Cloverleaf, creating new opportunities. This past year, Cloverleaf encouraged me to streamline our connection, leading to the decision to close the autismkirklees.org.uk website in November 2024. Though it was bittersweet after three years, I’m thrilled to have transferrd my copyright content to this blog, allowing me to focus on what truly matters. It’s a fresh start, and I’ve decided that writing in this new format will be a more sustainable and exciting endeavor for me!

This year I mean to keep on writing about autism, whether it is what is happening to me or autism being in the news again, and posting it here at least once a month. From February the first Monday’s post will be on the subject of neurodiversity. Watch out for Autism Mondays.

As for my life, I hope to write about what I am doing more too, outside an autistic or Christian framework, though as I am both autistic and Christian the lines are blurred. They are who I am.

To you all, may God bless you in 2025.