This World Autism Awareness Week award-winning arts charity Create ran sculpture and photography workshops at Ealing’s Springhallow School, a special school for pupils with a diagnosis of autism, including Asperger's syndrome.

Part of Create’s creative:connection programme, the workshops, which began in February, enabled the Springhallow pupils to work collaboratively, build trusting relationships with each other and develop their creativity, social skills and confidence.

Create’s Co-Founder & Chief Executive, Nicky Goulder, said: “Collaborating on creative arts projects is such an effective way of stimulating interaction, ideas and self-expression.

“This is particularly important for those whose access to creative opportunities can be limited.

“The fact that the last two sessions of creative:connection fell during Autism Awareness Week gives us a great opportunity to raise awareness about how much creativity benefits children and young people with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

“We would like to thank John Lyon’s Charity for making the project possible.”

Create’s professional artist Jenny Leonard and photographer Tracey Fahy guided the young people through the process of creating sculptures, some of which are now standing in Springhallow’s school garden.

Simultaneously, the pupils photographed their work, experimenting with composition techniques and the use of light and shadow.

Engaging in these two complementary art forms gave the pupils the opportunity to develop a broad range of creative and technical skills, and encouraged them to feel pride in their creations.

According to The Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People’s Services, people with disabilities are less likely to take part in cultural activities and more likely to experience bullying. creative:connection offers the Springhallow pupils an opportunity to develop confidence, supportive relationships, self-esteem and creativity to help counter these barriers.

At the end of the creative:connection programme, on March 31, a sharing of the sculptures, taking place in the school garden for an audience of Springhallow pupils and staff, strengthened the pupils’ self-esteem and the supportive relationships developed during the workshops.