W
L
PUTTING YOUNG READERS
IN THE PICTURE ABOUT AUTISM
A teenage illustrator is drawing on his own experiences to
raise awareness and understanding of autism.
Will Hawkes, from Little Sutton, was 16 when working with
Liverpool children’s author, Jude Lennon, he co-wrote his first
book featuring a character with autism.
‘Hal at the End of the Street’ was published in 2018, followed by
‘Hal and the Parties’ earlier this year.
A third book is in the pipeline, along with school assemblies,
with support from Redrow’s Ledsham Community Fund to help
spread awareness.
Will’s mum Jane explained: “Will wanted to give other young
people like himself a voice in literature and a character in books
that they could relate to. The books produced with Jude tell the
story of Hal, a teenager with autism. They were so well received
by students, parents and teachers that they decided to develop
additional stories.
“I’m qualified at Level 2 Understanding Autism and so, working
with Jude, we want to take our autism awareness message
further and hold school assemblies to promote the message,
using the books to introduce the subject. It will benefit children
with autism and learning difficulties and benefit neuro-typical
children by helping them understand their classmates and the
wider condition.”
Will is studying arts and media at college and, as part of the course,
he’s undertaking a work placement at Storyhouse in Chester. He
is also taking part in a 12-month mentorship programme with
Comics Youth, a Liverpool-based community interest company,
during which he will write a story and produce a comic.
“At the start of the publishing process when Will was illustrating
the stories he lacked confidence and didn’t want his photo taken
or to talk to anyone about the books. His confidence has really
grown – he’s like a different person having had the success of
publishing two books and sharing his story. The opportunities he
now has in front of him are amazing and part of that comes from
working on the books,” Jane added.
The £1,100 gifted to the project by Redrow will be used towards
publishing costs and to facilitate four school assemblies.
Elaine Mounsey, area sales manager for Redrow Homes (NW),
said: “Will is a really inspiring young man and it’s great to see that
he’s using his creative talents to raise awareness about an issue
that means so much to him. This autism awareness initiative is a
fantastic cause and we hope that the support from our Ledsham
Community Fund will help spread the message amongst not just
those living in the immediate area, but the wider community.”
Redrow’s voluntary community funds have seen around £25,000
shared amongst various projects local to its Ledsham Garden
Village. This is in addition to the £13 million the company
is investing in the local area to support the growth of the
neighbourhood where up to 2,000 new homes are being built.
For more information about Ledsham Garden Village see
www.redrow.co.uk/oaklandsledsham or call 0151 515 6417.
Hal’s Books are available via Amazon. Schools can contact the
team via [email protected].
For more information about Hal’s Books or to arrange an autism
awareness assembly see https://halsbooks.co.uk.
wirrallife.com 29