A CHARITY that supports autistic children and their families has been given a £12,000 boost from a housing association.

The centre for Halton Autistic Family Support Group (HAFS) in Runcorn has been given a makeover worth £5,400 by Halton Housing Trust.

The building on High Street was painted and consulting rooms and meeting rooms refurbished.

A new floor was laid and electrics upgrades.

Extra storage units have been fitted.

The transformation took just two weeks.

Paul Whittaker, HAFS family centre manager, said: “To see so many Halton employees volunteer their time to refresh the centre is fantastic.

“We are extremely thankful for all the support they have offered.

“The improvements will help families immensely by providing a brighter, cleaner and more inviting space with much improved facilities.

“Not only have Halton Housing improved the only autism specific community centre in the area, they have given us a new website, improved our logo and improved autism awareness throughout the borough.”

Every year the trust pledges support of materials and labour to their charity of the year.

Cheryl McCabe, Halton Housing’s corporate social responsibility officer said: “We have been working with HAFS for nearly a year and by March 2018 will have donated around £12,000 through fundraising, expertise and materials.

“We raised over £4,000, built and designed a website, developed branding, and marketing expertise on social media.

“It is exciting to finish the year with such an exciting project, refurbishing HAFS premises. “We are thankful to Travis Perkins and Noble Construciton who have kindly donated materials for the renovations and have used 45 days worth of Halton Housing employees time over a two-week period to complete the work.”

HAFS is a support group which provide families affected by autism with a wealth of support.

They organise fun days out, advocacy services to help vulnerable families when dealing with local and national statutory bodies, advice, knowledge sharing and providing families with a safe environment for relaxation and play.

HAFS relies on donations and any profit they make from their charity shop.

Halton Housing has contributed the equivalent of £200,000 to various charities over the past 10 years.

The trust has provided makeovers and refurbishment projects at Widnes and Runcorn Cancer Support Centre, Halton Haven Hospice, Norton Priory Museum and Gardens.

Any charities who have a project they think could benefit from Halton Housing Trust’s support can send details to cheryl.mccabe@haltonhousing.org.