Our year of fundraising for Autistica

Charity runs at the heart of Sumo Digital, that’s why over the past 12 months, the team here at Sumo Warrington chose to support Autistica – the UK’s national autism research charity. We’re celebrating with a final fundraising push as our Studio Director - Scott Kirkland - virtually climbs the height of Mount Everest on a smart turbo trainer using the Zwift cycling app throughout the month of December – a challenge that he estimates will require 24 hours in the saddle!

Autistica focuses on giving autistic people the opportunity to live long, happy, healthy lives by funding research, shaping policy, and working with autistic people to understand their needs. They urgently need financial support to help them realise their visionary and ambitious goals for 2030.

Our activities began in late December 2020 when Scott set out to rack up 200 virtual miles whilst he was taking a festive break from the studio. Over the 2-week period, he exceeded the target by 50 miles and raised £1,046 for Autistica!

Later in the year, Sumo Warrington was part of Sumo Digital’s ‘The Big Day In’. This popular event (held virtually due to the pandemic) included online escape rooms, quizzes and gaming sessions. It culminated in a raffle with prizes including games consoles, smartwatches and celebration hampers, with a proportion of proceeds going to Autistica.

Over the summer, the studio joined Autistica’s celebration of International Friendship Day, recognising that digital relationships – often established through video games and their online communities – make socialising, exploring, building confidence, and making friends much more accessible to autistic people.

The team at Sumo Warrington baked a selection of tasty wares to share with fellow tenants at The Base (where the studio is located). In tandem with this, Scott took to his bike again (with a couple of virtual cycling friends) to cover another 100 miles for the charity over a long weekend, raising a further £486.

Looking back on the year, Scott Kirkland said: “I’m so proud that Sumo Warrington has raised almost £2,000 – an amount I hope we’ll exceed before the end of December - towards Autistica’s vital research. A HUGE “thank-you” from the team to everybody who’s supported and contributed to our fund-raising efforts throughout the year!”

“The work that Autistica does is incredibly close to all of our hearts, and the awareness they raise creates a more inclusive, brighter and healthier future for neurodiverse and autistic people.”

“There’s a more personal angle for me as one of my own children was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome some years ago. With help, he’s made incredible progress, but he still faces many challenges. This perspective and the knowledge that many people aren’t as fortunate as we’ve been inspired me to champion Autistica and strive to make Sumo Warrington the best possible environment for neurodivergent technical talent.”

Alice Cooper, Corporate Partnerships Officer at Autistica, said: “We’re really grateful for all of the support you’ve given us throughout another challenging year for the charity sector.

“We’ve recently launched our visionary and ambitious 2030 Goals and it’s only through the support of amazing people and organisations like Sumo Warrington that we’ll be able to achieve them.

“Thank you so much for helping us enable breakthroughs to allow autistic people to live happier, healthier, longer lives.”

You can support our team on our fundraising journey by visiting our JustGiving page.

For more information on how you can support Autistica, please visit: https://www.autistica.org.uk/

Sumo Warrington has loved the opportunity to fundraise for Autistica and wants to thank its team for all their hard work.

Looking to work for a studio that gives back? Sumo Warrington is currently recruiting for a range of roles. More information on all opportunities can be found here.