ADHDAF+ Charity Begins

BIG NEWS! Celebrating the very first ADHDAF+ Charity in-person Peer Support Group, happening on Wednesday 5th March 2025 - back where it all began - in Aberdeen, Scotland(!) AND introducing the Board of Trustees, and first Volunteer Peer Support Group Facilitator. 

Edinburgh, Cardiff and London groups will start in April 2025, with MANY MORE beginning in May and beyond...

ADHDAF+ Charity aims to connect and empower ADHD adults of marginalised genders in Scotland, England and Wales.
If you would like to Volunteer to host an in-person Peer Support Group in your local area, fundraise or donate to ADHDAF+ Charity, you can do so HERE

You can sign up to our newsletter by adding your email address at the bottom of our website to be the first to know about upcoming groups, events and more HERE

If you are an ADHD adult of marginalised gender and you happen to be anywhere near Aberdeen on Wednesday 5th March; come and connect with peers at Four Pillars Community Room, Regents Quay at 6pm at the first ever ADHDAF+ Charity Peer Support Group. 
 
Enormous thanks to the Board of Trustees, Volunteers, Fundraisers, ADHDAF Podcast Online Community Members, all event attendees and every single listener - YOU have helped make this happen! 
It has been a long old safari to get here, but WE DID IT!
THANK  YOU SO MUCH!
Laura 

* though ADHDAF Podcast, Online Community and ADHDAF Emporium all help to promote and raise funds for the Charity, ADHDAF+ is an entirely separate entity *

Transcript

  Hi, I'm Laura. Hi, I'm Sohayla Worth. My name is Kim Pierpoint.  I am Aishley Bell-Docherty. My name's Sam Bell Docherty. Hi, my name is Kirsty Mason. My name is Amanda Mears. And we are ADHDAF+ Charity.  Sorry, I couldn't resist! :)

So this is a very different episode to the last. Um, from the saddest episode to the happiest episode and one that has been a very long time coming. 

Finally,  ADHDF+ Charity is go! So firstly, I just want to thank everyone who reached out about the previous episode in honour of my mum. I am so incredibly grateful for all of the love and support I've received. And I just want to say, as I shared on socials, though, I continue to grieve the loss privately. Publicly, my focus is now on ADHDAF+ Charity. 

There is an enormous announcement incoming, but first...
ADHDAF+ Charity aims to connect and empower ADHD adults of marginalised genders in Scotland, England and Wales. Our vision is a society that works for ADHD adults of marginalised genders where they are accepted, respected and supported. 

Our name acknowledges the podcast roots of ADHDAF+ whilst recognising that gender is not binary. And that is why we use the term marginalised genders.
We work with and for ADHD adults of marginalised genders at any stage of their diagnosis or discovery, with a specific interest in those that have discovered or been diagnosed after the age of 18.

We are an inclusive community acknowledging intersectional barriers, and we believe in unity, understanding, and acceptance, and our approach is built on equity, representation, and respect.

So, an enormous announcement! The first in person peer support group is taking place a week today! So, on Wednesday the 5th of March, in the very city where this podcast began, Aberdeen, Scotland. 

This very first group will be hosted by volunteer facilitator and community legend.  Kirstie Mason at Four Pillars Community Room on Regents Quay at 6 p.m.  Though the details may change for future events, that is the confirmed date, time, and venue for March's group.  There's a link in the show notes to ADHD AF Plus charity website, and you will hear from Kirsty with more details about the monthly Aberdeen Support Group at the end of this episode, after hearing from the Board of Trustees.

But before all that, I have a bit more to share about the charity. I am now the founder and head of operations of ADHDAF+ Charity.  Now this podcast inspired the start of a Patreon peer support community. And through that community and the live events of ADHD AF podcast, I witnessed firsthand the life changing benefits of peer support. 

This chain of events inspired the creation of ADHD AF plus charity. But all of that said though, both this podcast and the online community helped to fundraise for the charity. ADHD AF plus charity is an entirely separate entity. And just as I am now, I will use this podcast to fundraise for the charity.

And to promote the peer support groups or any events that we have on but it doesn't work the other way around So just to be completely clear one more time Though the work of ADHDF podcast and ADHDF online community inspired the charity and both fundraise for it, the charity is its own separate entity and is not funding or promoting the podcast or online peer support community.

They are separate. We began on the charity application 13 months ago, back in January 24. I,  as ever, had naively hoped we'd have the peer support group started by spring of last year.  I had no idea how long all of this would take and how much work had to go in to getting us up and running. And as I've previously stated, enormous thanks again to Kat Owens, Annie Mack and James Robinson for all of their hard work with the application and the very early stages of the charity. 

Now, back in October, I stated that we would start the charity in England and then move into Scotland and Wales once we were up and running.  I also stated that we would begin by putting on events in various cities to make local connections in order to start out peer support groups. But then I realized that actually, not only have I already done exactly that with the podcast tours. 

But also, and not just due to my sentimentality, I realised it made far more sense to start in Scotland and Wales. The reason being,  although England remains in an absolutely terrible state, with diagnosis waiting times up to seven years in some parts of the UK, and I believe it's an estimated 190, 000 people in desperate need stuck on waiting lists, I realised that Scotland and Wales don't have The NHS right to choose option which dramatically cuts down the waiting times that we currently and say currently have in England.

So for those two reasons and a little bit of sentimentality, I changed the plan and turned my focus to getting Scotland and Wales up and running first in the very places that I've already made those connections through the podcast tours. And as I've been working on this behind the scenes for several months now, I was unaware of the rising issues in England that we now face with the NHS right to choose, as shared in last week's episode.

Nor did I have any inkling that Grampian was about to reduce assessment pathways in Aberdeenshire. As also shared in last week's episode. Anyway, all this to say, though plans have evolved and taken so much longer than I envisaged, thank God we are there now. Because we really need each other. Now more than ever.

Starting Wednesday the 5th of March.  We have an Aberdeen ADHD AF Plus peer support group for ADHD adults of marginalised genders hosted by volunteer facilitator Kirstie Mason. And from April, we have one in Edinburgh. Hosted by Nicole Nadler and  one in the Cardiff area hosted by Claire Wilson I hope to have the first of several London groups starting in April Also, this first one will be co hosted by volunteer facilitators Tracy Wilkes and Ruth Lester who Specified she wanted a Geeky Roo shoutout.

So there you go, Geeky Roo! After that, there are plans for the first one in the Greater Manchester area, hosted by Joel Charlton. One in the Birmingham area, hosted by Lou O'Connell. Again, we envisage there being multiple in these areas. There are also wheels in motion for one in Oxford, with Kirstie Witkowska. 

Reading, with Kim Pierpoint. And Cambridgeshire, with Donny Goode. And many more to come.  But as this long old safari has taught me, plans can change. So I'm being transparent with the plans as they stand today. But the specific dates of peer support groups will be available on our website in due course.

But if you head there now, all you will see is the first one. Which is taking place where it all began, the silver city of Aberdeen. The symbol of which, the lettered  being part of the inspiration of our Leopard Print Army uniform. For once, rather than spinning too many plates at once, both my speciality and my nemesis, we start with one.

And an enormous part of why I'm being so sensible for once in my life, and just starting with one, is because I have a board of trustees keeping me in line. The most brilliant bunch of people that I'm so grateful and lucky to have. So without further ado, I will stop rambling my other speciality and  introduce you to the Board of Trustees.

And in this first clip, you will also hear my voice, but it will become abundantly clear why.  My name is Amanda Mears and I am the chair of the Board of Trustees for the ADHD AF Plus charity.  You might have also guessed from my name that I'm Laura's mother in law and so that I will be attempting to keep her in check.

Before we met, is it fair to say you might have had some misconceptions or that you didn't really know that much about ADHD? It was the same as everybody else. It was children, the boys. Generally had ADHD and I knew friends who had children with ADHD and that's as far as I thought it went. But it, it can impact anybody.

Who came to the Christmas show. It was great to see the Leprechaun Army. Everyone having so much fun but also learning so much and all being part of that community. We made it so inclusive and, and fun and it was just like being at a party but everyone got so much from it. It wasn't just have fun, it was also learn and feel supported. 

Well, you know which my favourites are. It's the, what was the most ADHD? Oh, yes. Thing. But you might be slightly biased. I might be slightly biased, but.  Do you like leopard print?  Oh, God, yeah.  Hi, I'm Sohaila Worth, and I sit on the board of trustees for ADHD AF Plus charity, and my role is secretary.  In my day to day, I am a senior marketer and I work at a big media agency.

Um, and with me, I bring 18 years of experience across marketing, communications, and events. And I think that translates into my role at the charity in a number of ways, whether I'm consulting on marketing plans or PR and social media strategies, or even coming up for ideas for the peer to peer events. I think my goal really is to make sure that we're reaching the, uh, the audiences that need to hear from us the most.

ADHD is often, you know, misunderstood, and I think I'm really excited about helping the charity amplify its voice and break down stigmas while supporting the community. When Laura first got diagnosed with ADHD, she came to stay with me in Manchester.  And, um, so I really feel like I've been part of that journey,  um, since day one, and she would kill me for saying the word journey.

So, um, I've been part of the Safari Laura, but yeah, I've, I've been incredibly proud to see what's been achieved through the podcast,  through the live events and, and, you know, through the community as well.  I've joined the charity because I believe that more needs to be done for this community. I think the NHS is under an immense amount of pressure through no fault of its own.

Unfortunately, when that happens, um, the people that suffer the most are often the most vulnerable. Um, so it might be the people that are on the waiting list that might not have that support network around them, or people that they can relate to. Um, so I think this charity is Super important.  You know, I've already seen the incredible impact of ADHD AF, bringing people together, making people feel seen and heard and understood.

So I only just want to be part of making that impact even bigger. I'm proud to say I went to all of the Manchester ADHD AF shows and for me, they were incredibly emotional. Seeing people come to those events, leave the masks at the door, just be themselves, connecting with other people, being themselves.

People that they could just relate to and people that they could see themselves in. It's so special to see. If I was to pick a favourite podcast episode, I think it would have to be any of the, um, What's the most ADHD thing you've done this week? The way that people can just sort of like have a laugh at some of the things that maybe five years ago or maybe last year they would have been beating themselves up about, I think that's incredibly special and important.

I think ADHD can be really, really hard and really tough,  but coming together and actually going, you know what, I left the kettle in the fridge or you know, whatever that may be. I think that's really, really helped foster and  build like connections in the community. So, um, yeah, they're definitely my favorite.

I would love the world to know that ADHD is not a trend. And yes, there is a lot more people talking about ADHD,  and that is a really good thing. And I think I'd also love people to know that ADHDers have so many amazing qualities. They can be some of the most empathetic people that you'd ever meet. They can make you feel comfortable in 0.

5 seconds. They're some of the kindest people that you'd ever meet. But they also really need your support and understanding, and particularly in the workplace as well. ADHD AF plus means the world to me, um, I'm incredibly proud to have been asked to sit on this board and to bring my experience to help drive our plans forward.

Um, from what got started at the podcast in Aberdeen is now grown into something that's touched people across the world. Um, so I'm really excited about being part of this safari. Um, and I can't wait to see how many people we can help and where we can take it. Absolutely love Lapiprint. I'm currently wearing Lapiprint stock.

Hello, my name is Kim Peerpoint and I am the treasurer. What do I do for a living? Uh, which, which day of the week is it? So I run my own self employed business, which is a multitude of bits and pieces, ranging from  yoga classes, health and wellbeing sessions. I'm a menopause champion,  which requires lots and lots of administration in the background. 

And then I also have a paid role working for a, an awarding body as a quality manager, looking after apprenticeship programs, particularly in horticulture, greenkeeping and arboriculture. There's something random. So I am neurodivergent. I was diagnosed at 51, which was 22. I'd reached perimenopause just before lockdown and then lockdown came and then I suddenly realised that I'd spent  hours, hours.

I'd go sit my computer at nine o'clock in the morning and I'd come away at five o'clock at night  and actually I had done nothing, nothing at all except immerse myself in social media things. It was only during one of those social media things that somebody said, I think I had ADHD. So I came into the charity because I've done a number of projects working alongside Laura.

I'm part of it because I'm really, I really feel like I've got skills that I could bring to the team and to the whole project. I worked in the early nineties in vocational areas. So often I would get young 16 year old boys that had failed their GCSEs and they come to do horticulture or gardening. So my preconceived idea.

around ADHD was it was a young little boy's thing. I actually really had no idea about what it really, really meant. Um, but I now understand. I have been to a number of the ADHD AF  shows and I have participated in them offering little comic snippets about my own journey in perimenopause and, um, my own experiences. 

dealing with intimacy. I've made so many friends and up until 2022 I wasn't very leopard printy but since being part of this ADHD AF podcast community I've got a whole wardrobe full of it. I want you all to know  that just because I tell you what my symptoms are  You don't need to say I haven't got ADHD because I don't look like that.

The truth is we all look really, really different. I also want you to know that if I tell you what my symptoms are, I don't want you to tell me we've all got that sometime in some way, shape or form. And finally, I really don't want you to tell me,  well, you're one of the most organized people, Kim, that I know,  because you have no idea what goes on internally  to be organized.

What I really feel like the charity can bring to the world is an opportunity to fill the gaps that other great charities are doing, to be able to bring people together.  So the live shows were  definitely testament that people like to be together and they like to share, they like to signpost each other.

They like to be in the company of people with ADHD. They also like to support each other. So I think this is where the charity is going to pick up those gaps. That we come away from those zooms, which work, but we start to get down into the nitty gritty in the local communities and have more face to face conversations, where we can tackle the issues on the ground, whether that be with the NHS, support, understanding.

Accessibility, and I think that's where this charity is going to really fulfill its remit and fill the gaps.  So, that is me, and I cannot wait for it to get up and running. So, I am Ashley Bell Doherty, and my role in the ADHD AF Plus charity is charity trustee. I came to be a part of ADHD AF Plus because, uh, I was one of the people who suggested to Laura and the team the work that they do, or we now do, is very, very charitable, um, charity worthy, um, I also have experience in running a charity, so.

I volunteered to be a trustee because I feel like I could bring something to the table. From working with children for a long time, I had an understanding of how ADHD, ADHD AF, I had an understanding of how ADHD presented in children and young people. But it was, I guess, probably quite limited knowledge and understanding of ADHD. 

I've learned most of what I know through the podcast. Uh, so.  Yeah, I've got much deeper understanding now, especially because I've been diagnosed with  it myself. We came to three, I think, three or four of the ADHD podcast roadshows. It was so much fun. I thought it was a really creative and engaging way to educate people about ADHD.

Um, and also to make people in the audience feel seen and feel, um, validated. It was a great way to kind of make people feel You know, we're all in it together. I think that I was very, very moved by the most recent episode of the podcast that I listened to, um, which deals with grief, um, such an important topic of conversation that we don't really have very often.

So I think it was very brave of Laura to be so vulnerable on the podcast. Um, I love all of the podcasts episodes. I really liked the episode with Loo in Loo Land. Um, and I also loved the episode, um,  early on. I can't remember what the girl's name was though, so you're probably not going to use this bit.

Um, and she was kind of just talking about how her ADHD  presented so differently from other people and I think listening to that episode was what made me think, oh, okay. It was around, I think it was around finances. Um, yeah, I just, I was listening to it and I was like, this is really quite interesting stuff.

I need to maybe look into it. I do really like leopard print. I think that the, as an emblem for the charity and the message, it's really, really strong, um, and obviously really bold, and it kind of just stands for people who want to be loved.  seen, noticed, and seeing people wearing it en masse for the leper print army is very, very cool.

ADHD is not a trend. I think this happens a lot when  more people kind of get to know about a topic and educate themselves and it becomes more widely known and widely accessible. People assume that it's a trend because a lot more people are getting to know about it and a lot more people are talking about it, but it's very much not a trend.

So I'm certainly glad that I am  neurodiverse. Um, It's not something that anybody chooses to have. ADHD AF plus charity means the absolute world to me. I am very beyond proud of Laura for all of the work that she's done over the years. It's been groundbreaking and, you know, it's just really, really amazing to see what she's achieved.

She's been on such a mission and I think this now becoming a charity and the possibilities of what that means for the future of the work that can be delivered, the people's lives that it's going to impact and positively  affect. It's time it was of an official charity, um, I feel like it's always been a charity.

Um, and yeah, it means the world to me because I can see the possibilities with what could happen with this organization moving forward when we get some funding in, which is also what I would like to bring to the table, some support for writing funding applications and getting some financial backing behind it.

My name is Sam Bell Doherty and I'm a trustee of the ADHD AF plus charity. I am the creative director of House of Wings and School of Street charity. I feel that being involved. In the work that I've been doing with those guys, I feel it's left me in good stead to get involved with this one.  I feel that it's a really important charity to be involved with.

I feel like it spreads knowledge of ADHD. I have been friends with Laura for a long time and I feel that I wanted to just do what I could to help. I definitely had some preconceived ideas of what ADHD was. I wasn't aware that it presented itself in females. let alone adults. Yes, I did attend some of the ADHD AF podcast live shows.

I was actually DJing for some of them and I felt what an incredible movement and such a great community and the way that the show is programmed to be not only educational but fun I think is really important, really engaging and yeah, I can't wait to be involved in more shows. At first I did not like leopard print.

I thought it was a little bit too catslater for me, but now I feel that the way the leopard print army has presented itself, I am a full on leopard print wearing lesbian. I love leopard now. ADHD AF plus means so much to me. I feel that having friends and family members that are suffering. Well, should we say suffering?

Suffering! I mean, it is. It's a real daily struggle. You feel like more patience in the world for people who have got ADHD and you don't always know that they have it.  So yeah, more patience and more understanding and just kindness towards people in general as well. This is Sam Bell AF Plus, signing off.

Hi, my name is Kirsty Mason and I am a volunteer with the ADHD AF Plus charity. I have ADHD myself and it was through listening to the podcast that I was able to learn more about the condition and the stars kind of aligned and I realised, hmm, this sounds familiar.  And I was able to then go down that diagnosis route myself and the rest, as they say, is history.

The ADHD community has helped me  make friends with Laura and Big, which has taken me on numerous little adventures. I have been from Aberdeen down to Brighton, and along the way I have met a whole host of really amazing, incredible people, who all have their own experiences, who are all unique, but there is this shared connection. 

I have been able to connect with people online through a variety of platforms.  Um, and I've also had access to be able to go to events like Flackstock and be able to speak to a whole host of people from different backgrounds and different experiences. And it's just helps reinforce and helps me continue to learn more about the condition  and just how different it can present in people. 

So I would say that somebody who has always felt on the outside of a group, who's felt like that weirdo,  who doesn't  have the same likes and interests as other people,  yeah, it's been really  It's been really unusual and, and complicated to feel part of that group, to feel part of the community and feel connected with other people who are like minded and not have to mask.

It's been a game changer for me.  And actually I think that that is one of the biggest strengths that our community has and needs to delve into more.  I have, fortunately,  now  feel that I am valued, that I am accepted, that I am understood.  I feel that I can be connected to other people and I feel safe to unmask.

I feel safe to be me.  And unfortunately there's so many people that I speak to don't have those luxuries  and that's something that we want to change.  So the ADHD AF plus charity asked me if I would like to start my own in person support group up here in Aberdeen and I absolutely jumped at the chance.

It was something that me and Laura had spoken about for quite a while, um, and I just never managed to get  it  organised. So thankfully we're now in the place where we have got us this amazing opportunity.  We have a venue, we have a date and a time for it to get started. We are ready to go. And the aim is to build that connected space for people of Aberdeen.

and further afield in the future.  To be able to come together, to meet other like minded people, to build those connections, to share stories, coping strategies, to coach each other,  and just to build that safe space where you can come and speak to other people who just get you.  So, as a teacher, I do spend my time with a lot of unique people, um, there are lots of neurodiversities, there are lots of different experiences, and  that's within, you know, that's with anything up to children, with, you know, adults, outside agencies, etc.

So I am used to working with a lot of different people,  and I would say that I can be patient, I'm mostly patient. And that I'm a good listener and that I also try and problem solve things. So there will be the opportunity to perhaps get advice or, again, that kind of coaching style of flipping the thinking and thinking, right, okay, well, what are our options and what might work well for you and discussing advantages and disadvantages.

But basically, the aim is We all feel connected enough to, to help and support each other.  Because we all have that lived experience,  we all understand it,  we get it. So,  helping each other. is the key  to being able to have a successful community.  In my typical fashion, I have been very much of a let's wing it and see, um, but the guys have been great at keeping me right and, and getting me organized. 

But with that, we kind of recognize that every single person is different and unique. So, We're not going to be starting off with a really formal structure.  We're going to build those relationships first. We're going to learn about each other and figure out what we can do to help each other feel safe. 

One size does not suit all, so we've got to be really mindful of, of kind of that, and, and, you know, half the battle for us is getting started, so hopefully some people come, um, and then we will see where we go from there, but I am super excited as well as being incredibly scared, so, um, yeah, that is super exciting news.

for us and the charity and good things to come.  In terms of me, I like to think that I have a ripple effect within the world.  And in particular, I try and focus on ADHD. So every time I post something new on my social media, I always feel like my friends are going, oh no, not again.  Um, however, what I'd like to think is that I am posting the correct information and the most recent up to date stuff.

It is about how to learn from now,  new evidence that comes out, et cetera. Um, and  That then has meant that a lot of people feel like they can come to me and ask me questions and I absolutely don't always know the answers but I may well be in a position to point them in the right direction.  So, um, that ripple effect has meant that my posts have then helped somebody else in a small way. 

be able to ask a question or find some more information and then pass that on, etc, etc. So, you know, I have a very small ripple effect, but we're hoping that the charity has a massive ripple effect and able to help make change and change stigma and help support people to make sure that they feel that they can  be accepted, that they are understood. 

that they are valued, that they're not broken,  and that they're able to thrive  in the world that we have now.  The times are not great at the moment, there's so much up in the air with shared care and medication and right to choose, that  The community, we are the strength here. We are going to be able to help each other if we are able to get those connections and to help support each other and continue those, that ripple effect, continue  all those conversations and the learning and the understanding to help, yeah, break stigma and to help people  be happy and  go from strength to strength and there will be times. 

where things go wrong and it feels pretty, pretty grim, but we're all here to help each other. So I'm  super excited to be part of that and I hope I will see some of you soon.  Absolutely all of the fields.  I met Kirsty back in 2022  when this podcast began. And I actually met her in person at an event I do in Fittie Community Hall.

And she spoke then about doing a local support group in Aberdeen. So it really does mean the world that this is happening.  I want to say an enormous thank you to the legendary Board of Trustees, the volunteer peer support group facilitators, the fundraisers and online donators,  the ADHDF Emporium shoppers.

The Winter Warriors who surpassed both the Glimmer  and fundraising targets, by the way. The Leopard Print Army Fundraisers. All members of the online peer support community. Every single one of you that ever came to any of the live events. And all of you listeners. And of course to my husband, Big, for all of his support behind the scenes.

Each and every one of you have helped to make ADHD AF Plus happen. to connect and empower ADHD adults of marginalised genders in Scotland, England and Wales. Now as shared at the end of the episode back in October where I swapped roles with James Brown, I'm really hopeful that other charities will be up for collaborating just like ADHD Adult UK are.

Which, I'll come back to in another episode. I'm just mentioning this point now because The whole point of ADHD AF podcast has always been about collaborating. Joining forces, because we are all one community. We really are all in this together. And, as Kirsty very rightly pointed out, we the community are the strength in these unstable times.

Through connection comes empowerment.  You can join Kirsty at Four Pillars Community Room on Regent's Quay in the centre of Aberdeen at 6pm on Wednesday the 5th of March 2025. One week today!  And you can find out more about, donate and volunteer to ADHD AF Plus charity via the website ADHD AF Plus As in the word plus. 

org. uk and there's also a link in the show notes. Finally, I would be so incredibly grateful if you could share this episode far and wide and particularly with anyone in the Aberdeenshire area to help get the word out to those in need to come along to the very first and future ADHD AF Plus Peer Support Groups.

As Kirsty also said. This is only the start. We will be learning and evolving as we go. There's all manner of possibilities ahead of us, but this is just the very beginning and I'm so excited and grateful to be starting this new chapter.