AN AUTISM support group helping youngsters in Millom is aiming to help raise awareness after winning a £5,000 funding boost.

Set up in 2016, Autism Around the Combe helps more than 70 local families living with the disorder in the area, providing support and training.

The group were awarded the money after winning a community award launched by financial services company OneFamily.

Julie Craghill, a member of the group, said: "Autism is a common condition, affecting more than one in 100 people in the UK, but awareness of how it can impact people and their families is often very low.

"Our aim is to raise awareness of autism in Millom and its surrounding villages and help the community understand the impact it has, as well as creating an inclusive environment with more employment opportunities.

"We live in a very small town, but the response from the local community during the awards process was overwhelming.

"We want to thank everyone that has supported us. By taking two minutes to vote they have potentially changed people's lives forever."

The group was founded in 2016 after local parents and professionals found a lack of services for autistic children and their families.

Through one-to-one meetings and larger workshops with parents and carers, the group can give advice and strategies to families, as well as helping businesses to understand autism.

The money will be used to create a library of specialist sensory items that can be loaned to families in the local area.

Guy French, corporate and customer strategy director at OneFamily, said: "Autism Around the Combe is a unique project that offers people living with autism the chance to secure jobs within a supportive and informed community.

"The projects that the awards support are all very special to our customers and make a positive difference in their local communities.

"We are a customer-owned business and for us it's not just about offering financial products and services. The OneFamily Foundation is a way that we give back to our customers, and each year we give hundreds of thousands of pounds to causes that matter to them the most."