The Warriors Assemble 2017 Fighting Spirit Awards

Around a week ago, courtesy of the Warriors Assemble, a phenomenal event took place.

The Fighting Spirit Awards is a unique event dedicated to celebrating  those who have overcome adversity and extraordinary challenges through martial arts.

This is the 3rd Annual Fighting Spirit Awards, with Fighting For Autism not only being honoured to attend the event, we were also nominated and received  an award, in what was an emotional and inspiring event and witness some remarkable insights on how some truly inspirational individuals are thriving and making a difference within their club but more importantly being a beacon of hope for others to perhaps try something new and write success stories of their own.
This event doesn't just celebrate being different, it embraces it, and that what makes it so incredibly special.

Firstly we would like to thank each and every person involved in Fighting For Autism, the award received is a testament to your hard work and support, you are the true spirit of Fighting For Autism. You are the ones who carry forward the positive message of not only autism awareness but more so acceptance, and encouraging so many to be the very best they can be.
To each and every ambassador and club from around the globe, this is Your award from the dad of a youngster on the spectrum, you are the ones who make the brighter day I am just fortunate enough to be able to write about it.

 

 

 

 

Paulieboy and Tony Bailey explaining what Fighting For autism do around the world, and also saying Thank you to everyone who has taken Fighting For Autism to their hearts

 

The awards are the brainchild of Tony and Sarah Pillage, whose dedication is the stuff that legends are made of, Tony who himself is valiantly battling cancer, hosted the awards as he has done since their creation 3 years ago, a gentleman whose kindness and willingness to help others despite his own challenges was and  is one of the bravest and kindest things I have witnessed, growing up we are often told the most precious thing you could ever give to another human being is your time, Tony Pillage and everyone involved with these awards put their heart and soul into making everyone feel like a superstar in their very own right.
Hero is a word that so very often gets bandied around, Tony and Sarah Pillage truly are heroes in every sense of the word, every nominee and award winner truly was given the VIP treatment and made to feel every ounce like a superstar, and from sitting their in awe of so many wonderful individuals share their emotional experiences, not only did I feel privileged to be in such fine company, but so incredibly lucky to be able to have been able to see and hear some of the most heartfelt insights into how others have adapted to the challenges they face, and used martial arts as a catalyst to truly make a difference to themselves and those around them.
Tony has been pivotal in Autism awareness himself, form getting multiple classes of his club to take part in Autism awareness drives, he has also reached out to the martial arts fraternity to get involved too, he is a rather exceptional human being to say the very least.
Tony and Sarah's courage and humility during Tony's own battle can only be matched by their heart to show the true meaning of martial arts and give those fighting battles of their very own platform to be recognised in their own right, is one of the kindest and selfless acts I've ever witnessed, Thank you will never ever be enough, but going forward the people inspired by others by this event will  go on to make so many people so very proud.

Emotional and kind acts flowed throughout the evening, from Tony Pillage himself cutting his coveted belt into sections and handing it to his closest friends and martial artists would bring tears to even the toughest of the tough, right the way through to a rather amazing raffle prize given by its winner to one of the award winners of the evening.

An old Irish proverb was stated during the evening by Shihan Keith Priestley, and it is so very true and poignant "There are no strangers here, only friends you have yet to meet."

Fighting For Autism was nominated and received an award, this award is a testament to the outstanding efforts of each and every ambassador, club and promotion that has come on board to help us raise Autism Awareness, without the generosity, understanding and willingness to make  a difference to so many, we would be little more than a footnote.
The award the Fighting For Autism received is for each and every one of them, as in effect these are the driving force behind Fighting For Autism, these are the people that #DareToBeDifferent and encourage others to #ShineThroughTheSpectrum

I was in fantastic company with some of  Immortal 365 Martial Arts Academy sitting at the same table as me, a few months ago at an event in Peterborough UK, named "Feel the Force Day", I took my son, Matt is severely autistic and thrives on routine and regime, any hidden surprises can often result in meltdown, within 10 minutes of being shown some brief moves with a lightsabre by Immortal Coach Karl Butcher, I found myself, Matt, a Negan lookalike from the Walking Dead, and Cinderella on stage in front of people having a lightsabre dual in front of a crowd ( no that isn't a mis type, that actually happened)
Seeing first hand the fairy dust that has been sprinkled and the fun that can be had, as a Dad I can only ever say Thank you, that memory will be enshrined in my memory forever more.
Immortal 365 have encouraged some amazing youngsters on the spectrum to try various different martial arts at their academy in Peterborough, are outstanding within their community
Immortal 365 you guys Rock!!!!

 

Paulieboy, Matt and Karl Butcher from Immortal 365

 

On stage at Feel the Force Day

 

Huge thanks to Negan UK for being such a great sport.

Aaron Stevens and David Couldrey, of AS Jujitsu in Thorpe Le Soken, UK, who has set up Autism friendly classes at his club, despite challenges of his own, prides himself on being able to give a fun and caring environment for youngsters on the spectrum to be.
Chris Jones of Chris Jones Martial Arts Centre in Knaresborugh, who has encouraged students at his centre to become autism aware and has had great praise from parents of children on the spectrum too.
Tony Bailey of  Basingstoke Ju Jitsu Club, has been outstanding in being a mentor and a friend to those on the autistic spectrum, and whose knowledge base on Autism is expanding at an ever growing rate.


In the past few years we have had professional athletes, coaches, clubs and junior ambassadors not just push for Autism Awareness globally, these very same people have started to work alongside youngsters and adults on the autistic spectrum too, becoming friends, mentors and confidants to them too.  Next Generation Mixed Martial Arts in Liverpool, who have some of the finest mixed martial artists, Molly McCann- Pearson, Paddy Pimblett, Chris Fishgold, Leeroy Barnes and Paul Bentley to name but a few have been astounding in their support and are encouraging youngsters on the spectrum like Connor Orford and Conor Tollick to  become success stories of their very own.
our next blog will feature them.
Members of Next Generation MMA, have become so much more than just athletes, they have become role models, supporting so many charities, as a kid my thoughts on what made a great martial artist was who could kick the highest, or who had the best technique, its changed so much these martial artists display champion qualities both inside and out of competition, their willingness to help others outside of competition has been phenomenal.

 

 

Fighter Ambassador Chris Fishgold defending his championship belt at Cagewarriors in Liverpool

 

 Fighter Ambassadors Molly McCann Pearson and Paddy Pimblett for Molly's bout at CageWarriors in Liverpool

 

Fighter Ambassador Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett  donating funds he raised to charities in Liverpool.

We have seen both youngsters and adults on the spectrum raising awareness too, creating videos on what Autism means to them, not just growing in confidence but positively thriving.
These are the true recipients of the award, me I just feel honoured in being able to write about them.
In the past 12 months we have seen  youngsters on the spectrum not only compete in their chosen martial art, they have been recognised and received awards in other areas for their efforts, and there are so many more to come. none of which would have ever been possible without the  network of athletes, coaches, clubs and junior ambassadors that not only ask relevant questions on autism, and developing their own knowledge base and put them put into practice.
World class athletes have gone above and beyond the realms of kindness, displaying the Fighting For Autism logo on their banners when they go to compete, but have gone the extra mile to raise a smile not just for those on the spectrum but to their families too, often a journey through Autism can be a lonely experience, slowly but surely people are becoming aware, but importantly those on the spectrum are beginning to show what they can do, and do it very well indeed.
The awards were not solely focused on Autism, so many people from different disciplines in the martial arts and with different abilities  were there to share their story.

Its impossible to say there was a highlight, as each and every award given was done so to people whose remarkable stories should be shouted from the rooftops, I cannot say enough inspiring it was to be in a room full of such amazing people, but seeing and hearing first hand really does mean that the future is incredibly bright and the martial arts community has so very much to be proud of by highlighting these amazing people.

Some of the Fighting For Autism Ambassadors were up for awards of their very own, it was an honour and an emotional experience to say the least to see these awards being given to such outstanding and rather special people.


Carl Clements.
Carl is a Fighting For Autism #VoicesForVoiceless Ambassador, and a student at Adaptive Martial Arts Uk & Ireland.
Here is a brief description about Carl, from his mum Christine.

 

Carl receiving his award at The 2017 Fighting Spirit Awards

With Adaptive Martial Arts UK and Ireland, presented by Tony Bailey of Basingstoke Ju Jitsu Club.

"Born with a failure to thrive Carl has had many challenges throughout his life, at the age of 3 he was diagnosed with a learning disability at the rate of half his age alongside feeding problems from birth which led to him being tube fed first with an NG tube and later with a gastrostomy. There followed many different feeding routines to try to overcome the constant vomiting until the age of 7 when he was diagnosed with a lactose intolerance. It was then we were able to start the long process of teaching him to eat. As Carl had never eaten he hadn’t developed the muscles in his mouth needed for early speech and with his learning disability his speech and vocabulary were both affected as were his fine and gross motor skills"

Despite his challenges Carl is an active member of his martial arts club, Adaptive Martial Arts UK and Ireland who received some truly deserved accolades that evening.
Head Coach Neil Kirkland is a truly remarkable gentleman whose focus is that all abilities should be able to participate and have access to martial arts, Neil has worked with so many martial artists with different abilities and his can do attitude truly brings out the best in people, Carl has travelled all around the United Kingdom and has become a firm favourite with so many different instructors and people alike.

Joshua and Lewis Dyer.
Joshua and Lewis are 2 brothers who are both on the autistic spectrum, and train at Kairos Martial Arts in Retford, here is a bit written about them by their Dad, Simon Fell.

Joshua and Lewis collecting their 2017 Fighting Spirit Award from Tony Pillage and Tony Bailey

 

" Lewis has a diagnosis of ASD and ADHD. Lewis initially started martial arts when he was being home-schooled due to struggling in a mainstream environment and bullying. Martial arts gave him an opportunity to achieve and build trust in people and form relationships. For a year, Lewis didn't speak to anyone, but martial arts has brought him out of his shell, and now leads the class demonstrations with confidence. He is showing true talent in the arts and would like to compete one day. Lewis helps children in class and has a great respectful, caring attitude".

"Joshua has a diagnosis of ASD. He has struggled all his life in mainstream school and has suffered bullying. Despite his challenges and adversity, Joshua continues to show a kind, caring and helpful attitude, shows intelligence and maturity. Joshua helps the children in class who have similar challenges and needs and encourages everybody. A true gentleman. Training helps him with his confidence and provides an inclusive setting where friendships are made".

These 2 amazing brothers have overcome so many of life's challenges, their levels of kindness and humility towards others is astonishing,  sharing  what it feels like to them to be on the autistic spectrum on social media to help raise awareness, they have attended  seminars around the country, as well as take part in hikes and events to help raise awareness to Tony Pillage's battle with cancer.
Simon and Wendy, Lewis's parent also received respective awards as well, a more amazing family who despite challenges of their own, give so much to so many were given a rapturous applause and rightly so.




If you can dream it, and you work hard enough anything is possible, again on behalf of everyone at Fighting For Autism, THANK YOU to everyone involved, you are the ones that encourage people to #DareToBeDifferent  and to #ShineThroughTheSpectrum

EACH AND EVERY AMBASSADOR FROM AROUND THE WORLD, AGAIN WE WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU, FROM AUSTRALIA, THE USA, IRELAND AND THE UK AND CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR AWARD  

Fighting with Autism- Lewis "Twitch" Daykin

Fighting For Autism has had some absolutely amazing people come onboard as Fighter ambassadors , one of the things we pride ourselves on is actively involving those from within the autism community, in hope that their success stories go on to trigger the spark that will ignite so many more.

One of these ambassadors is a gentleman from Yorkshire in the United Kingdom named
Lewis "Twitch" Daykin.
Lewis is a larger than life character, an amazing personality that truly does shine through the spectrum and encompasses the message of Fighting For Autism message to Dare to be Different.
This gentleman along with our friends at Almighty Fighting Championship in Leeds, UK went to do fundraise from which the proceeds raised went to give 30 Fighting For Autism Junior ambassadors from around the world their own Fighting For Autism hoody and choice of patch or a  baseball cap, these youngsters are both on and off the spectrum and raising awareness in their respective clubs and in competition and driving the message of Autism awareness and most of all acceptance and understanding, and with some truly inspiring stories of their own.
Lewis truly does have a heart of gold.



My name is Lewis “Twitch” Daykin
I have Aspergers Syndrome, I have been doing boxing and Muay Thai now for nearly 9 years (including competing 2 years) my idol is world champion Muay Thai fighter  John Wayne Parr and I hope to train with him one day.
Besides training and competing, I love motorbikes.

How does Aspergers impact on your life?
“Well it impacts me with like new situations or going new places or having changes in my life and I do take things to heart a lot, but if someone explains everything to me slowly and n in a way i can understand i can be ok, so if I don’t understand something I will tell you that I don’t understand and because of that I can have a short temper sometimes“.

How old were you when you were diagnosed?
“I think i was about 3 years old when i was diagnosed with autism, according to my Mum“.


How was school whilst you were growing up?
“To be honest it was tough n not to sound like a sob story but I only had a few friends as I found it hard to make friends i was easily distracted at school n since autism was a relatively new thing non of the teachers really knew what to do same when i was in high school i was bullied throughout, for being autistic and the "freak" amongst many others name I was jumped about 7 times in high school, my Mum and Dad did every thing they could to make sure I was ok or as good as I could be“.

 A young Lewis whilst on holiday with a friend

How has Boxing and Muay Thai helped you?
“It helped me by giving me confidence in going out n been able to talk to new people and learning about the Thai culture and handling things better, I don’t think I could live without it” .

Lewis has also gone onto coach youngster at the gym where he trains Ludus Magnus

Who have been your biggest influences in your training?
“My biggest influences in training are champion Muay Thai fighter, John Wayne Parr but my biggest influences are Neil Wain and John Popelwell I want to be as successful as them they have made there mark on the combat world and I want to follow in there foot steps. (I love them both like family J )”.

Lewis in competition at a boxing event.

What would be your advice be to someone on the autistic spectrum be?
“Hmmm my advice would be yes things in life are going to be hard really hard but set a goal in life start of with small goals and gradually make bigger ones if you are on the  autistic spectrum, please understand that  you are more awesome than you can ever imagine J ”.

Fighting For Autism. Coaches and Clubs join in the Fight for some much needed Awareness

 

One of the most amazing things has begun to develop over the past few months with Fighting For Autism, we are starting to work together with many martial arts and boxing clubs from around the world in a bid to raise Autism Awareness together, the response has been phenomenal, each of them has been so supportive and truly embraced the message of what awareness is all about, and the exciting news is that many more are stepping forward to embrace the challenge and their open hearts and minds in welcoming some amazing youngsters and adults on the Autistic Spectrum to their clubs, with some looking into running Autism Friendly classes and others already doing so.......how cool is that?

 

Pete Holmes,Ross Hanratty, Aaron Stevens, Cesar Silva, Chris Jones, Simon Martinelli, Christy Dunne, Danielle Joyce, Tony Bailey, Joe Worden, Rodney Moore, Pete Lavery, Neil Kirkland, Damien Mulgrave, Deano Wade, Andy Ryan, Tom Lamont, James Mulroy, Alfie Lewis, Sean Davitt, Walton Hart, Mark Spence,Mark Epstein, Stewart Francis, Steve Lloyd, Karl Butcher,Jason McCabe, Tony Pillage, Chris Brown, Paul Bentley, Lucci Del Gaudio, Kain Royer, Gaz Collins



Each affiliate club has had a set of Autism factsheets that are designed to take a lot of the jargon away and concentrate on getting everyone actively informed about understanding a bit more about Autism, each and every coach and club we have asked has been absolutely phenomenal in their response, and equally so have their students.

Fighting For Autism have had the privilege of talking to some amazing people involved in Martial Arts that either have a good understanding or are very keen to learn about autism, one of each journey is different although you hope to all get to the same destination.

Each person is different and learns at their own pace, one of the amazing things that we have been so fortunate to be able to tell are the success stories of people who have overcome adversity and despite their diagnosis have blossomed through Martial Arts or Boxing, not just as martial artists or boxers but have improved both academically and socially as well, from a personal level and as a Dad to a child on the spectrum it leaves you speechless at seeing how powerful that message is, not just to those on the Autistic Spectrum but to their families and loved ones too.

The Ambassador and club programme that Fighting For Autism has, includes professional athletes, Martial arts and boxing clubs, coaches, junior ambassadors and promotions affiliates all working to raise Autism Awareness Together.

Can Martial arts or Boxing make that much of a difference? 101% yes, not just through the training of these disciplines, but importantly the message that is portrayed through them, these clubs are where role models and champions are made, strangely enough the response from the martial arts and boxing communities has been incredible, sadly politicians aren’t so quick to take up the invitation.

 

 

The message of Martial arts and boxing as well as the fantastic clubs and people that teach them, from a parents view it gave me hope that for my sons future there are people out their willing to go the extra mile to bring the best out of someone (my son is severely autistic, seeing first hand a coach have the patience go over a basic technique with a Lightsabre which was made fun and easy to understand, until my son felt confident in it, and standing and watching my little boy interact with another child and laugh while he did it, Pete Holmes, Beth Holmes, Steve Lloyd, Alan Apsden and Karl Butcher from Immortal 365 in Peterborough, I never got the chance to say Thank You from the bottom of my heart I am doing that now.)

 

 

 

 

 

Matthew under the watchful eye of Immortal 365  Instructor Alan Apsden

Immortal 365 have gone on to make the light sabre classes at their club a permanent fixture at their club in Peterborough UK, where 5 of the class are on the Autistic Spectrum, the classes have proved so successful that the parents ( I mean Dad’s) have asked for a class of their own.
Immortal 365 have also gone on to host their very own Fighting For Autism Seminar, that saw different martial arts instructors from around the United Kingdom raise their hand in wanting to help raise awareness and also get their students involved too.
Also seeing coach/fighter ambassador Paul Bentley and Cut man Ambassador Steve Riley start their very own Autism Friendly classes at FPTS in Liverpool this past weekend.

also Chris Jones, a Martial Arts Instructor and Coach Ambassador  from Knaresborough, United Kingdom was sent an amazing message from the parent of one his students whose son is progressing in so many different ways, these are the positives that people want to hear, and why its an absolute privilege to write about, such awe inspiring people who are actively making a difference.

 

The success stories are becoming more and more frequent, with amazing clubs stepping forward to enlighten there students about the autistic spectrum, Fighting For Autism has developed a Junior Ambassador scheme which has seen  nearly 30 youngsters from around the globe, from a multitude of different backgrounds, some are on the Autistic spectrum and are thriving through boxing or martial arts, others are pulling out all the stops to raise as much awareness as they possibly can.

Each individual in this picture is on varying levels of the autistic spectrum, and each one of them is an Ambassador for Fighting For Autism, some are starting their journey in their chosen sport, some have become not only established but are respective Champions 

 We truly believe to Fight for Autism, you have to include those on the spectrum,  these amazing people along with so many others are raising their hand to volunteer in making a brighter day for others, and inspiring them to try something new, make a new friend and also help people to understand what Autism is.

 

 

Fighting For Autism Fighter Ambassador Lewis “Twitch” Daykin a boxer and Muay Thai fighter who trains out of Ludus Magnus and our friends at Almighty Fighting Championship, carried out a fundraiser at an event, that funded 27 Junior Ambassadors from around the globe with their own Fighting For Autism hoody and either a Gi Patch or a baseball cap, Lewis who is on the Autistic spectrum himself and is inspiring as they come is one of so many success stories not just as a competitor in his chosen sport, but has gone on to become a much loved coach and as a gentleman always wears his heart on his sleeve, which is an amazing quality to have.

The Junior Ambassadors are future champions in their respective disciplines from around the world who through martial arts are raising Autism Awareness with Fighting For Autism from the mats, these amazing youngsters know a thing or two about Autism as they are either on the autistic spectrum themselves or have a close family member or friend who is on the Autistic Spectrum, in the UK alone 9 of the the 10 junior ambassadors are on the spectrum themselves and are actively competing in either a martial art or boxing, with the 10^th having a sibling on the spectrum and truly wants to raise awareness, to say we are proud of each and every Ambassador we have would be an understatement, we cannot thank Lewis, as well as Steve and Ray from Almighty Fighting Championship as without them this would never have been possible.

 

We wanted to say a very special Thank you to each and every Ambassador that has raised their hand to become a Voice for the Voiceless, and encourages those to dare to be different and to live without labels, these are the very people that make Fighting For Autism what it is, around the globe a collection of amazing people who it is a privilege to write about.

 Over the past few years since Christian Mitchell set up Fighting For Autism in Australia, the response from clubs and coaches is often hard to put into words, particularly when you are the parent of a child on the spectrum, the number of top athletes, coaches and clubs from around the world that are working together with Fighting For Autism to raise as much autism awareness as possible is humbling and heart warming, and for that to each and every person who has done so much, to everyone who reads these blogs, or likes a facebook status, Instagram post or Retweets a Tweet, We Thank you all as you are the ones that make the positive change to people and bring the very best out of them. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fighting With Autism- Champion Wrestler and Mixed Martial Artist Chloe Spiteri

Fighting For Autism takes pride in highlighting positive stories from the Autistic Spectrum, and are incredibly proud to introduce Fighter Ambassador, Champion Freestyle Wrestler and Mixed Martial Artist, Chloe Spiteri who is from London, United Kingdom.

Chloe is a 6 time National Wrestling Champion, has represented Team Great Britain and got to the finals of the Commonwealth Games, as well as recently winning a title in Mixed Martial Arts, to say Chloe is inspirational is an understatement, Chloe has also gone on to offer support and guidance to others.

"My Journey hasn't been an easy one, having being diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 3, neurological problems and Autism.
Some of the symptoms of my autism were, I  struggled to communicate effectively i.e not looking people in the eye, I struggled to mix in large groups, I didn't like change at all, and if any change came I would lash out and lots more.
I was written off by many professionals and told I needed to be on heavy medication and in full time boarding school.
but my parents knew me best and knew with the right support I could overcome and go on to achieve great things, and with overcoming adversity I did just this.
My epilepsy stopped at age 11, my symptoms have decreased and become mild, however I do still not like sudden changes in my schedule and some communication/ social difficulties.

but, I am not ashamed to be who I am and want to go out there and share my story to others and let them know that know that nothing is impossible, as well as provide support and advice.
through self belief , being persistent and understanding and accepting myself, I have been able to defeat any barriers that have come my way and get to where I am. 

 

When the professionals wrote me off, I was predicted not to get any qualifications, after not going back into full time "mainstream" high school until the later years after being placed into special needs, I went to achieve 10 A-C grades and also went onto achieve a sports science degree from Brunel University in the UK, so not only did I excel at sports, I also excelled in my education."

 

 

 

 

Fighting For Autism would like to say a massive Thank You to Chloe Spiteri,  Chloe can be found on Twitter www.Twitter.com/chloe_spiteri and on Instagram www.Instagram.com/chloe_spiteri