BURNHAM and Highbridge are at the forefront of a campaign to raise awareness of autism and Asperger Syndrome.

A new course has kicked off at the BAY Centre in Cassis Close, Burnham, teaching local PCSOs, learning support assistants and parents how to spot the conditions and deal with them.

The programme, run by Switch, is the first of its kind in the South-West and attracted 25 applicants despite only being funded for ten places.

Trainer Allison Ward said: “It's going really well and we wanted to launch it this week to tie in with national autism awareness week.

“More and more adults and young people are being diagnosed with the conditions, and there are a lot of individuals in the Burnham and Highbridge area who have Asperger Syndrome and autism.

“I think people are becoming more aware of it now; it is a condition that conjures up all sorts of thoughts, but courses like this can only help.”

The BBC ran a series of programmes last week focusing on the lives of people who suffer from the conditions, and how they cope.

County councillor for Burnham and Highbridge, John Woodman, said it was fantastic for the two towns to be at the forefront of raising awareness on a local level.

He said: “I hope that by running this course we will be able to integrate children with the condition into our Dreamscheme project and youth clubs.”