AMASE Newsletter, July 2026
Jul 14, 2026 11:57 am
Dear AMASE members,
Welcome to our July newsletter. We hope you have been able to enjoy the warmer weather.
July is Disability Pride and for us this is about acceptance, equality and justice. As an organisation we advocate against harmful narratives and practices which lead to continued shame and stigma and discrimination of disabled people.
Last month we held a pilot AMASE Book Club which proved to be most popular - it was great that the author Robert Chapman was able to join us for a Q&A. In this newsletter, we have details of the next AMASE Book Club and other events and items that we think might be of interest. If there is anything you would like to include in a future newsletter, do let us know by emailing [email protected].
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Gideon for all his contributions to AMASE over the last few years and are sorry that he is needing to step down from the Committee at this time. We are always looking for volunteers, so if you are interested in volunteering with AMASE as a Committee or general member please do get in touch.
Best wishes,
Fiona, Leo, Fergus, Elly, Pete and Luis
Regular AMASE Bouldering Trips - Alien Bloc -11th and 25th July, 11:30-2pm
AMASE body-doubling session, 2026-07-29, 7-8:30pm (AMASE members only)
Autistic Pride Picnic, 2026-08-08, 2-5pm
AMASE Book Club #2: A Kind of Spark, 2026-08-21, 7-8:30pm
AMASE Needle Felting Craft-Along, 2026-09-17, 7-8:30pm (AMASE members only)
My Autism Story: Sign up to Speak (AMASE members only)
Social Events Working (SEW) Group
Number 6 Autism One Stop Shop July Calendar
Edinburgh International Book Festival event with Fergus Murray: Someone Like Me, 2026-08-23, 5-6pm
Registration and fees announced for in-person Autscape, 17-20th August 2026
AMASE events:
1. Regular AMASE Bouldering Trips - Alien Bloc, 11th and 25th July
Fortnightly informal bouldering sessions at Alien Bloc, in Canonmills held on Saturdays 11:30-2pm are continuing. No experience required. Entry is £13 (plus £3.50 shoe hire if needed).
If you’re not sure about bouldering, feel free to come along and observe. There is a seating area upstairs and we usually spend some time up there, whether to have a break or just socialise whilst watching people climb.
If you're thinking of coming, do let us know by signing up on Luma.
11th July: https://luma.com/s864lnp2
25th July: https://luma.com/n53zd7ii
2. Next AMASE body-doubling session, 2026-07-29, 7-8:30pm (AMASE members only)
Our next body-doubling session is on Wednesday 29th July, 7-8:30pm on Zoom. Participants have found these sessions to be a supportive way to get tasks done, such as contacting a friend, cooking a meal and tackling some admin.
Come and experience how body doubling can work for you. You can see more information on how the session will run, and sign up if you would like to attend here: https://luma.com/z66kvv3x
3. Autistic Pride Picnic, 2026-08-08, 2-5pm
Edinburgh's seventh Autistic Pride Picnic will be held in the usual place on the Meadows (under the Albert Victor sundial) from 2pm to around 5pm on 8th August. This is an opportunity to celebrate autistic identity and community - to spend some time with autistic people, eat picnic food, engage in some stimmy activities and lie around in the grass (if the weather allows!). For the first time we are planning an open mic session from around 4pm.
All are welcome - it's an autistic space in the sense that autistic social norms apply, but not an autistic-only space. Like all AMASE events, it's LGBTQ-friendly, but when we talk about Autistic Pride we mean pride in being autistic, regardless of sexuality, gender, or anything else. The event is also family-friendly, but childcare is not provided.
You can find out more about this event
4. AMASE Book Club #2: A Kind of Spark, 2026-08-21, 7-8:30pm (AMASE members only)
Following our pilot event in May, we are delighted to announce our second AMASE Book Club event. This will take place on Friday 21st August at 7-8:30pm, and we will be discussing Elle McNicoll’s A Kind of Spark.
If you would like to attend the Book Club, please register here: https://luma.com/ns3t2y68
If you are interested in attending any future Book Club events, you can vote for or suggest future reading materials via this poll: https://forms.gle/QxYqo5bpJyV2P6AGA
5. AMASE Needle Felting Craft-Along, 2026-09-17, 7-8:30pm (AMASE members only)
On Thursday 17th September, we are running a craft-along session from 7-8:30pm GMT over Zoom for AMASE members.
During the session, AMASE member Ileana will use a beginner-friendly craft kit to demonstrate how to felt a baby sea turtle! If you want to take part, please note that you will need to buy a kit (or use your own felting needles and felt). The kit is currently available for £16 from Hawthorn Handmade. If price is a barrier to participating, AMASE can contribute £11 of the cost. You are also welcome to watch along if you feel unsure about taking part or just want to see what similar events might be like in future.
You can see more information on how the session will run, and sign up if you would like to attend here: https://luma.com/1mfuh6td
6. My Autism Story: Sign Up to Speak (AMASE Members only)
Thank you to our recent speakers at our very well received My Autism Story events - there have now been 21 of these! We are looking to host more of these this year, so do let us know if you are interested in speaking by emailing [email protected] or responding to this form: https://forms.gle/961eyBLuujCZWyHj9
You can find out more about how these events work in our most recent event description here: https://luma.com/3f8d06r7
7. Social Events Working (SEW) Group
The SEW Group is a collection of AMASE members who have been getting together around once a month since earlier this year to help organise events such as the Strolling Group, Craftalong and Book Club. If you’ve noticed we’ve been doing more events than before, with more info in our event descriptions - this is how!
One thing our SEW Group has been working on is a new AMASE Code of Conduct. We plan to share a draft in the near future to gather members’ feedback.
There are no rules about which members can/cannot join the SEW Group, or how much/little you need to be involved. If you’re interested in joining, let us know in the #social-events-working-group channel on Discord, or email [email protected].
Other events:
8. Number 6 Autism One Stop Shop July Calendar
The Number 6 One Stop Shop July calendar listing groups and activities they will be running this month can be seen here:
https://autisminitiatives.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/July-Calendar-2026.pdf
9. Edinburgh International Book Festival event with Fergus Murray: Someone Like Me, 2026-08-23, 5-6pm
AMASE founder and Committee member Fergus Murray is appearing at the Edinburgh International Book Festival this August. Alongside autistic co-authors, Julie Farrell and Lucy Rose, they will be discussing the non-fiction anthology, Someone Like Me, in which they authored a chapter.
You can see more information about the event here: https://www.edbookfest.co.uk/events/julie-farrell-fergus-murray-lucy-rose-someone-like-me
10. Registration and fees announced for in-person Autscape, 17-20th August 2026
Registration and fee information for the Autscape 2026 in-person event is now live on their website. Please be aware that registration closes on 14th July. https://www.autscape.org/2026/registration/
Previous AMASE newsletters can be viewed here: https://sendfox.com/amase/feed
To automatically receive updates about AMASE Events published on Luma follow this link: https://luma.com/amase
AMASE is a volunteer run organisation and currently receives no funding. If you feel financially able to do so, please consider making a small donation to AMASE via PayPal Donate. Thank you to the supporter who is raising funds for AMASE with Kiltwalk.