Aaron is up for a prize of £50,000 of building materials for his hard work creating sensory spaces for children with autism

HE HAS been described as a generous, kind and humble trade hero '“ and that's why a plasterer who renovated not one, but two spaces for children with autism, is in the running to win an award and £50,000 worth of building materials.
Aaron Pearson has built a sensory room for autistic children in the living room of his Denmead home            Picture: Chris Moorhouse (180284-3)Aaron Pearson has built a sensory room for autistic children in the living room of his Denmead home            Picture: Chris Moorhouse (180284-3)
Aaron Pearson has built a sensory room for autistic children in the living room of his Denmead home Picture: Chris Moorhouse (180284-3)

Aaron Pearson has been nominated for Jewson’s Building Better Communities Trade Hero 2018 award, after turning both a derelict Fareham store to an inclusion centre, and his own living room into a fully-functioning sensory space, for children with autism and their families.

The 35-year-old’s son Rico, 10, is autistic, and wife Rachael Pearson is the founder of charity Autism Isolation – which the sensory space belongs to.

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Aaron, of Denmead, who has his own business called Titanium Plastering Ltd, said: ‘I’m very passionate about helping children and their families with autism.

‘The first building I renovated for the charity was a derelict store in West Street, Fareham, in 2016. We don’t have the space any longer, but mine and Rachael’s living room is now a fully-interactive sensory space for the families the charity supports, which I also renovated myself. Everything was re-plastered and it’s now complete with specialist sensory equipment, all installed by me, like an interactive ball pool.

‘We help the wider community and that’s why I have been nominated for the award, I’ve made it to the final five and voting closes next week. It will be up to the public and a panel of judges to decide who wins.

Aaron’s work has featured in Professional Builder magazine, and wife Rachael said she would not be able to run her Autism Isolation charity without him.

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Her life-long dream is to build a woodland log cabin for the families she supports, if the couple were to win the building materials.

Rachael, 37, said: ‘I’ve known about autism my whole life because my younger brother is autistic and I watched my mother deteriorate before my eyes because of the lack of support that was out there.

‘It affected us badly and I don’t want any other families to have to go through the same thing.

‘At the moment we provide one-to-one support to families with respite and play sessions, but if we get these building materials I’d build a lovely big log cabin in the woodlands where I can put all of the sensory equipment and the kids can have an inside and outside area.

‘It would be fabulous and it’s my life mission

‘I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without Aaron, he’s been my absolute star.’

Click here to vote for Aaron.

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