Shopping centre sensory pods 'a wonderful idea'

Abbie Cooke, 18, said the Nook Stop, in the Doncaster Frenchgate, would help people with autism shop more comfortably

A quiet space containing "sensory pods" to support neurodivergent customers has opened in a Doncaster shopping centre.

The Nook Stop, in the Doncaster Frenchgate, is a collaboration between the company AmbiSpace and the charity Autism Plus.

The pods, which are designed to combat feelings of overstimulation, block out exterior noise and feature colour-changing lighting.

Abbie Cooke, 18, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of four, said: "Actually having a space for people like me is really helpful - I just wish there were more like it."

'Dirty looks'

She said she often struggled to cope in busy areas, because they made her feel anxious and overwhelmed.

"You have to shove through all these people. You're constantly touching against each other, it's loud, it's busy, and you can't concentrate on one thing at a time."

She said people who are neurotypical did not always understand, and some had told her: "Don't be dramatic."

"It's like getting jabbed in the arm by someone - at first you don't like it, but then it gets annoying and more painful.

"When you try and get it to stop, people around you are like, 'I don't know what you're on about'."

She said she had started to wear noise-cancelling headphones in public, but found people gave her "dirty looks".

She said the newly created Nook Stop would encourage her to visit Frenchgate during its busier periods.

"This whole space itself is a wonderful idea."

AmbiSpace founder Kevin Wheatley said he had been inspired to join the sensory industry after a personal battle with chronic fatigue syndrome.

"It gave me a real insight into what it's like to lose your self-control, your self-determination - it cost me my job, it cost me all kinds of things.

"I actually find a lot of public spaces are quite demanding - the noise levels that are there and some of the lighting makes it hard for me to concentrate and focus."

He hoped to see spaces like the Nook Stop eventually become "the norm", and be integrated into environments such as schools.

Autism Plus marketing manager Katie Mitchell said the charity was working with neurodivergent people across Doncaster who would "really benefit" from the space.

"We're hoping this is the start of something really special," she said.

Frenchgate marketing manager Charlotte Mellor called it a "great opportunity for the centre".

"It'll definitely pull people in, and it'll be a calming space for people to take that time out if they need it," she said.

"A lot of public spaces are quite demanding," says Kevin Wheatley - pictured alongside Frenchgate's Charlotte Mellor

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