Autistic man 'proud' to have first paid job at 30

George Buxton has secured his first paid job after getting one-on-one support

An autistic man who has learning disabilities is celebrating securing his first paid job role.

George Buxton, from Yeovil, has been supported by Realise, which is part of the not-for-profit Somerset Care, since he left college in 2017.

With their help and encouragement, the 30-year-old secured volunteer roles in both his local library and a nearby charity shop - and has now started his first paid job at Somerset Care.

"I'm quite proud of my first-ever paid job," George said.

George has also built up a routine of going swimming at his local leisure centre, and meeting a friend for lunch.

George teaches staff at at Somerset Care how to work with people with learning disabilities

When a paid job opportunity arose at Somerset Care to be an expert with lived experience for training staff, George applied – and got the job.

He now shares his lived experience as part of regular training sessions for colleagues across the group, and develops sections of the training course.

George said: "When I first started working here, I'd never actually done that job in my life.

"The thing I found difficult was getting the bus to Taunton. I didn't know where Taunton was.

"Talking to people, at first it was difficult. With a little bit of help, I'm now getting a bit better at doing a presentation."

Amanda Kingsley-Templar said she is "proud" of George

Amanda Kingsley-Templar, who was one of the original members of George's support team at Realise, said: "When I first met George in 2017, we spoke to him about what he wanted to achieve in life, what his goals were.

"He's really grown, his independence is much higher now. He's more confident and ultimately, less vulnerable.

"We are incredibly proud of how far he has come – and see even more great things ahead."