ALLOA based charity Scottish Autism celebrated its fiftieth birthday with a glitzy ball at Dunmar House over the weekend.

The event on Saturday, October 13, gave those involved with the group a chance to celebrate its work, and also its many achievements so far.

Staff, service users and their friends and family were all in attendance on the night - and everyone was dressed to impress for the big occasion.

Natalie Doyle, the event organiser and a senior practitioner with the group, said: "It was a get together for everyone involved with Scottish Autism, to celebrate 50 years and mark the occasion with a ceilidh and a disco.

"Some of the parents that founded Scottish Autism also attended, so it was great to see all their work over the past 50 years being celebrated.

"It was busy on the night, about 100 - 120 people attended, and everyone really enjoyed themselves.

"It was a mix of service users, staff and parents and family who came to the event.

"It was so good to see everyone on the dance floor having a great time."

Natalie added that even the staff who were working at the event that night were joining in and enjoying themselves.

She said: "Everyone came together like one big family.

"It was so good to see and it was nice to see staff celebrating their work - some of them were on shift but you wouldn't have realised because people were enjoying themselves so much."

Scottish Autism was established in Alloa by a group of parents in 1968, and is now Scotland's largest provider of autism-specific services.

The group works with people diagnosed with autism, to help them lead full lives and become valued members of their communities.

It also works with parents, carers and other professionals to support the development of skills needed to provide the best care and support to people with the condition.

There are currently over 900 members of staff working for Scottish Autism across Scotland, offering a range of services which include education, vocational opportunities and supported living.

To find out more about Scottish Autism, use the following link: scottishautism.org.