A store in Netherfield is to run its ‘Quieter Hour’ initiative every day this week as part of World Autism Awareness Week.
Morrisons currently operate a ‘Quieter Hour’ every Saturday between 9am and 10am to make shopping more comfortable for shoppers with autism, and children affected by the condition. But the supermarket giant – which has a store on Victoria Retail Park – will now run the initiative daily from Monday, April 1 until Sunday, April 7, between 9am-10am during the awareness week.
During Quieter Hours stores will:
- Dim the lights
- Turn music and radio off
- Avoid making tannoy announcements
- Reduce movement of trolleys and baskets
- Turn checkout beeps and other electrical noises down
- Place a poster outside to tell customers it’s Quieter Hour
Joseph Clark-Bland, community specialist at Morrisons, said: “We want to do our bit to raise awareness of autism and help affected families and that’s why we’ll be offering the quieter hour every day. We know that many families appreciate the opportunity to shop in a quieter store,” .
Daniel Cadey, from the National Autistic Society said: “Around 700,000 people are on the autism spectrum in the UK. This means they see, hear and feel the world differently to other people, often in a more intense way. Morrisons’ ‘Quieter Hour’ is a step in the right direction for autistic people who find supermarket shopping a real struggle.”
