TOY shop The Entertainer is calling on retailers and shopping centres to do more for autistic people.

With more than 700,000 autistic people in the UK, staff recognise the huge importance of welcoming autistic people into their shops – including the one in Clydebank.

The retailer has teamed up with the National Autistic Society’s Autism Hour campaign and is calling on retailers to participate in creating autism-friendly environments.

This year’s campaign takes place October 5-12.

Gary Grant, founder of The Entertainer, said: “Joining Autism Hour is the absolute minimum retailers should be doing to support autistic people across the country.

“Simple yet effective changes can make a huge impact in creating a safe and welcoming environment for autistic people, such as turning off music and reducing bright lighting wherever possible.”

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The Entertainer has implemented its own weekly “quiet hour” which all stores run during the first hour of opening every Saturday, and the first hour of opening every day during school holidays.

Tom Purser, head of campaigns at the National Autistic Society, said: “The Entertainer are a fantastic example of a retail store which has taken great strides in becoming autism-friendly.

“The toy store began by joining in with our campaign, Autism Hour, and have since achieved the Autism Friendly Award in five stores and they are looking to roll this out to all their stores next year.”

Tom added: “Autistic people represent a huge part of our society – around one in 100 people in the UK. They and their families want to have the opportunity to go to the shops, just like anyone else, but many find the crowds, noise and unpredictability of our high streets completely overwhelming and end up avoiding them altogether.”

Find out more about the National Autistic Society’s Autism Hour and how to get involved by visiting autism.org.uk/AutismHour.