A casual, informal setting for our neurodiverse and autism-friendly speed dating evening
The Jungle Cafe, Exotic Zoo Wildlife Park, Hinkshay Rd, Dawley, Telford TF4 3GZ
I have carefully chosen The Jungle Cafe at The Exotic Wildlife Zoo as the venue for our neurodiverse and autism-friendly speed dating evenings in Shropshire. The venue allows for a calmer, less chaotic, more cosy setting allowing me to meet the needs of our attendee daters. The Owners and Managers are fantastic to work with and excited to provide the setting to bring dating to the county for this community.
I have made some adjustments to make this event inclusive. Our team member, Jack, and I are due to complete our Autism Champion training in April. Here are some of the changes I have made to the event…
A smaller, cosier venue to create a less pressured, more relaxed environment
There will only be 9 dates (9 tickets for each gender are on sale)
Dates will be longer with 7 minutes to chat rather than 4
Everyone is welcome to bring a supporter/carer/friend
There will be no music to keep the noise levels down There will be a lovely experienced carer helping on the day
We have question cards on the table with light-hearted questions to help get the conversation started
There will be a warm up game from the very start to help people interact and mingle to combat any nerves
There are several sheltered outdoor booths to use if people need to take a moment to themselves (see photos below)
The bell will be replaced with a countdown from myself at both 1 minute to go and 30 seconds to go then 5-4-3-2-1 to notify everyone it is time for the next date
I am offering a zoom call for 15 minutes for anyone who needs to chat with me and ask questions about the evening.
When you attend this event, use the postcode TF3 4HD and park in Dark Lane Car Park. This is right next to The Jungle Cafe. The Zoo is closed to visitors, but the cafe is open. They are very reasonably priced and offer concessions for visitors from this speed dating event.
If you have not yet purchased your speed dating tickets, they are limited for each event so get your ticket today so you don’t miss your chance to meet other singles in Shropshire.
