PETS at Home in Chesterway Retail Park is again joining the nationwide 'Autism Hour' initiative this Saturday, October 13.

The store will be taking part in the National Autistic Society campaign, providing autistic people with a relaxed shopping experience. Along with 440 locations UK-wide, the Northwich store will be dimming the lights, turning down music and till bells, and sharing information about the condition with employees from 9am to 10am.

Research by the National Autistic Society found that 64 per cent of autistic people sometimes avoid going to the shops because the environment isn’t sensitive to their needs.

Vanessa Gee, store manager at Pets at Home Northwich said: “We are proud to be supporting this fantastic initiative once again.

"We know it makes such a difference to the lives of some of our customers and their families who want to shop for their pets.

“For the first hour of the day on Saturday October 13 we will be providing a relaxed, stress free, autism-friendly space for our customers.”