Fife Autism charity’s anthem described as ‘dream come true’ by founder

Autism Rocks founder Liza Quin had ambitions of writing the song since starting the charity to counter the “negative” numbers already released.

“It was something that I'd always wanted to do,” she said. “I wanted to have an anthem, but I never really had the guts to do it.”

Liza had aimed to write a piece that was the antithesis of what was already out there. The space was mostly filled with American songs which were “depressing” and “negative” according to Liza. She hoped her version would change that.

Liza explained: “Autism Rocks Fife isn’t about that. We’re about letting the guys be themselves, showing the positive side and the happy side, so when I was working on the lyrics, that's how it came across as I was wroteg them. This is positive, something that I feel that the families will relate to.”

Having written the lyrics in one evening, Liza sent them off to Graham Brown of Planet Studios in Dundee who had agreed to help record and produce the track. Despite not having any experience with songwriting, Liza received promising feedback straight away.

She explained: “I've never done this in my life. I didn't even have a clue if they would flow. Within about a couple of minutes of me sending them, he said ‘they lyrics are brilliant, they flow perfectly.”

Graham was able to produce an acoustic version of the track before producing a full band version with his group, Stone Preachers. That version has since been made into a music video in conjunction with John Wilson which is made up of pictures of parents and children involved with the charity holding up posters of what autism and Autism Rocks Fife meant to them.

Liza said that receiving the final version of the video was an emotional moment. She said: “I couldn't stop crying. I was like ‘I wrote that!’ It was crazy.”

The song has now been released on social media and on YouTube, with a wider release on platforms such as Spotify in the next few weeks. Feedback from the families has been positive, but Liza is keen to get more exposure for the track.

She said: “It's out on social media, the families have all seen it, and it has been fantastic but I would love it to be aired so that the wider community can hear it and hopefully understand that it’s not all doom and gloom. It's actually like a rock song – we are called Autism Rocks, so it has kind of got a bit of a rocky vibe there. To be honest, in some bit of a cliched way. It was kind of a dream come true for me.”

The release comes at the end of World Autism Acceptance Week, organised by the National Autistic Society, which aims to raise awareness about the challenges autistic people face across all areas of society. However, Liza said that the song is for Autism Rocks Fife, rather than an anthem for autism.

For Liza, the song and video come 10 years after founding the charity. She launched it after her daughter, Alannah was diagnosed with autism at the age of five. Originally set up as a Facebook group, the charity has now expanded and provides in-person support to more than 3000 families across Fife, including from its base in Buckhaven.

Despite providing a high level of support, Liza said that it is completely run by volunteers and receives no external funding, instead relying on donations and fundraising. She said: “We are a not for profit, we don't get external funding. We rely heavily on donations and fundraising. We don't get support from the NHS or the council or anything like that. We’re all volunteers, none of us get paid. We're very busy.”