Nuala Trainor is a busy mother of four from Carryduff. Her volunteering with International Voluntary Service as a student took her to Hungary, the Netherlands and Scotland for a range of projects involving young people. Her current volunteering with Belfast Central Mission's Eagle Project is much closer to her heart and her home.

Nuala said, "Four years ago my son Callum was diagnosed with autism and that is when I became involved with the project. Autism was something new to me and my family. We went through a whole grieving process; the diagnosis was such a shock. We didn't know what it was going to mean, not only for Callum, but our whole family. Autism affects how a person interacts with the world. It affects their social and communication skills and some children have rigid thought patterns. Routine is an important aspect of daily life. But, just as no two children are the same, no two children with autism are the same - it is referred to as being on an autistic spectrum.

The Eagle Project was set up by Heather Taylor, whose own daughter had autism and at that time there wasn't anything in the way of support for parents and certainly no opportunity to meet other parents and learn from the experience of others. The Eagle Project is there to provide practical and emotional support to parents and families of children who have been diagnosed with autism. Heather came to visit in the very early days when our family was raw - the only way I can describe my feelings at that time - with the news about our son. It was a very emotional time and we didn't know what way to turn or how to move forward.

Heather helped us with the Eagle Project which provides services such as the Parent Workshops for parents of newly diagnosed children, Sibsklubs for siblings, a swimming club, youth club and a summer scheme. One of the most valuable services was that of the children's worker, where someone will come to help with your child for 3 hours a week, taking them out to the park, or for a swim, doing something fun on a one-to-one basis which gives you time to spend with your other children or just to draw breath. We benefited from this service for a whole year which is why I wanted to give something back to the project.

In September 2008 I volunteered for the role of Chair of the Parent Support Group. We meet the second Monday of every month. As Chair, I welcome everyone to the group and break the ice for those new parents by explaining my background. Some parents who come to the group are five years down the line of diagnosis, whilst others are living with the knowledge for five weeks; they are often confused and tearful. The group is very much parent led. We are open to new ideas about what people want to get from the group, so some months I will organise a speaker, say someone from the National Autistic Society, a speech or behavioural therapist, and sometimes we will use the time to allow people to chat and learn from the experiences of others. Most parents that come value the opportunity to talk to someone who is not a relative, about their child's condition.

I get as much out of my volunteering as I put in. As well as all the tears there are tears of joy at the meetings - we have a laugh about other siblings who are not autistic presenting more problems! I still face issues every day with Callum and the future will present new challenges for him and our family so I am still learning from other parents and the information I bring home I can pass on to others. It is very much about shared experience.

I am one of many parents who are involved, and through the group I have made new friends and have accessed a range of new social activities that I wouldn't have known about if it wasn't for my volunteering. For the fourth anniversary of the parent support group, we organised a gala ball and raised almost £8000 for the project. It was an amazing feeling to get involved in such an undertaking and for it to be such a great success - so much so, that a fundraising group has evolved from the event. I personally feel that my volunteering helps utilise all my business and organisational skills and I was able to use them for the total benefit of the Eagle Project - the project which has made a lasting impact on my family."

The Eagle Project is run by Belfast Central Mission. For further information call 028 9024 1917.