My ADHD Extravaganza in Ely Raised £540 for ADHD UK!

On Saturday 19 September, I held the first ADHD Extravaganza in Ely, bringing together the local ADHD and wider neurodivergent community for an afternoon of talks, live music, local businesses, and plenty of opportunities to meet other people.

The event was a huge success, with over 100 people attending, and I’m really pleased to be able to confirm that we raised £540 for ADHD UK from the ticket proceeds.

I had hoped the event would go well, but it actually went much better than I had planned!

Bringing the ADHD community together in Ely

One of the things I enjoyed most about the afternoon was meeting so many people from the local neurodivergent community.

There was a really friendly atmosphere throughout the event, and it was lovely to see people chatting, making connections and even forming new friendships. For some people, simply being in a room where they felt understood and could talk openly about ADHD made a real difference.

That was one of the main reasons I wanted to organise the event in the first place. I wanted to create something that brought people together and gave them the chance to meet other neurodiverse people in a relaxed and welcoming environment.

16 neurodiverse local businesses

We had 16 stalls, all from neurodiverse local businesses, with stallholders offering everything from advice and support to handmade products and creative items.

It was great to be able to give these businesses an opportunity to introduce themselves to a new audience, while also giving visitors the chance to discover some of the talented people and businesses in the local area.

There was a really good variety of stalls, so there was plenty to look at and lots of conversations taking place throughout the afternoon.

ADHD talks and guest speakers

We also had six guest speakers who shared their own experiences of ADHD and offered ideas and practical tips for managing some of the challenges that can come with it.

Hearing different perspectives was an important part of the event. ADHD affects people in very different ways, and I wanted the talks to reflect that rather than presenting one single experience of ADHD.

There were some really interesting discussions, and I was grateful to everyone who gave up their time to come along and share their experiences.

Live music from Ava Lee

We were also incredibly lucky to have Ava Lee providing live music during the afternoon.

The music added something really special to the event and helped create the relaxed atmosphere I had hoped for. Ava was fantastic, and it was great to have a neurodivergent artist performing as part of an event celebrating neurodiversity.

Raising money for ADHD UK

When I started planning the ADHD Extravaganza, one of my aims was to raise money for charity alongside creating a good event for the local community.

I'm therefore delighted that we were able to donate £540 to ADHD UK.

That makes all the planning, organising and promotion worthwhile, particularly knowing that the money will go towards supporting the great work ADHD UK does for the neurodiverse community.

Thank you to everyone who came along

I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who attended, the stallholders, speakers, Ava, and everyone else who helped make the event happen.

Putting on an event like this involves a lot of work behind the scenes, and there were certainly a few things that didn't go quite according to plan along the way, but seeing the venue full of people on the day made it all worthwhile.

Most importantly, I really enjoyed meeting so many people and seeing the event become something much bigger than I had originally imagined.

What's next for the ADHD Extravaganza?

The response to the event has been so positive that I have already decided that the ADHD Extravaganza will return in 2027!

This time I'm planning to make it bigger, with even more businesses, speakers. and activities, while hopefully raising even more money for charity.

I learned a lot from organising the first event, so I'm looking forward to taking what worked well and building on it for next year.

For now, though, I'm just really pleased with how the first ADHD Extravaganza turned out and grateful to everyone who helped make it such a brilliant afternoon.