A MOTHER and son from Newquay have been awarded a prestigious accolade for helping the police better understand neurodivergence across the force.

Marie Hutchinson-Ralph and Malachi Tasker have received Superintendents Certificates by Devon and Cornwall Police for contributions to policing and the community after carrying out neurodivergence awareness training to more than 5,000 officers.

Marie, who is autistic, and 19-year-old Malachi, who has Tourette's Syndrome, autism, ADHD and sensory processing disorder, have been invited to an awards ceremony which will be held at the St Austell Conference Centre on Wednesday, February 11.

The award follows Malachi being awarded the coveted British Citizen Award (BCA) Medal of Honour for Services to Education (BCAe) for his contribution to society, which was partly awarded for his police neurodivergence awareness training.

Marie said: “As Malachi’s mum, and someone who fought for months to keep him from being sent 100 miles away to autism units I could not be prouder.

“To boot, I believe we are the first mother and son to be awarded the same accolade as I was awarded it in 2023 for my work in anti-ableism and disability rights across the UK.”