Umbrella Project

Aberdeen Inspired are delighted to partner with the ADHD Foundation for a forth year to create a colourful umbrella installation in the city centre this summer. Harbour Energy, the largest London-listed independent oil and gas company will return as our principal sponsor for the project. Additional sponsorship is also gratefully received from CNR International.

Strings of coloured umbrellas will be on display at Shiprow from early May until September 2025, with the aim to raise awareness and celebration of the ‘umbrella’ term of neurodiversity, which includes ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia and Tourette's Syndrome.

With 1 in 5 humans being neurodivergent, 1 in 67 of us on the autistic spectrum, 1 in 20 with ADHD or dyspraxia and 1 in 10 with dyslexia, many people have a combination of these differences in how humans process and interact with their environment and the people around them.

The umbrella installation brightens our city centre streets as well as conveying messages about ADHD and autism and raising awareness of the support that is available to individuals and families.

Please note: The ADHD Foundation, who pioneered the Umbrella Project, ceased trading in August 2025. We are proud to continue this important legacy in Aberdeen, raising awareness and celebrating neurodiversity. You can read the full statement about the closure on the ADHD Foundation website: adhdfoundation.org.uk/news/adhd-foundation-closure

Neurodiversity Conference & Seminar Recordings

In May 2023 as part of the Umbrella Project, Aberdeen Inspired organised a Neurodiversity in the Workplace conference, along with some Neurodiversity Seminars. More information on the conference programme and recordings of some of the sessions can be found here.