A St Albans pet shop welcomed autistic pupils into the store as part of the National Autistic Society’s ‘Autism Hour’.

Pets at Home in Abbey View Retail Park invited pupils from Radlett Lodge during the week-long event, which asks shops and services to take 60 minutes to give autistic people a break from their usual information overload.

The pupils were given a specialist tour of the shop followed by a workshop where they learned about rabbits and guinea pigs.

Pets at Home’s official autism hour will be held at 8am on Sunday, October 8, an hour before the shop officially opens, and staff will dim the lights, turn down music and till bells and share autism information with employees.

Store manager David Golder said: ““It was a pleasure to welcome Radlett Lodge into the St Albans store for such an important cause. This is a fantastic initiative and one we are extremely pleased to be a part of.