Lockdown has undoubtedly had a massive affect on all of us. A significant number of our members have approached us with concerns about their college age relatives whose learning and life skills development have been critically impacted by the pandemic.
In response, we’re running a campaign #lostinlockdown:Our Future Matters to lobby MPs to ringfence funding for these students to repeat a year of education if they wish.
This applies to young adults with Down’s syndrome who were 18 or over on 5th November 2020, however we are hoping that all of our members will help by getting behind this campaign.
If you or a member of your family are impacted by this issue and would like to add your voice to the campaign, please click on this link and complete the form.
We will be in touch with all our members shortly with details of how you can help us by supporting this campaign. Thank you as always for your good will and support.
There’s no doubt the pandemic lockdown continues to affect our lives but it hasn’t stopped the wonderful support we receive from our Cheshire community. Not only has Judy here raised funds for us through an online Dry January campaign but continues to support us by embarking on a virtual hike to Inverness to where she would normally be visiting her daughter - that’s almost 400 miles! So far, Judy has covered over 100 miles and is encouraging friends & family to walk (virtually) with her. You can support Judy’s campaign by clicking the link below…
A reminder that all unpaid carers under the age of 65 will be prioritised in Group 6 for the COVID-19 vaccine and so we are encouraging all our family members to register as carers with their GP to ensure they are eligible for the vaccine. Carers aged 65 and above will be able to access the vaccine earlier under the initial groupings.
We are delighted to share the news that our charity Chair, Julie Duff has been shortlisted for a prestigious Impact Award at the local Community ReAwards for her incredible work for Cheshire Down’s Syndrome Support Group.
Julie has given her heart and soul to the charity. The work she has done has always been voluntary, from being CEO and growing the charity to significantly helping at events, running training courses and making Northwich Makaton friendly. Julie remains at the forefront of the charity and is still often the first person our new families meet. Without Julie we can safely say the charity would not be where it is today.
The awards event will take place virtually on Friday 29th January. Good luck Julie and thank you for all you do.
We know just how isolating and restricting the lockdown measures are when it comes to social interaction. Which is why, in partnership with Disability Positive, we are developing a series of online social get-togethers that have the potential to cover a great range of fun and engaging activities…and we would love to have your input on this project in choosing the types of activities we include.
Please click the image above for more information and to register your interest and choices.
We absolutely delighted to have been shortlisted for the CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE NOW AWARDS 2020! Our education advocacy project was nominated in The Advice and Guidance Award…and we’re through to the finals! We’re so proud of our Education Advocate Team - this is a tremendous achievement in what’s been an extremely TOUGH year and against some even tougher competition, and we can’t wait for the award ceremony which will be premiered live at 4.00pm on the 4th March 2021.
With less than an hour before the midday deadline, on this last day of The Big Give Christmas Campaign, we reached our donation target of £3,500 which, in turn, has been match-funded by our pledgees & business champion pledgee, the Candis Publishing Group, to reach our grand total of £7000!
A huge thank you to everyone who donated over this past week - this is a fantastic result and will make THE difference to how we are able to support our Cheshire Down’s syndrome community.
During this period of upheaval, restriction and uncertainty, it’s a delight to welcome some new team members and trustees to help guide the CDSSG family through this most unprecedented of times!
Lawrence Caygill
It’s a very warm welcome to our new Chief Executive, Lawrence Caygill.
After graduating with a degree in Business Studies, Lawrence has developed extensive operational management experience working in both private and charitable organisations. Most recently he was responsible for the operational management and long-term financial sustainability of the mental health charity Mind in Salford.
Lawrence has developed many successful programmes that enfranchise communities and individuals to actively define and deliver support, rather than being passive users in a system. He strongly believes that all members of our society should have the opportunity to live the life they choose and is looking forward to building on Cheshire Down’s Syndrome Support Group’s excellent provision to create opportunities that will empower people with Down’s Syndrome to meet their full potential.
Our new Trustee appointments
Secretary Trustee, Anne Lewis
Anne is a retired Personal Secretary for ONS and Employment Department within Runcorn. She currently volunteers for Halton Heritage Partnership and Norton Priory, and a founder member and Trustee of Runcorn Locks Restoration Society. Anne became a grandmother of Evan born on 17th December 2019 who has Down’s syndrome. Congratulations Anne on your gorgeous grandson! With a lifetime of experience in both employment and volunteer roles, Anne is going to be a great asset to our Board of Trustee’s.
Post-18 Parent Trustee, Sue Tranter
Sue is mum to four boys, the youngest of which Joe, has Down’s Syndrome. He is currently in his final year at Petty Pool College. Sue recently retired after working for many years in administration at a local primary school. Sue has been involved with the CDSSG since Joe was young and appreciates the support from the amazing community that is the CDSSG.
HR & Business Trustee, Katie Mattinson
Katie first started volunteering for CDSSG about 3-4 years ago, at first decorating Christmas baubles and presenting the school awareness assemblies, then moving on to helping with recruitment of some of the amazing people who keep the charity running. Katie has volunteered in many roles over the years, including Parish Council and school Governor positions, but her career background was focused on recruiting the right people to the right job and keeping them happily there! The passion of all the people involved in CDSSG is infectious and Katie is honoured to be a part of the team.
We delighted to be launching our brand new DS Dance venue in Chester at Mollington & Backford village hall. The first face to face sessions took place on Thursday 8th October and will continue weekly between 5 pm - 6 pm. Everyone from our Cheshire DS community is welcome and don’t worry; no previous dancing experience is necessary - just lots of enthusiasm and a will to join in! Registration with Cheshire Dance is required before taking part, so if you haven’t already and you would like to have a go them please email us here for details on how to register and…Happy dancing!
To help personalise content and provide a better experience, we use cookies. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of cookies including those served by third party data providers including Google Analytics, Twitter and Facebook.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
