Royds Hall High School helped to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day with a fundraising cake stall. The students baked buns in HDSSG colours and advertised the sale with some brilliantly designed posters which they displayed around the school. The additional needs team and Royds Hall TV made an informative film about Down Syndrome which was shown to every form at tutor time. A digital photo montage was also compiled with an audio track of Ruben (pictured) reading a poem.
HDSSG would like to thank Royds Hall for demonstrating such a positive proactive move – as far as we know the first high school in Kirklees EVER to recognise World Down Syndrome Day!
The proceeds of the sale – over £120, will go to HDSSG, but more importantly awareness has been raised. The students at Royds Hall ( a few of whom, statistically will be touched by Down Syndrome at some point in their own lives) have gained a greater understanding of people with Down Syndrome which will hopefully ripple outwards and help make positive changes for all our children with Down Syndrome.
Huddersfield Down Syndrome Support Group are proud to present our very own merchandise!
Modelled below by the gorgeous Tess Egan our 100% cotton T Shirts expertly embroidered by Atomic Embroidery in Meltham, Huddersfield, have been a huge hit!
We also have some brilliant trolley/locker tokens beautifully crafted by another local business M.L Badges at Mirfield. They are double sided chrome tokens, featuring our lovely logo and our contact details on the reverse.
Pontefract Pirates Juniors’ “ Footballer of the week” is Ruben Reuter!
A brilliant session this morning as Pontefract Pirate Juniors prepare for The Family Fun Day at Nostell Priory next Saturday to celebrate World Down Syndrome Awareness Day – watch them play and join in as they demonstrate their footie skills throughout the afternoon event.
The fun at Nostell kicks off at 1pm and won’t end until the final whistle at 4pm.
There will be lots of brilliant entertainment as well as Ruben and the other Junior Pirates showing off their skills there will be a mascot race, cheerleading display, face painting, bun decorating, walkabout theatre from Shabang! Theatre Adventures, a bouncy castle, land train, dog displays fairground games and a fire engine! As well as information stands on local Down Syndrome Support Groups – Wakefield & District who are hosting the event and our very own Huddersfield.
All this is completely FREE so why not bring along the whole family!
The 21st March 2012 marks the 7th anniversary of World Down Syndrome Day and for the first time this day will be officially recognised by the United Nations.WDSD is held on 21 March (21/3) every year to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of chromosome 21 which causes the genetic condition Down syndrome. The aim of the day is to raise awareness and understanding of a condition which affects approximately 1 in 800 births worldwide, and to promote the inherent rights of persons with Down syndrome to enjoy full and dignified lives and be active participants in their communities and society.
Activities and events which take place on this day typically showcase the abilities and accomplishments of persons with Down syndrome and encourage independence, self-advocacy and freedom for persons with Down syndrome to make their own choices. To date, WDSD has been observed in over 60 countries around the world. Each year the voice of people with Down Syndrome and those who live and work with them grows louder but there is still a long way to go.
To mark World Down Syndrome Day we are joining Wakefield Down Syndrome Support Group at their annual family fun day to be held at Nostell Priory, Wakefield, on Saturday 24th March 2102. Last years event saw over 3000 visitors and this year is set to be even bigger! The event runs from 1pm -4pm and will include lots of stalls, games and displays!
On the 24th June 2012, our very own Joanne Kempley will be carrying the Olympic torch through Brighouse!
Joanne’s nomination story
Joanne was born with Downs Syndrome and with a serious heart defect, requiring open heart surgery when she was 6 years old. Prior to the operation she had very little energy and even unable to walk upstairs. Following the operation she blossomed, and exceeded any expectations in terms of overcoming her disabilities. She has a full and varied life and recently was appointed ladies team captain representing Great Britain at the Downs Syndrome World Swimming Championships in Taiwan bringing home two bronze and one silver medal with the ladies relay teams She is also European champion in the 50, 100 breastroke events. (She trains 5 times a week). Joanne carries out voluntary work with a special needs pre-school group, providing care and being a role model to parents showing what can be achieved with a disability. She also works one day a week in the Shelter Charity shop. She has achieved has achieved her Bronze Duke of Edinburgh award and presently working towards her silver. For two days week she is a member of Full Body and the Voice Theatre Company and has worked with South Yorkshire Police assisting with police training; appeared in two productions and has recently been filmed for a TV series. She has also taken part in workshops in local schools. She is a friendly, outgoing, chatty young lady who sees every day of her life as her `best ever` and enjoys life to the full. Joanne is living proof of what can be achieved if you have a disability.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIKE TO COME ALONG AND HAVE FUN WITH MANASAMITRA AND ENJOY A NEW ART ACTIVITY IN NORTH OR SOUTH KIRKLEES – OR DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO WOULD????
An exciting new project is developing in Kirklees and will be formally launched in two separate events; one in North Kirklees on 23rd March 2012 at Dewsbury Town Hall between 1-3pm and the other on 26th March 2012 in Huddersfield Town Hall between 1-3pm.
This project, which is part of South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s Creative Minds Strategy, is designed for people over the age of 14 living with a physical/learning disability in Kirklees. The project aims to bring together the unique approaches used within the arts, sports, leisure and cultural sector to develop creative activities for people accessing healthcare services and to create fun and enjoyable activities for all participants.
MANASAMITRA the highly successful South Asian Arts organisation based in Dewsbury, have been formally chosen as a creative partner by South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. As a partner Manasamitra are part of a strong, growing infrastructure of community organisations who are working with the Trust to provide creative projects for people who use Trust services.
The project is open access which means that everyone over age of 14 with a physical/learning disability can come along and try out Bollywood dancing, Indian arts and crafts, and musical instruments including drumming.
As you are aware the Trust provides NHS services to the people of Barnsley, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield and is committed to the use of creative approaches to in health service. Current health and social care research shows that creative approaches can achieve high quality outcomes for people who use health services to increase self-esteem, provide a sense of purpose, develop social skills, help community integration and improve service users’ quality of life.
Additionally the Trust aims to support voluntary and community organisations, like Manasamitra, to deliver, in partnership with Trust staff, a variety of creative projects to the people who use Trust services and their carers.
If you would you like to be part of this stimulating new initiative and participate in visual arts, dance and music which will be delivered in North and South Kirklees throughout 2012 then come along to either of the launch events, where you will be made most welcome and where you can experience the rhythms, movements, colour and sounds of India – right here in Kirklees.
For more information on this exciting development contact Manasamitra on 01924 694192 or info@manasamitra.com
Here at Huddersfield Down Syndrome Support Group we wanted to compile a booklet reflecting our group and some of the members in it. With the help of photos sent in from our families and the artful eye of Mark Travis it is now ready! We will be including these booklets in our ‘new parent’ packs that will be distributed in our local hospitals and given to our contact families to share. It will also be kept under our ‘new parent’ section of the website for anyone to download if they wish.
We hope you enjoy meeting some of the fantastic children that make up Huddersfield Down Syndrome Support Group.
It’s Sunday, it’s 10am and we’re heading to Pontefract for our weekly training session with the fabulous Pontefract Pirates junior football team. The pirates are run under the wing of Pontefract Collieries Football Club from the White Rose Stadium on Beechnut Lane. The club enables people of all ages with learning difficulties to play organised football, and runs weekly training and coaching sessions for all the teams. The juniors are trained by coaches Trevor Waddington & Gary Smith, who have built up a successful adult team who compete in National Disability Football Championships across the country.
The Sunday sessions run from 11am till noon at Pontefract Collieries Football Club. Over the weeks we have seen the players skills improve and as a team they put up a fine show recently at the Ability Counts League at the Goals Centre in Bradford.
THEY have a simple aim … to celebrate their children’s achievements.
And there was every reason to do so in Slaithwaite, as the youngsters took on the challenge of learning Iyengar Yoga.
It was just the latest attempt by the Huddersfield’s Down Syndrome Support Group (HDSSG) to highlight just how rewarding it can be to work with families.
They had gathered at Slaithwaite’s Watershed – a converted weaving shed used to host creative workshops – to take part in the sessions. Designed to help strengthen the muscles of children with Down Syndrome and aid with hypotonia, the yoga morning also proved to be very sociable.
Hypotonia is a state of low muscle tone which commonly results from different diseases and disorders that affect motor nerve control by the brain or muscle strength.
More than 10 families took part in the relaxing 45-minute Iyengar session led by instructor Jayny Stock.
This form of yoga is often used in physical therapy as it helps target unsupple or injured areas.
Leanne Davies, communications officer for HDSSG, joined the group after giving birth to her son Jack in 2006, and said that popularity in the group has grown.
She said: “We have got over 40 families in Huddersfield and we do various events for different age groups.
“It was founded by parents of children with Down Syndrome in the area and we believe it is crucial to celebrate our children’s achievements, champion their views and aspirations, challenge out-dated thinking and spread current accurate information about Down Syndrome.
“The group has been running for several years but we recently decided to kick it up a notch and make it more visible for families in the area.
“We are now using social media and have launched a website to make people aware that we are here should they need support.
“As a result we have welcomed four new babies in the last 12 months in Huddersfield alone.”
“It can be quite scary at first, but by talking to other parents it helps you know that everything is going to be okay and in fact it is the start of something wonderful.”
Older members of the group were busy taking part in a swimming competition for Kirklees Disability Team in Beverley while the younger ones enjoyed the yoga.
HDSSG have a calendar of events for the next few weeks including World Down Syndrome Day on March 21, which has been recognised for the first time by the United Nations.
The day was originally started in 2005 and it recognises the uniqueness of the triplication of chromosome 21 which causes the genetic condition Down Syndrome.
The aim of the day is to raise awareness and understanding of a condition which affects approximately 1 in 800 births worldwide.
Every day in the UK between one and two babies are born with the condition.
On March 24, the group will join the Wakefield and District Down Syndrome Support Group in a family fun day at Nostell Priory.
There will be dance displays, fairground games, inflatable football and musical entertainment from Slaithwaite’s Shabang group.
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