Ambitions is committed to empowering young people with learning difficulties, helping them to develop skills for work and independent living through practical experiences and supported work placements within their own local community and culture. They are based in Mirfield, North Kirklees.
Set up in 2008 by Liz Feeny and Bev Sisssons, Ambitions work with people who have left school and college. They provide mini enterprises which clients help to run, thereby increasing their own skills and confidence. Sessions are planned by their enthusiastic and dedicated staff. Ambitions work with other local projects and businesses as well as schools, universities and the local community to highlight the ability not the disability.
Ambitions operates an ‘open door policy’ and are happy to see prospective clients and their parent/carer. They are available from Monday to Friday 9.30am – 3.30pm
Also look out for the OPEN DAYS coming up on the following dates:
Monday 8th October, Friday 12th October, Thursday 25th October
HDSSG would like to say a great big THANK YOU! to two gentlemen that ran the Bupa Great North Run to raise money for our group.
The Bupa Great North Run, the world’s biggest half marathon, starts in Newcastle on Tyne, concludes in South Shields, and comprises 54,000 runners. The Great North Run is a hugely popular event for all types of runner. Runners come from all over the world to experience this iconic event.
Tim Heyes and Andy Proctor completed the 13.1 miles in fabulous times and have so far raised a very healthy £230.00 for Huddersfield Down Syndrome Support Group. There is still time to add to this total – if you would like to, just click here!
HDSSG has lots of exciting projects and opportunities that will benefit greatly from your donations. Including helping 7 of our amazing swimmers reach the Special Olympics in Bath next year – you can read more here, and funding our Tiny Talkers targeted speech & language sessions for our early years members – find out more here.
So a huge thank you to everyone that has very kindly donated and to Tim & Andy. We are very grateful.
Thank you to the Huddersfield Examiner for another lovely article. As part of their ‘Wish 2012’ campaign they will feature all the charities and organisations in Huddersfield that have joined up in the hope of receiving a share of £25,000. Today our very own HDSSG got their chance to shine:
FAMILIES who have children with Down Syndrome in Huddersfield have access to a parents’ network of advice and support.
The Huddersfield Down Syndrome Support Group has harnessed the latest technology to ensure they are constantly in touch.
An easy-to-use website, Facebook page and Twitter feed mean friendly help and advice is only a click away.
The group, which has some 40 members, is open to all Huddersfield parents with children from birth age to 21 years.
Communications officer Leanne Davies, whose six-year-old son Jack has Down Syndrome, said the group was run by parents for parents and always welcomed new members.
The group regularly holds social events and gatherings aimed at all the family including brothers and sisters.
Days at the seaside, impromptu picnics, trips to the zoo, swimming sessions and the much-anticipated annual panto visit are loved by the children.
The group, though, offers a great deal of practical help and advice for parents.
Leanne said: “The idea is that we can all share our experiences with each other.
“We all have different areas of expertise. For example some of us work in schools and can help with issues involving schooling.
“There are some great services available locally and we can help people access them.”
This weekend the group will launch Tiny Talkers, a six-week speech and language therapy programme.
The Sunday morning sessions will take place at The Watershed in Slaithwaite.
Due to demand from parents, the group has invested in training for one of their number, Bernie Egan, a mum of two children with Down Syndrome.
Bernie trained with Symbol UK and will deliver the programme to younger children first.
Leanne, 32, who lives in Oakes, said: “This is something that has come from parents.
“As we all know resources are stretched in the area and communication for our children is absolutely vital.
“Hopefully we will be able to continue to develop the programme as we go along.”
While the accent is on fun, the group is about so much more than that.
“It’s not just about days out,” said Leanne. “It’s about educating and empowering parents.”
To contact the group go to: www.hdssg.org.
Down Syndrome is a genetic condition which results in some level of learning disability and a characteristic range of physical features.
Learning disability significantly affects a child’s ability to learn compared with other children of their age.
It does not mean, however, that a child cannot learn at all.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DISPLAY ONE OF OUR POSTERS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COPY & PRINT THIS PDF – HDSSG token poster
COMING SOON – a fabulous unique calendar put together by Huddersfield’s Shabang! Theatre Adventures – a creative arts project working with families and children with additional needs.
The 2013 calendar features fantastic pictures of little stars in typical Shabang! style all supported by signs and symbols!
The calendar will retail at £9.99 with all profits going directly to fund the brilliant projects that Shabang! offer.
Here’s a sneak preview of some of our HDSSG stars in December….
…Or should that be Stephanie Millward meets Ruben?! in his own words read all about Ruben’s day at Olympic Park:
“On September 1st I went to the Aquatics Centre at the Olympic Park. I met Stephanie Millward who won two silver medals and a bronze medal. she showed me around the Aquatics Centre and let me try her medals on. The medal was really heavy! I asked her lots of questions about swimming and asked her for some advice. She trains in the pool for 2 hours nine times a week and also trains in a gym. She told me to keep working hard at my swimming”
Huddersfield Down Syndrome Support Group are proud to announce that seven of our swimmers will be representing BOK Borough Of Kirklees) at next years Summer Special Olympic Games to be held at the University Of Bath in August 2013.
This fantastic opportunity will see our squad travel to Bath for 3 days of swimming events where they will compete against swimmers from across the country. Swim coach Gemma Ripley and group coordinator Chris Kempley work tirelessly to support the squad who train every Friday at Almondbury High School pool.
HDSSG are pleased to be helping the squad raise the money required to fund the trip to Bath by hosting a Body Shop Party and raffle at the Watershed, Slaithwaite, on Friday November 30th. Click here for more info.
Three of our swimmers swim for Great Britain at Down Syndrome European and and World Championship levels and in November Joanne Kempley and Ben Sweeney will be representing Team GB in Liguria, Italy. Sadly the International Paralympic Committee turned down a recent request from the Down Syndrome International Swimming Organisation to create a new paralympic classification for athletes with Down Syndrome.
Offers weekly drama sessions for children with Down Syndrome. Based at the Watershed in Slaithwaite, Huddersfield ‘Up Club’ runs on a Monday evening.
The sessions aim to improve communication skills, build self esteem and enhance social confidence. To find out more and to see the club in action visit Shabang! Theatre Adventures by clicking the logo above!
DSE is hosting four one-day conferences around the UK this autumn to present their new reading and language intervention for children with Down syndrome.
The Reading and Language Intervention for Children with Down Syndrome (RLI) teaches key language and literacy skills following evidence-based principles and adapted to meet the children’s specific learning needs.
RLI is designed for children with Down syndrome aged 5 to 11 years (years 1 to 6 in primary schools in the UK)
“Places are still available at one-day conferences around the UK introducing our new reading and language intervention. The events, sponsored by the Big Lottery Fund, will take place in late September and early October in Woking, Swindon, Birmingham and York.”
Dates and venues
These events will take place on the following dates:
25 Sep 2012 – HG Wells Conference Centre, Woking
27 Sep 2012 – Village Hotel, Swindon
2 Oct 2012 – Lakeside Centre, Aston University, Birmingham
3 Oct 2012 – Park Inn by Radisson Hotel, York
“These conferences have been kindly sponsored by the Big Lottery Fund, enabling us to only charge a small fee to cover food, refreshments and booking administration: £25 for professionals, £15 for parents and £5 for parents on Jobseeker’s Allowance or Income Support.”
Eureka! Museum’s innovative Helping Hands Project has announced the next round of free Saturday and Holiday Clubs for disabled children and their families from across Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield, Bradford and Calderdale. The regular clubs offer families the opportunity to take part in specially designed activities, supported by trained members of the Eureka! team, before exploring a different part of the popular children’s museum each week – all completely free of charge.
Eureka! The National Children’s Museum in Halifax, West Yorkshire, launched Helping Hands at the end of 2011 thanks to funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. The three year project provides a range of services that enable the whole family enjoy a great day at Eureka! and reduce the stresses and strains that a family day out can often entail. The first club will take place on 29 September and is open to the families of visually impaired children. A Saturday club specifically for children with Down Syndrome is set to start in March 2013.
Trizia Wells, Eureka! Helping Hands Project Lead said “We’ve received fantastic feedback from the 85 families that have already taken part in our free clubs, so we’re really pleased to be able to open this fantastic free service up to even more families this year. The clubs are great opportunities to explore, play and learn new skills, but I know many of the families have also benefited greatly from meeting and talking with other families.”
•An Extra Pair of Hands– a bookable service providing families with a specially trained enabler who will support them throughout their visit
•Saturday and holiday clubs – a chance for families to play and learn together at sessions run by trained enablers
•Ambassadors – Eureka! wants families to help by telling us what they think of our galleries and activities, giving us their ideas and suggestions and telling other families about the Helping Hands project
Saturday & Holiday Clubs
At each of our Saturday Clubs we will have trained enablers on hand to support your visit, additional activities and parking, all completely FREE. Our Helping Hands clubs are a great opportunity to:
•Meet other families
•Enjoy Eureka!’s fun filled environment
•Discover new ways to play and have fun together
•Take part in specially created sessions will be run by the Eureka! team
The sessions will include a visit to a different museum gallery each week
Pre booking is essential for these sessions. Places are limited and we will be asking you how we can help make your family’s time at Eureka! as enjoyable and stress free as possible.
Coming up…
•Visually Impaired Club
29 September, 6 and 13 October 2012
•Wheelchair Users Club
10, 17 and 24 November 2012
•Autism Early Years Club
8, 15 and 22 December 2012
Dates for 2013!
•Down’s Syndrome Club
2, 9 and 23 March 2013
•Hearing Impaired Club
20 and 27 April, 4 May 2013
•Autism Primary Club
8, 15 and 29 June 2013
Holiday Clubs 2013
Easter: 26, 27 March
2, 3, 9, 10 April
Summer: 25 & 26 July
1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30 August
To book your place on any of the Saturday or Holiday clubs, please email trizia.wells@eureka.org.uk or jenny.goodall@eureka.org.uk or ring us on 01422 330069.
Here’s some feedback from our Holiday Clubs:
•”The children were well supervised with plenty to do.”
•”Great that the children were playing with their peers, getting a bit messy and doing activities they can’t normally do at home”
•”Parachute games were great – more please!”
•”Family time spent together and it was free! had a great time!”
An Extra Pair of Hands:
Our bookable Extra Pair of Hands service provides families with a specially trained enabler to support them throughout their visit. The service will be available on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturday afternoons and Sundays throughout the year.
The service is free with an annual pass, and each family is entitled to two supported visits (each visit lasting two hours) per year. The service must be booked at least two weeks in advance of your visit.
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