Role MODELS hit the headlines!
It’s been a whirlwind couple of months for HDSSG member Jack Davies.
After been ‘spotted’ whilst at school and asked if he would model for a new council project and then coincidentally being invited by Eureka Children’s Museum to another photo shoot for their new ‘all about me’ gallery he then got asked along to The Langdon Down Centre in Teddington- home of the Down’s Syndrome Association to to join other child models with Down Syndrome who are being represented in mainstream campaigns.
The idea of getting as many models together as possible came from Hayley Goleniowska – mum to model Natty who has worked on numerous projects including for clothing companies JoJo Maman Bebe and Frugi. With the help of journalist Kate Thompson, who was to write up our stories, they managed to find 8 families and coordinate us all to meet at the ‘home’ of Down Syndrome.
Jack (6) joined Natty (6), Rosie (2), Seb (5), Poppy (5), Thea (7), Kosta (9) and Harvey (8) in the historical and stunning Normansfield Theatre for the shoot.
“Normansfield was established in 1868 by Victorian Physician Dr John Langdon Down as a family home and a place where people with learning disabilities could be cared for and educated at a time when most of them would have been condemned to life in an asylum. This remarkable man built this beautiful theatre and encouraged his patients/students to learn music and drama as part of their education. He provided work experience in woodwork and farming in a way that was probably more advanced than some of the provision available today. Some of his students had the condition that now bears his name and he is known internationally as the ‘Father of Down’s syndrome’.”
Most fitting that we returned there in 2013 to celebrate what our children are achieving today!
So here it is….. the moment you have been waiting for….. all 8 fabulous models working that camera!
Read the full story and find out more about all the children pictured above in the article that made Great Britains largest circulating newspaper, The Sun – http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/4814519/Meet-the-Downs-Syndrome-child-models.html#comment-rig
You can also see more of Jack and his younger brother Alex who feature on the Eureka! website here – https://www.eureka.org.uk/for-schools/all-about-me-its-here-hurray/
HDSSG look forward to seeing more and more children with additional needs in the spotlight. Fantastic.