Chattertots charity organises party for World Down Syndrome Day

Children of all ages enjoyed a party with ‘something for everyone’ to mark World Down Syndrome Day earlier this month.

The celebration at Thames Valley Adventure Playground (TVAP) on Sunday, March 23 was attended by about 90 people and was organised by charity Chattertots, which supports children with Down syndrome and offers speech and language services in Berkshire and the surrounding areas.

The charity has held events at TVAP in the past, but this was the first party there to mark World Down Syndrome Day, an annual awareness day which takes place on March 21.

The adventure playground in Taplow, which offers fun
activities for children and adults with disabilities, provided an inclusive environment for children with Down syndrome and their families to enjoy.

Youngsters could visit the sensory, music and soft play rooms, have a go on the zip wire, or enjoy the entertainment from magician Fred the Shed.

Cake and refreshments were also provided.

Chattertots trustee Vicki Campbell said it was important to have a facility like TVAP close by, and families had travelled from further afield to use it.

The charity is hoping to arrange more social events each year, giving families a chance to mix and share experiences.

Vicki said: “Loads of people have come back to me to say it was so nice to meet other parents that they didn’t know were around and for their kids to play with other kids and make friends.

“It was lovely to see all the kids so happy together, playing together.”

Last week, Chattertots’ Clare McIntosh also gave a speech at a Maidenhead and District Chamber of Commerce networking event at the Monkey Island Estate in Bray.

She discussed the charity’s work to ‘give children with Down syndrome a voice’ and urged businesses to form a partnership with Chattertots.

Clare also talked about sponsorship opportunities for the charity’s ‘Go-to-School’ boxes, which offer resources such as specialist pencils, visual learning resources and educational tablets to help children with Down syndrome start school.

Visit chattertots.org to find out more about the charity.