People and Gardens: A Nursery Staffed by Adults with Learning and Emotional Difficulties

On one of the first days of the school holidays, the girls and I decided to pay a visit to our online friends, a wonderful local project called People and Gardens. They don't open to the public so we were very honoured that they gave up their time to welcome us.

In a nutshell People and Gardens is a salad and herb nursery that supply produce to the Eden Project for their cafés. But it is much much more than that. Started by Ken and his wife Lorraine nearly 17 years ago, this place is a calm, supportive haven, an oasis where adults with emotional troubles or learning disabilities can come together, work and socialise, bringing independence and control into their lives.

Of course Ken and Lorraine have taken on more than the typical roles of employers. In many cases they advise, support, are carers, motivate their staff with team sports and even trips together. Their no-nonsense approach to life means that everyone is encouraged to help each other, and respect for the rest of the team is paramount. 

Because expectations are high, the first thing that struck me on arrival was the overwhelming sense of fulfillment and confidence that everyone had. It was a calm place too with smiles and jokes in abundance.

The girls clearly felt this as well, and greated Ken and his team with hugs and within minutes they were enthusiastically helping plant salad, clean and trim spring onions and pick tomatoes being grown for the Cornish Ketchup Co.




Oddly, I realised before we left home that Mia had never had much contact with adults with a Down's Syndrome and I had wondered how she would react when she met the staff. This was a case of me thinking too deeply, because she immediately felt at home.


Everyone sat together for lunch, and the girls shared around some cake we had made that morning.





Then it was time for... a spot of cricket. 
What? Don't you play cricket after lunch in your place of work? Both girls joined in but Mia simply couldn't be dragged away and in fact got quite competitive.



We were absolutely bowled over (excuse the pun) by what we saw at People and Gardens. 
We will definitely be back soon to volunteer our help, and I urge anyone who can support this project, which is after all a charity that struggles to pay as many workers as it can, either financially or with your time, to do so.

Oh, and if you live in the St Austell area you can order their delicious veg bags too. Yummm. We were sent home with a scrummy selection to sample.

More projects like this please.

H

Cancelled Tonsil Op at the Crack of Dawn



The empty anticipation of the 7am hospital carpark. 


Mia was at home having breakfast with her Godmum, nervous herself and demanding that she come too,  in only the way a 9 year old understands how to show her concern for her little sister. We parked up easily and unloaded the coolbox of delights, the ridiculously overstuffed overnight case (I hate to be unprepared for all eventualities), and of course Dolly the rag doll who had been helping us role play the tonsil operation that was due to take place later that morning. The preparation had been thorough and we were as ready as we would ever be.


Daddy Downs Side Up leads Natty proudly into the empty hospital


We entered the hospital, Natty, Dolly and Daddy Downs Side Up a little ahead. 
The same hospital he proudly carried her into ahead of me after we were blue-light-dashed there minutes after her birth in our family bathroom. The same nerves wracked our bodies now as they did then. Different fears, but no less physical in their manifestation. 
The place holds memories.

Our hearts too were carrying the imprints of the heart surgery of 3 years before. A different hospital that time, but the thought of carrying our littlest one into another operating theatre and watching her succumb to the anaesthetic before our eyes was all too raw. The feeling of trusting another human being implicitly with your child's life is one that makes all parents feel so very powerless.

On the outside we were overly, chitty chatty jolly, in the way nervous parents are when they are putting on a brave face for their children. The tears welled in my eyes though as I asked if Dolly was being a good girl, if Natty had seen the lovely painting on the wall, if she would like a fruit bar when we got there and a play in the lovely play room?

She told dolly how brave she was. And I wondered just how brave Natty would be when the time came, flashbacks of previous traumatic blood tests, her little body pinned down by 3 adults, filling my thoughts.

We were the first to enter the ward to surprised looks from the staff nurse, a wonderful woman who had me us for the pre op checks the week before.

"Oh, you're here?!" 
"I thought they were going to postpone Natty's op."

No, surely not. 
No-one had called, there had been no letter. 
We were ready. 
Time and emotions and money and days off and enlisting help had been invested.

My mouth managed to ask why. My husband stood fuming but saying little. We both knew that we must not pass on our annoyance to Natty.

It transpired that a series of miscommuniations and lost and delayed letters had resulted in the need for Natty to have an anaesthetist and surgeon with specialist knowledge not being flagged up until the last few days. Both of the necessary professionals were in fact on holiday. If it hadn't been for this amazing staff nurse listening to my concerns for extra care in the previous weeks, then it might not have been flagged up at all.

We left swiftly and hurried home, a bit shocked to be honest. Once home we found the letter detailing the change, in our letter box. It had arrived the previous afternoon and hadn't been spotted amid the packing and treat-purchasing activities. Post had been the last thing on my mind.

There was nothing we could do. So we told Natty it had been another practice, that she and Dolly had been really good girls. A hearty breakfast and a handful of chocolate buttons were consumed and there was still enough time to get her changed into her uniform in time to deliver her to school for 8.50. 

The very silver lining to all of this was that Natty was able to go on her school trip with her classmates that day. And attend the end of term festivities. And go to the beach with us after school for a picnic, for that really had been the hottest week of the year.

And quite frankly who wants to be on a stuffy hospital ward with a sore throat when you could be having so much more fun!



We have a new date for next week now, and all will be well. The preparation hasn't gone to waste and the treats are still waiting. Natty's safety is paramount after all, never mind a little inconvenience and I am thankful that she will have the correct team waiting for her when she gets there.

Thank you all for your well wishes and kind thoughts.

H x



Recipe for Healthy, Homemade, Low Fat, Fruity Frozen Yoghurt

We are so lucky to be experiencing some sun this summer, and my girls are asking for icecream and cold drinks at the drop of a hat. 

Now I am always concerned about letting them have too many sweet treats, so when I heard on the radio yesterday that frozen yoghurt was more hydrating than ice cream as it contains more water, as well as of course being healthier and much lower in fat, I set about finding a recipe. This one was taken from the BBC Good Food website.

We had a punnet of strawberries in the fridge that were a couple of days past their best, looking rather sad if the truth be known, so we used them, but any berries would do.


You will need:

Large handful of strawberries
Half a can of condensed milk
large tub of natural yoghurt

ice cream maker and/or freezer proof tub

Method

Wash and puree fruit with a blender or smash down with a fork.
Stir together with condensed milk and yoghurt.
Pour into ice cream machine or semi freeze in tub in freezer before mixing round and freezing until set.
I re-used the yoghurt tubs to store the ice cream.





Enjoy!
Remove from freezer 15 mins before you want to eat the ice cream. Serve in cones, wafers, alone in a dish or with fresh berries.
We liked it on top of some home made jelly! There's a stash in the freezer for when Natty and Mia have had their tonsil ops...

Last day of school term: A time to reflect, and the teachers' present debate.

Tomorrow (finally) is the very last day (we thought it would never come) of our school year! Natty has finished her second year of formal education, we call it year 1 in the UK (confusing I know, but it comes after Reception Year).

It's been a wonderful year with many highs, culminating in a school report with all A's for effort in every subject, regardless of achievement. Yep, that's our Natty, throwing herself into everything she does with gusto. 

Natty has learnt to write all her letters, has just moved to reading books at level 2 with a couple of sentences to a page, and loves her number work. 

Not only that but she has made many firm friends and creates games with them, throws herself into PE and loves to chat over lunch with others. There has been far less 'hands on' interaction with her peers when she is tired, so she has learn appropriate behaviour for her age.

She's a valued member of her class and has become increasingly independent with all areas of self help. We are overjoyed! And how far we have all travelled in that past year, when I look back to the worries and fears I had when she began her scolastic journey.

So, how do we mark the end of a year's worth of mornings of dashing around the house shouting 'shoes', 'finish your porridge' and 'where's the dog/book bag/hair bobble/show and tell/Doublebase cream?' while Natty sings Mary Poppins, and Mia draws another picture of a dinosaur for a friend???

Well, we thank those we couldn't have done it without.

There's a lot of chat about whether we should give gifts to teachers at the end of term. It's just their job, they're paid to do it, right?

Well, yes they are, but most of them really go the extra mile to ensure that our most treasured loved ones are happy and healthy and reach their potential in a fun way. And if your child has a TA or two that help them personally, then they deserve even more recognition. They have encouraged and explained, nurtured the friendships, known when to stand back and when to get involved. They have learnt the art of helping without being seen, monitoring whilst sitting next to someone else. They have liasied between home and school. They have spent evenings and weekends making materials and planning fun new ways of learning. None of which falls into 'simply doing your job', not at any price.

And more importantly, what lesson are we teaching our children when we encourage them to write a thank you card and give a simple present? We are teaching them to show gratitude, to say thank you to others for their efforts. It's a simple question of manners and being part of a community that helps each other.

So, we have a little gift for the 2 teachers and the TAs (plus an oh-too-cute-not-to-buy babygrow for one TA's new baby,) and for everyone else the girls decorated a cardboard box tonight. I have bought some inexpensive treats to go inside to make a staff room hamper: tea, herb teas, coffee, biscuits, chocolates, cordials and so on. 

I know other parents give cut flowers from the garden, freshly laid eggs or homemade cakes or crafts. It really needn't cost the earth to say thank you.

And after all, what goes around comes around...


Silent Sunday




All Party Disability Abortion Law Inquiry Report

You may recall I was asked to give evidence in Westminster at the All Party Disability Abortion Law Inquiry aimed at reviewing an old law that allows abortion 'up to and including during birth' for babies 'at significant risk of serious handicap' (all undefined). Representatives from all the major parties convened and listened to evidence from various groups and individuals.

Much of the discussion centred around support, counselling and advice given to pregnant women at point of diagnosis, my own personal crusade.

Today the report is released. 

I attach below the press release which highlights all the main points. I have to say, I find it all encouraging. It says exactly what we all hoped it would.

Reduce limit for disability abortion to 24 weeks in line with others.
DS is not a 'severe handicap' but a mild to moderate developmental delay.
Provide support, counselling and unbiased facts for parents to make informed choices.

Now we just have to wait for the next step....



READ THE FULL REPORT HERE




PRESS RELEASE FROM FIONA BRUCE MP
Embargoed until 11.00am Wednesday 17th July 2013



End the “discrimination against unborn disabled children”, says Parliamentary Report 

The Government must review the Abortion Act and end the discrimination against unborn disabled children, says a major new Parliamentary Report published today.

The report says that the current legislation is out-dated, allowing abortion for disabled babies up to birth and is in urgent need of reform.

It sets out a raft of recommendations aimed at reforming the rules governing abortion on the grounds of disability and ending the wide disparities in how the Act is applied across the country. 

The report, the work of a cross-party Commission, chaired by Conservative backbench MP Fiona Bruce, says: “...it is time to review the moral, ethical, legal and practical framework within which this provision of the Abortion Act operates and how the law applies to a fetus beyond the age of viability...”

“...Parliament should consider at the very least the two main options for removing those elements which a majority of witnesses believe are discriminatory – that is either reducing the upper time limit for abortions on the grounds of disability from birth to make it equal to the upper limit for able bodied babies or repealing Section 1(1)(d) altogether.”

Mrs Bruce commented: “This is an incredibly difficult and emotive issue, which for too long governments of all colours have failed to properly review. In part this is due to the very strong feelings on both side of the debate, usually traduced to an argument between pro-choice and pro-life, as one respondent told the Commission.

Fiona Bruce MP continued: “Given the advances in medical science and the very positive changes in our attitudes towards disabled people since the relevant law was enacted over twenty years ago it is time to review it.”

The Commission received nearly 300 submissions (299) in both oral and written sessions and found “...that there continue to be strongly held and polarised views on how the law treats abortion for babies with disabilities...

“The vast majority of those who gave written evidence believe that allowing abortion up to birth on grounds of disability is discriminatory, contrary to the spirit of the Equality Act, and does affect wider public attitudes towards discrimination.”

Members were drawn from both Houses of Parliament and included, its Vice Chair Virendra Sharma MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Down Syndrome, Lord McColl of Dulwich, who served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to John Major, Robert Buckland MP, Chair of the Autism All Party Parliamentary Group and Chair of the Conservative Human Rights Commission, former TV presenter and Liberal Democrat peer, Baroness Benjamin of Beckenham, Rob Flello MP, the Labour Shadow Justice Minister, crossbench peer and eminent psychiatrist, Baroness Hollins of Wimbledon, Paul Maynard MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Young Disabled People and former three-time paralympian Baroness Masham.

Controversially, the Commission rejected calls for a list of conditions to be published that would meet the “seriously handicapped” criteria as “such a list would inevitably discriminate, on arbitrary and subjective grounds.”

It heard that pregnancies beyond 24 weeks can only be ended on the basis of a “substantial risk” of the child being “seriously handicapped”.  However, the Commission found that the law does not define either “substantial” or “seriously”.
In 2012, according to Department of Health, there were 2,692 abortions carried out under “Ground E of the Abortion Act 1967,” a 17% increase on the previous year; 160 of these abortions took place after 24 weeks.

The Commission expressed concern that some treatable conditions were still being used to justify abortion on the grounds of disability.

They heard that potential disabilities such as cleft palate and clubfoot continue to be used in a small number of cases under Ground E, although in a majority of these cases it was suggested that there were other genetic factors present.

Professor Joan Morris  confirmed to the Commission that she estimated there had been seven terminations in the last decade for cleft lip only and estimated around five for talipes (club foot), but there were no reliable figures. 

The Committee also heard evidence that Down’s Syndrome accounted for around a quarter (512) of all Ground E abortions and that approximately nine in 10 (90 per cent) of babies diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome were aborted.

Leading disability rights campaigner, Mike Sullivan of Saving Downs, called for the law to be changed as the condition was no longer considered to be “serious handicap”.  

“The law should be amended to exclude Down’s Syndrome as it does “not meet the test of a ‘serious handicap’ since it is a mild to moderate developmental delay” and the decades of experience and research on lives lived with Down’s Syndrome prove beyond a doubt that Down’s Syndrome does not meet that criteria.”

Mrs Bruce concluded: “What quickly became clear is that there are wide discrepancies as to how the current law is being applied. Worryingly we heard evidence that the way parents are supported is widely variable across the country - ranging from the exceptional to the appalling; we heard how parents can find themselves only being given a leaflet on abortion, after being told the shattering news that their unborn baby could be disabled, rather than a support package and information on the specific condition diagnosed. Some parents told us they felt pressured into having an abortion and that they had to find out for themselves from the internet information about the condition diagnosed and any potential support for them should they choose to keep their baby.

We also heard good examples of support and counselling, and one of the most important of our proposals is to recommend that best practice guidelines are developed to ensure parents are provided with practical and balanced information from trained experts as soon as possible after discovery of a fetal disability, so they can make an informed choice.

As one parent told us, summarising what many others reported: “To give a family a diagnosis of a disability and then to immediately follow that up with the advice that they can have a termination without any other information is simply not acceptable in a civilized society.”

I hope our findings will kickstart and inform a much needed debate on this issue.

It can’t be right that nearly 50 years after abortion was legalised, we still discriminate against unborn disabled children, even on conditions that we would not describe as serious.”
ENDS


NOTES TO EDITORS
The current law permits an abortion to take place up to 40 weeks (or birth) if tests for disability indicate that there is a ‘substantial risk’ that the child might be born ‘seriously handicapped.’ The law does not define these criteria and they are broadly interpreted.
The legal limit for all other abortions is 24 weeks.
In light of the current legal position, the Parliamentary Inquiry into Abortion on the Grounds of Disability sought evidence from parents, medical practitioners, academia, support groups, disability groups, lawyers and individuals with an interest regarding the current theory, practice and implications of the approach to abortion on the grounds of disability in the UK.

The terms of reference of the Commission were to:
·         Establish and assess the intention behind the law governing abortion on the grounds of disability.
·         Establish how the law works in practice and is interpreted by medical practitioners.
·         Determine the impact of the current law on disabled people and assess the views of       groups representing their interests.
·    Assess the effectiveness of the information and guidance provided to families following the diagnosis of a disability and the impact that has on outcomes.
·      Examine how the law, guidance and support for practitioners and families can be developed going forward.

Committee membership

Fiona Bruce MP (Chair)
Virendra Sharma MP (Vice Chair)
Paul Maynard MP
Baroness Hollins of Wimbledon
Robert Buckland MP
Lord McColl of Dulwich
Stuart Andrew MP
Baroness Benjamin of Beckenham
David Simpson MP
Baroness Masham of Ilton
Rob Flello MP
Dr John Pugh MP
Baroness Knight of Collingtree

Top tips for speaking live on BBC: toilet roll, rescue remedy and your husband's pants.

Yesterday saw my first live national BBC TV interview on an emotive subject via Skype, as I contributed to a discussion on disability abortion law and screening for Down's Syndrome on Sunday Morning Live hosted by Samira Ahmed.


Nervous doesn't come close. Honoured and proud, determined to make every word count, yet scared of who would be on the panel and the questions they might ask, yes. But more a faint shade of petrified I would say. 

And live. Did I mention it was live? Oh, and did I also mention I have a deep-rooted loathing of Skype (other similary offputting online video conferencing applications are available). I like to see the non-verbal cues going on in a room when I speak to people. Oh, and no-one looks at their perkiest no matter how much slap you apply do they?

So here are my top tips for surviving such a live online interview:


Don't run out of rescue remedy 24 hours before.

Prepare thoroughly even if it means staying awake most of 2 nights.

Don't over-prepare, it won't seem natural.

Get a good night's sleep the night before.

Apply even more blusher than your children do when giving you a make-over on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Try to tame locks you didn't have time to straighten with some hair oil.

Don't apply too much hair oil or you may look like you need to be appearing on Aggie's Grimey Hoarders or similar.

Cellotape key notes to your laptop screen but not actually OVER the camera hole.

Get all your points in, starting with the most important first. 

Don't try to force all your points in like shoe-horning your swollen summer foot into a 
dainty court shoe one size too small.

Bring earphone cable to ears from behind your head to give a more professional air.

Check the sound levels aren't too high BEFORE inserting earphones and pushing them home.

Don't swear at the headphones while the researcher giggles at your efforts to remove the aforementioned objects and bring hearing levels back to normal by waggling fingers in your ears.
Very unprofessional regardless of how cable is hidden.

Stock up on toilet paper, for extreme nerves do have a very curiously unpleasant effect.

Realise that 2 minutes before you go live is not the time to need to visit the loo again.

Don't listen to friends who tell you to wear your husband's pants on the bottom half just to lighten the mood.

If your extremities begain to go numb and you feel faint, drink water, run round the garden and force down a rich tea finger. 
But not if it's 2 minutes before you go live.

2 minutes before you go live is also the wrong time to 
a) re-write your thoughts 
b) run for the hills 
c) remember to take the phone off the hook, 
switch mobile off, silence the dog with a chew.

When you've actually finished speaking, be aware they will have your face on screen about 8 feet high. The world will be able to see you sigh, slump in your chair and pick your nose. (No, of course I didn't!)

Remember to record the correct programme and not miss the first half off somehow.

Don't shout at your other half if he manages 
not to record the show.

Don't watch yourself back on iPlayer, you will be your harshest critic and spend another night wishing you had done it all differently.


At least I know for next time :)



You can watch the episode here for 6 more days. The abortion debate begins at around 20 minutes into the programme.



Beautiful Trisomy 21 Exhibition in our local hospital

Photographer Simon Burt put together a striking series of portraits of children and young people with Down's Syndrome last year. It has been hung at the Eden Project and touring ever since and has now just taken pride of place in the main link corridor in the Royal Cornwall Hospital.

Natty had an appointment there last week and I took her to see the images afterwards. She immediately spotted herself way up high, and screamed, 

'It's meeee!'

Well, that certainly got the attention of many a passerby, who shared her unstoppable smile.

The exhibition looks fabulous, do have a peek if you are passing.

SHhhhh!

Collin Brewer Officially Resigns

Two days ago a local radio station rang to say that the Cornwall Council report into Councillor Collin Brewer (You know, the chap who said some disabled babies should be killed at birth and then went on to provide useful analogies with deformed lambs in a subsequent interview), was out along with the Monitoring Officer's recommendations.

In it, Cornwall Council (my local) had censured him to such an extent that he was: 

  • Forced to make a formal apology for the 'gross offensiveness of his comments and the significant distress they have caused'.
  • Told to recieve media training. (Presumably that would have consisted of 'keep your mouth shut Mr B and don't do any interviews ever.')
  • He was not to be allocated a seat on any Council Committee that might deal with any vulnerable members of the community. (I guess that would all of them.)
  • He was not to be nominated as a Council Representative for any business that supported vulnerable members of the community. (Again I don't think that would have left him much to do.)
  • He was also to be banned from any Council buildings were services to disabled children were provided, managed or commissioned. (don't leave home Collin.)

He resigned verbally at that point. I think one could safely say that he was pushed out.

This morning his official letter of resignation has been received and accepted by Cornwall County Council and the Monitoring Officer issued this statement. Thank you to Cllr A Wallis for confirming this morning. (I seem to recall CB resigning once before, but sincerely hope this is the point of no return now.)


Dear Members
I have today received the formal written confirmation from Councillor Brewer that he has resigned from Cornwall Council with immediate effect.
Members will be advised in due course of the timetable for the Wadebridge East by-election.

Ladies and gentlemen, Collin Brewer has gone.


We have yet to see his letter but I'm sure it will surface in good time.
I guess everyone who has been involved in, or followed this campaign will feel differently on hearing this news. 
My husband for one simply said, "Good. Twit." (I least I'm certain that's what I think I heard him say...) Many will feel a need to celebrate and quite rightly so.
I am, as ever, feeling a range of emotions at the moment. Not one to gloat, celebrating as such doesn't feel right for me. 
When I heard the official news this morning I actually shed a couple of tears. Not of joy as much as relief, but also pent up anger. I parked my car, bought a Chelsea Bun and indulged myself with a stroll along the sun-soaked sea front. I had a couple of errands to do, but all the while I could not feel like celebrating beyond my sugary treat.
I guess I feel sadness that people like Mr Brewer still exist, but worse still are able to cling to powers of office, however minor. For I know he is just one. Back in December we dealt with UKiP's Geoffery Clark. Who next?
I feel cross that he was so utterly arrogant and ignorant that he actually thought he could stay, that his family didn't encourage him to step down. How much simpler would life have been for them all if he had properly apologised after the first comment, and then made amends by working with disability groups. Or simply never making the comments, or having the deep-rooted thoughts that lead to it in the first place of course. And yes he is ill himself, strokes have changed his thinking, perhaps dementia is part of the problem. And in that case he needed protecting from himself. Either way, it should never have come to this and so many could have learnt from his behaviour if he had made the right amends.
I feel frustrated too, that as a member of the public my government have taken away the powers of my local Council to take the steps required to protect the interests of families like mine in these circumstances. It should never have taken all this upset, frustration and resources to reach this point. We now need to tighten up the loopholes in the Localism Act, so this saga is far from completely over. Now is the time to think more broadly.
Then I couldn't help thinking of all the hours that families, Councillors, lawyers and charities have spent, networking and figuring out how to remove this man. There were campaigns, petitions, demonstrations, letters written in the wee small hours, reading into Code of Conduct, interviews with media. It all takes time. I want to thank so many people who were instrumental in bringing about this outcome, the bloggers who wrote from the heart and joined our linky, Mencap for launching an official campaign, human rights contacts I have made along the way who advised and contacted the police, everyone who filled in the ePetition or online complaint form, everyone who organised or attended a gathering to show deep the feelings amongst parents were.
In my small way I have lost sleep, spent energy, emotional and physical, which could have been much more usefully deployed in so many ways. My weapon of choice was my keyboard, and writing was the way I enlisted help and voiced my concerns.
But most of all I shed a tear this morning for the children and their siblings who have a disability and who were old enough to understand all of this, to feel afraid, to feel second class. We cannot erase those feelings overnight, just because Mr Brewer has resigned. 
But, and here is the silver lining to this dark cloud, this shameful episode has brought so many wonderful, like-minded, courageous and selfless campaigners, families and groups together. Without Mr Brewer we would never have pooled our resources, ideas and efforts in quite the same way. So I am going to focus on that, and a future where Brewer's brand of outdated thinking ceases to be.

Let's just hope and pray he finds an ounce of integrity not to stand again in any future elections.
Onward and upward we go. 

Hayley Goleniowska
Downs Side Up


Please feel free to join the Linky below with your posts about Collin Brewer's resignation.

If you don't at first succeed, try try again...

A video clip of the first moment Natty found her balance on the Wishbone Bike just a few weeks after we had removed the 3rd wheel, converting it from a trike to a bike.

We'd had the trike for about 3 years, it was simply perfect for little legs, with fully adjustable height. But now we are bicyclists!

Just look at Natty's face at the end!. The expression shows just how very proud she is of herself.










Coffee with Liz from DSRF UK

The beauty of living in Cornwall is that lots of people pop down here for their holidays during the summer. That has recently begun to include online contacts and friends and I've been delighted that they want to give up a portion of their holiday to meet up in real life.


Elizabeth Corcoran who heads the charity Down Syndrome Research Foundation UK and I met up in our favourite café, along with Daddy Downs Side Up, Mia and Natty on Saturday morning. We have chatted online, it was Elizabeth who put me forward to give evidence in Westminster re the current Disability Abortion Law but we had never met, as she gave her evidence online and by post.


Elizabeth has a younger brother who has Down's Syndrome and her charity aims to channel funds into medical research to improve the lives of those with T21. The sad fact is that the majority of research into DS currently focusses on the testing and screening process. Elizabeth and her team would like to see that balance changed in favour of studies into preventing dementia, improving cognitive function, maintaining a healthy heart and so on.

Well, Liz was one of those ladies it was so easy to get on with. We chatted away about current and future projects, hopes and fears, family and work, supporting each other, oh, and of course managed to fit in the obligatory funny face photos, instigated by Natty who immediately fell in love with her.