What Are You Doing for World Down Syndrome Day?

Subtitle: A Less Less Nakedness and a Little More Education

World Down Syndrome Day 2016

My laundry basket plays host to at least 20 solitary socks in a variety of patterns and colours. They've been living in this medley of footwear without their partners since this time last year, or maybe the year before that.  

Occasionally I tip them all out onto the work top in a vain attempt to find their long lost friends, but still they prefer to live in a happy jumble of brightly-coloured difference.

You see World Down Syndrome Day is marked by folk wearing #lotsofsocks, as I have always said 'For we are all colourful and different.'

It's an eye-catching idea, but this year I won't be shouting about mismatched socks. It's not that I disapprove if you do, I might wear a couple of my faves from the melée and the children will do the same. It's just that my sock basket has made me grumpy of late.

Neither will I be taking my clothes off in a classy re-make of calendar girls again. Yep, one WDSD I bared almost all (apart from the aforementioned socks) egged on by Kate from Striking Mum and her Naked Mums series, to raise money for the Down's Syndrome Association and to celebrate our Mummy bodies... 

...I think the total reached around £3575, but possibly that was to get me to put my clothes back on!

Two years ago the #TeamT21 bloggers pulled together and spread the word about donating via a text message. Somehow this went viral  with nothing more than a hashtag and some determined champions to fuel it, and we raised around £10,000 in 24 hours. 

I will never forget the excitement, standing in my kitchen too excited to sit, or even go to the loo, tweeting all day for all I was worth and watching the number rise and rise. That can never be topped. 

But no, this year I have decided that I cannot take the excitement. The adrenaline-fuelled frenzy. Perhaps it's because we are a year further along our journey, perhaps I've got it out of my system, perhaps I have a little nagging feeling that WDSD is more about celebration and education than fund-raising, perhaps I've just reached a certain age and stage.

So, I will leave the parachute jumps and the baths of beans to the younger advocates with more energy.
I will cheer from the sidelines and focus on sharing vital information and stories of celebration. We'll change our avatars and watch building light up in blue and yellow. We'll feel part of a global community holding hands around the world.
  

Buy I Love You Natty for World Down Syndrome Day

One small token I decided on is to give the profits of all copies of our book I Love You Natty sold this month to the Down's Syndrome Association who support people with Down's syndrome throughout their lives.  I've also decided to slash the cost of the book for March to make it as affordable as possible. We're throwing in a free Downs Side Up magnet from Camaloon too!

Click to buy now!

You don't have to buy a book to help spread the word though, just join our Thunderclap here to shout to your followers. And if you're new to Thunderclaps it's worth taking a peek to see how they can help your campaign.

We're also very excited to have been part of making a small film with the Down's Syndomre Association as part of #MyFriendsMyCommunity. 

More about that when it's unveiled. It'll be worth the wait I can assure you *smily face*