Down’s Syndrome North East Review of the year 2022-2023
Message from the Chair, Susan Belton
I accepted my nomination as Chair of Down’s Syndrome North East for a 8th term, taking the charity into its 20[th] year of independence supporting adults, children and families in the North East. It was an extremely busy and productive year which included lots of new events and we welcomed lots of new families too.
As a committee we agreed to continue our virtual monthly meetings for the year. We held our first face to face meeting of the year at the AGM in June 2022 with a development day on February 26[th] 2023 to review and update policies and make plans.
The ever-popular Marty’s Parties continued to be thoroughly enjoyed by our group of adults, they had fun dressing up and dancing along to great tunes from our very own Karaoke King at 21 Zoom parties this year. The Queen fancy dress event proved particularly popular.
Pilates Plus has continued via Zoom on Wednesdays and Saturdays throughout the year, all free of charge for attendees. We have a good stretch and keep fit together with Marie from ZenergiZe.
Outdoor activities have continued to be a huge success this year. Nicky organised an activity day at Moorhouse on 2nd April, followed by a forest school session for younger children with Nicky Noo Noo over Easter. In May another activity day was held at Kingswood which was thoroughly enjoyed by the adults who took part. Nicky also organised the adult residential weekend at Kingswood in June 2022 where adult members spent the weekend enjoying
outdoor and adventurous activities. This was followed by another activity day at Moorhouse in September which was another great success.
Caroline and Leanne have continued to produce and deliver our lovely new baby gift boxes which include clothing donated from local supermarkets, lots of lovely knitted items, quilts from Project Linus, as well as information about Down’s Syndrome and the support available locally and nationally. The boxes have been delivered to maternity units and to families around the North East and have been very well received by our families and professionals.
We welcomed new volunteers including parents who work with Eleanor to run the monthly group (Three 21 DSNE) in Winlaton, Gateshead. The group aims to support families of younger children to meet up, help develop skills and socialise. It is well attended and provides a safe and supportive environment for open discussion regarding any issues parents are experiencing. Also, it is a chance for siblings to meet and socialise.
Our pre-school and primary school aged children also enjoyed events across the region during Spring, including at Sensory Spot in Hartlepool, Rainbows Sensory Space in Seaham and Tim Lamb Centre in Newcastle.
After the success of our first 35+ afternoon tea last year, we held another on 12[th] June 2022 at the Clarion Hotel, Boldon to bring people together. This was attended by over 60 members who enjoyed a raffle, bingo and of course delicious food. It was such a success again that more have been arranged for next year.
The Summer brought more events for our younger members at Rossmere forest school in Hartlepool, Senses Wellbeing Centre in Skelton and Sunshine Wood play centre in Billingham. During the summer holidays, families enjoyed a day out at Hall Hill Farm near Lanchester, indoor play at Bee Happy play cafe in Peterlee and more forest school fun with Nicki Noo Noo at Framwellgate Moor, Durham.
The summer ended with members of all ages and families attending two fantastic performances of We Will Rock You at Newcastle’s Theatre Royal.
In October 2022, 10 of our adults were fortunate to enjoy a weekend of dance with Tin Arts, partly funded by the Chloe and Liam Trust. They created a super dance which was performed as part of ‘The Chloe and Liam Variety Performance’ to a live audience at The Customs House in South Shields.
Makaton courses for parents and carers have continued to be offered by Sue and these were held in Newton Aycliffe in September and January, enabling parents/carers to build the confidence and skills to use signing with their children.
Another very successful event in October 2022 was the visit by Singing Hands who performed a show for us at Middlesbrough College theatre. 120 children and adults attended and enjoyed the show, as well as a buffet lunch afterwards. Everyone loved meeting Suzanne and Tracy and buying Singing Hands merchandise too.
We were delighted to receive 4 free sensory play sessions for younger children on Teesside at Senses Wellbeing Centre in Skelton. This was thanks to the generosity of a local nursery and the sessions ran from September 2022 to April 2023.
As we moved into autumn, we began to plan our popular yearly Christmas parties at the Marriot hotel in Gateshead for under 12’s and 12-17 year olds. These were a great success as ever. Many families enjoyed the catch-,up while their children were entertained by our ever-supportive entertainer Nikki Noo Noo with music and games. The buffet was very enjoyable and a visit from Santa finished the afternoon off at both events.
We have continued our adults bowling groups in Washington, Sunderland and Teesside. Information can be found on the monthly ‘What’s on Where’ with contact information for the volunteer organising the session.
Nicky has been very busy organising some very popular arts and crafts events throughout the year. Members have enjoyed Art Workshops pottery painting, cake decorating and a glass workshop throughout the year. We have continued cake decorating classes with Sue Hodgson which are a real winner. The cake decorating sessions always have a theme, including Christmas.
Pottery painting sessions at Rosebud Pottery in Seaham were enjoyed by members of all ages, including babies! Our adults took part in a glass tile painting workshop in March 2023, creating some beautiful pieces.
In November 2022, DSNE was invited once again to exhibit our members’ artwork. Our art exhibition, ‘Winter, Christmas and New Beginnings’ was installed at Ushaw Historic Chapel and Gardens and exhibited until the end of January 2023. Art created at the art workshops organised by Nicky was framed and several pieces were sold to the public, as well as selection of accompanying cards.
Julie arranged a new year party for the adults in January at the Clarion Hotel and an adult disco was planned for May 2023. These continue to be extremely popular and are a chance to catch up with friends, dance the night away with supper and a drink!
In the new year, our younger members and their families enjoyed more swimming sessions at the Fish Tank in Newton Aycliffe, more sensory and soft play at Rainbows in Seaham and families had fun together at Bee Happy play cafe in Peterlee.
Look at Me
Our ‘Look at Me’ project, led by Ros, entered its next exciting phase during 2022-23. Lots of planning meetings, funding applications and 2 days of photo shoots for the creation of our ‘Look at Me’ book took place throughout 2022 and 2023.
In February 2023, after a lot of hard work, 2,000 copies of ‘Look at Me’ were delivered. More than £10,000 was donated by generous supporters to enable this to happen.
On 12th March 2023, 160 people attended the ‘Look at Me’ book launch and enjoyed afternoon tea and the opportunity to win fabulous raffle prizes. The highlight of the afternoon was a very entertaining question and answer session with renowned crime writer and author of the ‘Vera’ and ‘Shetland’ series, Ann Cleeves. We even had a visit from BBC ‘Look North’.
From 12[th] March 2023 onwards, deliveries began of copies of ‘Look at Me’ to every primary, first, middle, and special school in the North East of England. Many of the books were delivered by our members, holding raising awareness sessions in schools, and to various community groups too. We received some great publicity via articles in some local newspapers. Feedback from children, staff, parents, and the north east community has been amazing.
Some local authorities have purchased additional books and many individual copies continue to be sold to the general public at £10 each.
Ros and Caroline also attended a meeting of Rotary Club of Durham on February 6[th] 2023 where Ros delivered an awareness raising session and Caroline spoke to attendees about the baby gift boxes.
World Down’s Syndrome Day
To celebrate World Down’s Syndrome Day we had a Gala Ball and Family Fun Day in March 2023. It was a fun packed weekend for all ages with 150 attending the ball. The Saturday evening gave the adults a chance to dress in ball gowns and suits and enjoy live music from The Baldy Holly Band, a three-course dinner. We raised funds with a raffle, tombola and bottle stall- an opportunity to win a bottle from water to whisky!
On Sunday 26[th] March we had over 140 attending the Family Day, children, parents and grandparents all out to have fun. Everyone was greeted by characters from Disney, Marvel and Cocomelon. Nikki Noo Noo joined us as usual for a fun disco and party games. We were delighted and entertained by Flash, the magician and Mrs Merlin who provided balloon modelling and fantastic face painting. Lots of fun was had in the soft play area and all of the children had a great time creating their own pizzas, helped by Lynsey Dixon, who works at the Marriott.
Ken Moore
Everyone was saddened by the news of Ken Moore passing away. He has been a pillar in the life and times of DSNE and its predecessor the NE Branch of the DSA. He was a founder member of DSNE 20 years ago back in 2003 and before that he had been an active committee member of the NE Branch of DSA for many years from 1979/80 when he and Joan joined the growing branch after their daughter, Catherine, was born. He was active in many fields and took on many roles on the Branch committee as well as becoming Vice chair of DSA for 2 years in the late 80s. Also when we elected to become an independent charity back in 2002, Ken helped draw up our constitution.
A lot of what goes on in our charity, especially for the adults with DS, is due to Ken. The Voice Box was his idea, he started the monthly bowling sessions at Washington and, along with Edwin Forrest, the monthly indoor sports activities at Gateshead. He took part in many fundraising activities such as the Yorkshire 3 Peaks and round Kielder challenge. The older members may remember the fun and games in Ken’s ‘It’s a Knockout’ competition!
Ken was always on the other end of the phone, happy to listen, talk and give advice. Ken was a firm believer in “never do anything on a whim without thinking it through first.” That will be one of his lasting legacies.
Current Committee
| Chairperson | Susan Belton | Trustee |
|---|---|---|
| Vice Chair/ social media and events organiser | Caroline Turner | Trustee |
| Treasurer | Michelle Varty | Trustee |
| Minutes Secretary/Ball Coordinator | Linda Dixon | Trustee |
| What’s On Where and Diary Editor | Lesley Bond | Trustee |
| Newsletter Editor/ GDPR Officer | Alex Marshall | Trustee |
| Membership Secretary/ Voice Box Editor/Safeguarding Officer/Adult Events |
Nicky Ramsay | Trustee |
| DBS Coordinator/virtual events coordinator | Melanie Atkinson | Trustee |
| Website & Gmail Coordinator/Events organiser | Leanne Baister | Trustee |
| Swimathon Coordinator and Book liaison | Ros Collinson | Trustee |
| Adult Party/ Residential Event Coordinator | Julie Carson | Trustee |
| Events Organiser for Adults | Sue Hodgson | Trustee |
| Three 21 Organiser/IT support | Eleanor Baggaley | Trustee |
All our committee members organise events throughout the year-thank you for your continued hard work.
In July and October 2022, committee members and volunteers renewed their first aid training, and committee members updated also child and adult safeguarding training during the year.
We hold a committee meeting every month which continue to be a combination of online and face to face; members are welcome to attend. We also hold development days for the committee to ensure we are continually moving the charity forward.
Demographic information of Age and Location of Members:
Fundraising
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Great North Run in September 2022 for us. We very much appreciate all those runners who continue to support us with their sponsorship which goes a long way to enable the charity to grow.
On 13[th] November 2022 8 DSNE teams comprising of 46 swimmers took part in Rotary Club of Durham’s Annual Charity Swimathon. Our teams raised an amazing £3,915.80 plus an additional 15% for the Samaritans.
We continue to receive support from the heavy metal community. On 17[th] December 2022, ‘Blitzkrieg’ and ‘Tyson Dog’ played at Trillions in Newcastle and have donated half the proceeds to DSNE - £514
Heavy metal fan Stephen Hall received the money from Brian Ross from Blitzkrieg.
It is lovely to see and hear about all the different activities organized for World Down’s Syndrome Day and ways you have raised money from wearing odd socks to cake bakes!
I would like to thank you for the continued support and fundraising you all do throughout the year which is so important to the continued running of the Charity.
Publicity
The charity is being supported by Asda and Morrisons who have not only donated money and clothing, but offered us an opportunity to promote the charity with display tables in stores in Thornaby, Hartlepool and Darlington, both raising money and raising awareness.
Our website continues to be updated and developed, now including information about our baby gift boxes and our events, online copies of ‘Grapevine’ and access to membership.
We continue to use social media to promote and advertise the charity. Facebook remains most popular with our community; our Twitter feed remains active (@dsneinfo) and you can follow us on Instagram @downs_syndrome_north_east, where we are regularly gaining followers. If you enjoy social networking, then ‘like’ and share our pages to help raise our profile!
Forthcoming Events
All event details can be found in the Grapevine, our quarterly newsletter, as well as ‘What’s on Where’ (WOW), which is sent out via email and on social media. For our adult members, please check out the ‘Voicebox’ too. We are always keen to receive information, photos and news about what you’ve been doing to go in ‘Voicebox’. Remember to look at Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, share your photos, especially if you have been to an event, and let us know what you are up to!
Look out for events for our 21[st] Anniversary next year in 2024!
Thank you,
Susan Belton
2023
DOWN'S SYNDROME NORTH EAST LIMITED NTF R THE YEAR ENDED 31 31AI 3110 Incom• DOnatS Fund r4i¥ng Bank interest From ents 32 14041 170 24525 10748 8129 71442 Just Giving Olher fvndIatry 216 216 216 216 Charltabl• ndlture AcLountsncy fees Advertisng & PR Bank charyJes lotion Loss on disF*)5al Insurarbce Dats protectkffl fee Christmas & theatre Adivity brgaks Olher events Support groups RurffiitYJ costs 42 7719 152tr2 35924 4C¥)5 12182 21454 81714 13179 44270 Net Incomi111I re81XJ
DOWN'S SYNDROME NORTh EAST BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2023 31103123 31103122 FIXED ASSETS ui Cost Additions Disposals S7 5W)7 Less '. Accumulated DekYeaatK)n 4083 1824 1459 Cash at Bank Treasurer's acc¥)unt HICA 34125 40163 74288 40315 64170 Current Liabllltles Accnjals arKI deferred income 381 376 65248 75736 Ca Ital & Roser¥gs Balance blfv¥d Profill{Deficrt) for year 75736 77275 -1539 65248 75736
AT 1014 101$ ID13 2014 16 2018 16 a117 2017 3017 F* 3)IB 18 rJ1
Down's Syndrome North East Accourrtants. report to the members of Down's Syndrome North East A full audit has t*en carried wt a1 all incx)me and exwdriure ¥Yas suppcffted by re¢eipts or correSwThJij entries in the bank statements. We have prepared a Fknfrt & Loss ACtJnI and Balae Sheet aTrJ have thntifd any restted fuThJs vthere applicable. In our view the ree4yd$ have been v1 maintsined aThJ tyovide a soufKJ basis for these financial statements. Crockw•ll & Co AGcountants 91-93 FovAer Street South Shiekls Tyne and Wear NE33 1NU 16 August 2023