Four DSL youngsters willrepresent Great Britain In the2011 World Gymnastraeda inJuly. All four are members ofthe Spartac Gymnastic Clubbased at Edge Hill University.

Tommy Brennan, 6, MollyWilde, Matthew Brennan, both9 and Dylan Evans, 10.

The Spartac Club wasestablished in 1994, primarilyfor gymnasts with a disability.The aim of the club is topromote what people withdisabilities are capable ofachieving rather than focusingon what they can’t.

The Club are part of adelegation of teams who areheading out to Lausanne,Switzerland on 9th August.They will be staying in a localschool and participating in theOpening and Closing Ceremonywith about 20,000participants, of all ages, from allparts of the world andmembers of 55 national

federations. The Team alsohave three individualperformances during the week

The Gymnaestrada is theofficial world event of theInternational GymnasticsFederation (FIG) for theGymnastics for All discipline.

During seven days, gymnastsof all ages and backgrounds,men, women, disabled people,meet to share their passionand their talent in all domainsof Gymnastics for All. This noncompetitive event takes placeevery four years in the countryof one of the affiliatedfederations of the IGF andattracts over 20,000

participants from all over theworld.

Spartacs have been trainingfor this event for the last 3years and have performedtheir routine in the English andScottish Gymfests this year inorder to perfect the routine.The routine that Spartacs havedeveloped is based on scenesfrom the classic film ‘TheWizard of Oz’. All the gymnastsdisplay in costume which theyhave won awards for. Theperformance is really upbeatand colourful and always getsthe crowd singing and clappingalong.

You can watch the teamperform and their introductionby following the link below.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4tB-0eKLHY

To find out more about theWorld Gymnaestrada 2011 visitthe official website on

www.wg-2011.com

DSL gymnastics representGreat Britain in Switzerland

Down Syndrome LIVERPOOL

Newsletter Issue 9 July 2011

INSIDE: ANNUAL SUMMER TRIP ANNOUNCED • 2012 MASQUERADE BALL PLANNED

GB calling: (LtoR)Tommy Brennan, Tanya Bennett, Molly Wilde, Dave Rozzell, Dylan Evans, Sonja Bannister and Matthew Brennan.

DISCLAIMERThe views expressed in this

newsletter by contributers are not necessarily those held by

Down Syndrome Liverpool.

EDITOR & DESIGNERThomas Regan

CONTRIBUTORSJohn & Margaret Hogan, Rena Wright, Anne Wilde

www.downsyndromeliverpool.org.uk

Registered Charity No. 1097276

JaguarLand Roverdonate£1,000 toDSL

d wntimeJaguar Land Rover employeesrecently presented DownSyndrome Liverpool with acheque boosting our fundraising efforts for this year.

The plant’s charity fund hasdonated £1,000 each to elevencharities nominated byHalewood employees and DownSyndrome Liverpool were oneof the chosen charities.

Thomas Regan, from DSLvisited the plant recently toattend a presentation event, hisfather and brother-in-law helpedsecure the £1000 donation toDSL.

The plant’s charity committeeraised the money at a dinnerdance held at the Crowne PlazaLiverpool in October last yearwhich attracted more than 420employees and suppliers andraised £17,000. The remainingfunds will be used to providesmaller donations to charitiesnominated by employees in 2011.

Michael Straughan, OperationsDirector, said, “Our dinner dancewas a huge success and I’d like

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Hello again to all of ourmembership, I really didn’tthink I would be doing theseChair’s notes again as I hadpreviously intimated in ourlast edition of Downtime that Iwould be standing down asChairperson of DSL. My fellowTrustees however persuadedme to stay on and elected mefor another year – they can bevery persuasive!

Since our last newsletter inNovember 2010 we have hadour AGM and again we have afull complement of Trustees. Iwould like to welcome AnnaGilmurray on board as a newDSL Trustee. Thanks to all thosewho attended the AGM inNovember.

We held our Christmas Party onDecember 11th 2010 (yes it was awhile ago now) and we have hadsome great feedback fromthose who attended. It wasnoted Father Christmas had adistinctly Celtic accent!

In February we organisedanother very popular evening atthe Yellow Sub, I think we hadthe most we’ve ever hadattending, it really was anotherfun filled evening - you can’tbeat the chocolate shortbreadthere!

As I write this we are currentlyorganising another evening forfamilies at the Yellow Sub takingplace later this month.

These evenings are proving verypopular with our members. Asyou will see eleswhere in thisissue we are also planning

another summer trip toGulliver’s World in Warrington.

DSL are currently involved withthe national Down’s SyndromeAssociation and the LiverpoolWomen’s Hospital to put on anevent for midwifes and

paediatricians on breaking thenews to parents that they havea baby with Down’s syndrome.This is something we havehoped to deliver for a while nowand it is great that ourorganisation are now in aposition to do so.

I am also pleased to say that weare able to continue to berepresented on the LiverpoolWomen’s Hospital Council ofGovernors via our Trustee Sue Spelman who has takenover from Margaret Hogan,sometimes it felt like bangingyour head against a brick walltrying to get our points heard.

However, given the recentmedia emphasis on testing forDown’s syndrome we need to bethere to try and ensureinformation is up to date andcurrent to ensure informeddecision making takes place.

Although we haven’t been ableto get out a more recent editionof the newsletter, we have notbeen inactive, far from it.

I hope you enjoy this edition ofDowntime please contributeyour stories, news and views forour future editions we can‘t putone out without yourcontributions.

Chair’s Report

‘’I really didn’t think Iwould be doing these notesagain – my fellow Trusteescan be very persuasive!’’

We are venturing to newground and trying to fundraise on a larger scale, tothat end we have booked theMarriot Hotel in LiverpoolCity Centre for 19th May2012 for our first ever Ball.

Plans are well under way, butwe really need a celebrity thatcould compere the event, so if

anyone has any contacts pleaselet us know. Also, please let usknow if you are able to get amajor prize either for us toauction or to raffle.

This is not only an opportunityfor us to raise significant funds,but also an opportunity to raiseawareness for Down SyndromeLiverpool.

It would also be great to seesome of our older youngpeople attend the event, whyshould we be the ones thathave all the fun!

Look out for news later thisyear on how to book yourplace at what we are hoping tobe the the city’s glitziest eventof 2012.

Masquerade Ball plans underway

A training day has been arranged on Tuesday 28th June 2011 for health professionals at the LiverpoolWomen’s Hospital. The Down’s Syndrome Association rolled out its ‘Tell it Right, Start it Right’ trainingprogramme in 2011.

This will be a session on how to break the news to parents that their baby has Down’s syndrome and expelsome of the myths, and negativity surrounding the condition. It is also an opportunity for us to promoteDown Syndrome Liverpool so that parents get given the support and information they need.

This training is being delivered by the National Down’s Syndrome Association and DSL have some parentswho are speaking about their experience when their child was born. We also have a young person whohas Down’s syndrome talking about their life and the achievements they have made. Margaret Hogan willtalk about Down Syndrome Liverpool and the support it can offer parents.

All aboard forYellow Sub fun DSL have once again hired theYellow Sub Indoor Play Centre onthe evening of Friday 24th June.The fun will start at 6.30pm andwe have sole use of the facilityuntil 8.30pm.

This regular event has proved to bepopular with everyone - young andold. The 3 - 12 year olds can play onthe largest play rooms in the countrywith a spiral slide from the fourthlevel, traverse climbing wall, astroturf football pitch and a twenty footSubmarine to name but a few.

The Yellow Sub is situated atDempster Buildings, Atlantic Way,Brunswick Business Park, Liverpool.

There will be food provided for thechildren and adults on the night. Ifyou would like to reserve your childsplace or for more details please callMargaret Hogan on 0151 733 280 oremail our secretary Anne Wilde at secretary@downsyndromeliverpool.org.uk

‘Tell it Right, Start it Right’ training day

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PLEASE CONTACT THE SECRETARY BY 01/07/2011 TO RESERVE YOUR PLACETelephone: 0151 427 2699 or email secretary@downsyndromeliverpool.org.uk.

JOIN US FOR SUMMER FUN AT

GULLIVER’S WORLDMonday 25th July 2011

Meet 9.30am at Edge Lane Retail ParkLeave theme park at 6.00pm

DSL trip to Gullivers World – important informationThe trip to Gullivers World is FREE for families of a child with Down’s syndrome, non immediate family members will be charged £10 which isstill a discounted rate.

Those travelling in their own transport, must meet us outside Gulliver’s at 10.15am. If you do not arrive to go with the group then you will becharged the full entry price. Please tell us how you are getting to Gullivers World on the day as we need to know numbers to order coaches.

Please tell us the number of adults and children you wish to take on the trip. Children under 90cm go free.

Monday 20th June, MencapLiverpool and NationalMencap are hosting a jointdisability hate crimeprevention and awarenessevent to launch our ‘Stand ByMe’ campaign.

The event will consist of talksfrom Merseyside Police, theCrown Prosecution Service,Merseytravel, staff fromNational Mencap and MencapLiverpool and more.

They will be talking about thecampaign, what Merseysidepolice are doing to preventdisability hate crime, as well ashow people can stay safe withinthe community.

This year Mencap havelaunched a three-yearcampaign against hate crime,'Stand By Me'.

David Congdon, Mencap's headof campaigns and policy, said:"Recently, three men whotortured a 17 year old withAsperger's syndrome walkedaway with a sentence of just 80hours of community service.

In another high-profile case,Fiona Pilkington killed herselfand her disabled daughter afterpolice failed to stop the abusethey were subjected to by localyouths. Cases like these showthat hate crime is still not taken

people as seriously as racistincidents."

Mencap staff, local groups andsupporters will be able to getinvolved in a range of activitiesand events to support thecampaign. Currently, Mencap islooking for people who arewilling to share theirexperiences of hate crime tosupport the campaign.

The Mencap event in Liverpoolis free and is at The Door,Merseyside Youth Association,65-67 Hanover Street, LiverpoolL1 3DY on Monday 20th Junefrom 9.30am until 1.00pm andrefreshments will be provided.

To book your place at this eventplease ring Lois at the MencapLiverpool office on 0151 707 8582 or emaillois.nash@mencapliverpool.org

Launch event of the ’Stand By Me’ campaign

seriously enough by theauthorities."

'Stand By Me' will challenge thepolice, the criminal justicesystem and the courts to endhate crime against people witha learning disability within ageneration.

The first year of the campaignwill aim to persuade the policeto take action. David Congdonsays: "We want the police totake attacks against disabled

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Royal Liverpool University Hospitalexperience left us distressed as ourdaughter was left with no support

Shauna was very ill and had tobe taken to hospital in April.

Our daughter is 18 – consideredan adult – and can no longeraccess Alder Hey.

She was assessed at the acuteadmissions ward beside A&E inthe Royal Hospital… beginningone of the worst experiences asparents that we’ve ever had.

Shauna was very distressedonce admitted and although wetried to explain to the staff thatour daughter had learningdifficulties, she was given noadditional support to help hercope with the ordeal.

No one seemed interested.

Shauna was asked questionsthat she didn’t understand andwe tried to interpret for her - butthe staff just wanted to get theirboxes ticked over and overagain. Shauna couldn’tcomprehend or understandwhat was happening to her andthen she was left to spend theentire night in small waitingarea, alongside three elderlypatients who were sufferingfrom dementia and appearedvery distressed too.

At one point Shauna was left inher soiled bed clothes afterbeing violently sick.

We tried our best to get hersome care and attention but we

were told that other patientswere a priority… this astonishedus and the level of indifferenceand complete lack ofunderstanding of Shauna’sneeds shocked us too.

Shauna was eventuallyadmitted to the InfectiousDisease ward as nobody knewwhat was wrong with her -thankfully, she had her ownroom but we needed to staywith her to explain what washappening at all times andsupport the hospital staff inhopefully giving Shauna thecare she desperately needed…for example, our daughter hadno conception of what theemergency button attached tothe bed was for.

We had to make sure one of uswas there for 24 hours a day,(sleeping in an armchair for afull week) as Shauna was wiredto drips etc. that needed to beplugged and unplugged atvarious intervals, so we had tohelp her in and out of bed.

After seven days, Shauna wasreleased following diagnosis andhas thankfully made a fullrecovery.

This piece is not intended as acriticism of any individualdoctor or nurse - but as anindictment of a system thatdoes not recognise the needs ofits patients who requireadditional support due tolearning difficulties.

Since this happened we havespoken to Mencap who have anational campaign running totry and ensure the NHS takeproper account of said needs… Ifanyone else has had a similarexperience, tell us and we cantry and take this forward withour local Mencap to try andinfluence and change howpeople with a learning disabilityare treated when admitted tohospital.

John & Margaret Hogan

Shaun takeson worldshighestbungeejump toraise fundsfor DSL On 17th August 2011 ShaunWright will bungee jump fromthe Macau Tower in HongKong to raise money for DownSyndrome Liverpool. This isthe worlds highest bungeejump at 233 metres high!

The jump at the Macau Towerwill take Shaun, 21, (picturedbelow), on a free fall at a speedof up to 200km/h for theultimate extreme journey!

Plunging from a super highplatform, challengers willexperience a four to fivesecond freefall beforestretching the fifty meterbungee cord nearly four timesits unloaded length and

rebounding at approximatelythirty meters above theground. Using a guide cablesystem, bungee jumpers will beable to safely experience a fewrebounds before slowly landingonto a specially designedairbag.

Macau Tower is the one andonly free-standing tower in theworld so it will take a lot ofcourage to master this one!

Shaun, is hoping that byundertaking this uniqueexperience he will be able toattract many sponsors.

Good luck Shaun and manythanks for your daring attemptand hard work.

Rena Wright

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Katie Wright attends weeklyswimming lessons along withher two brothers in theOlympic Pool, Wavertree.

Since Katie, 9, begun herswimming lessons in December2010 she has been encouragedby her teachers to swim in agroup with seven other childrenwithout one-to-one support.

At first we were anxious shewould not cope without moresupport but to our surprise shehas made great progress.

Katie follows the same programas the other children in thegroup and conforms well to anyinstructions given.

Katie’s confidence in the waterhas gone from strength tostrength and she is nowattempting frontstroke as wellas backstroke independently.

Katie’s swimming teachers, Joand Adam see Katie as anindividual child who has theability to make progress, whichhas resulted in Katie feeling like‘part of the group’.

This approach clearly showswhat can be achieved in aninclusion setting. It is veryrewarding to have this realpositive experience of inclusionand be able to share this withfamilies who have children withDown’s syndrome.

A special thanks to Jo (picturedleft with Katie) and all theswimming teachers for givingKatie the opportunity to developher swimming skills at lessons.

Katie’s positive inclusion as ‘part of thegroup’ aids her swimming experience

Down Syndrome Liverpool member Christopher Hill hasthis year been awarded the Duke of Edinburgh BronzeAward.

Christopher, 20, was presented with the award at the BTConference Centre in March at a ceremony hosted by RadioMerseyside’s Alan Jackson. Hollyoaks soap star KieronRichardson presented the award on the night.

He is photographed below proudly showing off his Duke ofEdinburgh badge and certificate.

Duke of Edinburghaward for Christopher

Hairdresser Neilhoping to cut itin this yearsLiverpoolTriathlon forDSLLocal hairdresser Neil Smith isparticipating in this year’sLiverpool Triathlon in aid of DownSyndrome Liverpool.

Set in Liverpool’s iconic city centre,the Liverpool Triathlon is an eventwhich is getting bigger and betterevery year. Part of the 5i50 WorldTriathlon Series and with distancesto suit all abilities, the LiverpoolTriathlon takes place on Sunday26th June.

Neil, 30, of Neil Smith Men’sHairdressing in Aigburth will becompeting in the Sprint distanceevent which comprises a 750 metreswim, 20 kilometre bike ride and afive kilometre run and hopes to raisearound £450 for DSL.

Neil decided to donate hisproceedings to DSL as he is a friendof Trustee Thomas Regan and hassaw the valuable work DSL do.

Get your kidsactive at theCROSS Club! C.R.O.S.S. (CommunitiesRallying for Our SpecialStars) is a new fundraisingscheme based in the NorthWest of England.

The CROSS Club is aspecialist sports club that hascoaching for children withdisabilities, professional andpersonal support for parents.

The Club held every Thursdayat 4pm, Stobart Stadium,Widnes. Home of WidnesVikings RLFC is FREE!

Parents can relax and enjoy acoffee in the private box,while kids can receivespecialist sports coachingfrom Everton Football Clubcoaches and Paralympicmedallist, Mark Eccleston.

To book your place call Pamon 07850 261535.

to thank all of our suppliers whoattended the event for theirgenerosity. We are pleased todonate £11,000 to so manyworthwhile local charities andhope these donations make adifference to those who requirehelp and support.”

Thomas Regan (pictured aboveright at the presentation),added, “I would like to thank allat Jaguar Land Rover for thevery kind and generousdonation of £1,000 . This willhelp towards our fund raising forthis year for events such as oursummer trips and our trainingdays. This donation is both verymuch appreciated and verymuch needed especially in thepresent economic climate as wecontinue to work for our localchildren with Down’s syndromeand their families.”

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The NHS has launched amajor four month publicconsultation on the waychildren’s congenital heartservices should be provided inthe future. The NHS is urgingeveryone with an interest inchildren’s congenital heartservices to take part in theconsultation and have theirsay on these vital services.

The NHS review into the futureof children’s congenital heartservices in England – hasincluded Liverpool’s Alder HeyChildren’s Hospital in all fouroptions being put forward in afour month public consultation.

The decision to retain Alder Heyas the leading cardiac centre inthe North West will enable thecardiac service to expand withannual patient numbersexpected to increase.

Children diagnosed with Downssyndrome can have cardiacconditions such asAtrioventricular Septal Defect(AVSD). AVSD is the mostcommon congenital heartdefect found in children withDown's syndrome, accountingfor 50% of the total.

In AVSD’s complete form thereis a hole in the wall between thetop chambers (atria) and a holein the wall between the bottomchambers (ventricles), and onecommon valve between the twoatria and the two ventricles. Inthe partial forms there may notbe a hole between the bottomchambers (ventricles) or themitral and tricuspid valves maynot be joined together, but

either or both may leak, knownas valve incompetence.

Because of the high pressure inthe left ventricle (needed topump the blood around thebody), blood is forced throughthe holes in the septum (centralheart wall) when the ventriclecontracts, thus increasing the

pressure in the right ventricle.This increased pressure(pulmonary hypertension)results in excess blood flow tothe lungs.

Children’s heart surgery iscomplex and becomingincreasingly specialised. TheNHS Safe and Sustainablereview aims to improveoutcomes for children withcongenital heart disease byintroducing new national qualitystandards, developing children’sheart networks and poolingsurgical expertise. Safe andSustainable is proposing fouroptions to reduce the number ofhospitals providing children’sheart surgery from 11 to six orseven to improve results forchildren. The review alsoproposes that many non-surgical services, such asdiagnosis, assessments and

Have your say on the future of children’scongenital heart services at Alder Hey

ongoing care, are providedcloser to families’ homes.

Leslie Hamilton, Immediate PastPresident for the Society forCardiothoracic Surgery andVice Chairman of the Safe andSustainable Steering Groupsaid: “This consultation is aboutimproving the quality of care for

children with congenital heartdisease (CHD). We mustconcentrate surgical expertisein larger (and therefore fewer)centres to ensure we producebetter outcomes for childrenand ensure services are safeand sustainable for the future. Iurge patients and families torespond to the consultation.This is the most importantopportunity people will have todirectly influence the outcomeof the consultation.”

The NHS will be holding a seriesof consultation events acrossEngland and in Wales, so thatthe public can find out moreabout what the proposedchanges may mean for theservices in their region. Safeand Sustainable has alsoproduced a video, available onthe website, clearlycommunicating the aims of the

review and featuring interviewswith families of children whohave CHD.

No decisions about the futureof any of the existing surgicalcentres will be made until afterthe consultation. Anindependent third party willcollate all the responses and acomprehensive analysis will beprovided to the JointCommittee of Primary CareTrusts, the decision makingbody for the Safe andSustainable review, to helpevaluate the four options. Adecision on the future ofchildren’s congenital heartservices is expected in late 2011.Those centres that are notchosen to continue to carry outsurgery will not close. Instead, itis envisaged that they maybecome children’s cardiologycentres.

To access the onlineconsultation document and tocomplete an electronic versionof the response form pleasevisit:www.specialisedservices.nhs.uk/safe_sustainable/public-consultation-2011

To access Alder Hey’s petitionto express your support for theNorth West Cardiac Networkand Alder Hey Hospital as thecardiac surgical centre for theNorth visit:www.alderhey.com/Media_Centre/cardiac_consultation_main.asp

You can also respond to theconsultation by texting ‘HEART’to 85001 free of charge.

Give your views and supportAlder Hey as a provider ofchildren's congenital heartservices in the North West

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Your eventideas wantedIf their is a particular event youwould like us to organise be it forchildren or teens. Get in touch withus, we would love to here from you.

ITV soap Emmerdale hasfollowed EastEnders by havingone of its characters give birthto a baby with Down’ssyndrome.

Screen character Rhona Goskirkwas devastated by the initialdiagnosis. “It knocked her for sixand she reacted badly to it,”actress Zoe Henry (below) says.

But for mum-of-two Zoe, 37,who’s been married to co-starJeff Hordley since 2003, thecondition holds no fears.

“Having a Down’s syndrome childcrosses everyone’s mind whenthey are pregnant. I chose not tohave a test to find out with ourfirst child, but with our secondchild we did – we wanted to beprepared.

“I would have continued thepregnancy, whatever the results.We were a strong couple andcould have coped, but I

understand Rhona’s struggle, it’sa very personal decision.”

Screen character Rhona’s nowcome to terms with the situationand has since given birth to ababy boy in the soap. Zoe’s ownexperiences have helped her tounderstand her character’spositive attitude.

Before becoming an actress shewas a care worker for two years, swapping between the careersuntil her daughter, Violet, wasborn six years ago.

“Over the years I worked withadults and children with Down’ssyndrome,” Zoe says. “It wasgreat fun and I’m sure it will helpwith the filming.

“I’m not fazed by disability and Ihad so much fun. The childrenwere mischievous, loving andenjoyed life. “And that’s the wayEmmerdale want to go with thestory.”

Zoe also grew up playing withDown’s children when hermother worked in a Barnardo’shome. She says: “It was oppositemy school, so in holidays we werealways there mixing with kidswith Down’s syndrome, cerebralpalsy, all kinds of disabilities.”

My name is Thomas Regan, Ihave been on the DSLcommittee since 2006. Moreimportantly I am dad to mybeautiful daughter Charlotte,8 and two boys, Thomas, 17,and Christopher, 14.

I first joined DSL afterorganising a Race Night in2006 raising around £3000.At the time that amount wasthe equivalent of two yearsfunding for the group. Sincethen DSL’s fund raisingactivities have thankfully,dramatically improved!

My role as a trustee is to lookafter all the charity’s publicitymaterial including designingand editing this newsletter,building and maintaining theDSL website as well as creating

all the leaflets that dropthrough your door!

One of my first tasks when Itook on the role of trustee wasto design the DSL branding. Iwanted the charity to give astrong, professional look forits members and potentialbusinesses looking to donateto DSL.

I have also took on the role ofPR for the charity in somecases getting us valuablepublicity in local newspapers.

I am currently fundraising withmy charity football team. Weplay against teams and donateall monies raised to DSL. If youknow a team that would like toplay us please get in touch onthe newsletter email address.

DonationsDonations

Committee cornerThomas Regan

Thomas pictured with daughter Charlotte, 8.Featured web sitewww.mencapliverpool.org.uk

Emmerdale character givesbirth to Down's baby boy

Holy Trinity Church £1500

Danielle Schorah £450

William Hill Bookmakers£200

DSL Football Team £190

MG Powell ”In lieu of wedding favours at ourrecent wedding in memory of ouruncle who died earlier this year.He lived life to the full, having DSdid not hold him back and whatyour charity does is great!!!”£100

Denholm Transportwww.denholm-transport.co.uk£50

Matthew Arnold School £56

Joan Watterson(Sponsored Slim) £55

Mr & Mrs Kenwright £10

Anotheruseful websitethat our members maybenefit from, MencapLiverpool features help andinformation for its users. If you know of a websitethat may be of interest toour members please let usknow either by post oremail and we will do our best tofeature it.

If any members have an emailaddress please could you send anemail to our secretary:anne.wilde@btinternet.com with thesubject DSL MEMBERS EMAIL.

It costs approximately £50 to mailflyers etc, costs which couldbenefit DSL elsewhere.

Please note your newsletterwill be posted as usual.

Established in 1950, Mencap Liverpool exists tomake life better for people affected by learningdisabilities.

They are a not for profit organisationoperating in Liverpool. This site acts as a voicefor their members, staff and trustees.

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www.downsyndromeliverpool.org.uk

newsletter newsletter@downsyndromeliverpool.org.ukenquiries secretary@downsyndromeliverpool.org.uk

Down Syndrome Liverpool, PO Box 1, Mossley Hill District Office, Liverpool L18 4SD

contact us

w

@

Down Syndrome Liverpoolwere given a uniqueopportunity recently to raiseawareness of our charity.

At the Oulton Park round of theDunlop MSA British Touring CarChampionship Team ES Racinggave us free promotion on ChrisJames’ Chevrolet Lacetti.

The prospect of advertising ourlogo and website to potentiallymillions of people through atelevision audience was to goodto turn down.

“I read on Twitter that ChrisJames and Team ES Racingwere appealing to smallcharities to contact them if theywanted to publicise theirorganisation with a sticker ontheir BTCC touring car” said DSLTrustee Thomas Regan.

“I often look out foropportunities such as this forDSL to raise awareness of ourgroup and the prospect of ourlogo being beamed to millionson TV was a great advantage forus. Local company ABScreenprint were good enoughto print us some removable carstickers for free too” hecontinued.

“Charities, especially smallerones do not have the funds topromote themselves and raisetheir awareness as much asthey would like, the BTCC is seenby 14 million people on ITV4over the season and what betterway to draw attention to theirgood cause than by displayingthem on the side of a TouringCar” said driver/team principalJames.

With the team entering theseries and proving themselvesbefore seeking sponsorship theywere in the ideal position to givecharities this opportunity.

“As we are in the process of seeking sponsorship(www.teamesracing.com) we arein a privileged position to beable to offer our car to theseCharities at no cost to them”explained James.

“All we can hope is that by usingthe Lacetti as an advertisingplatform that each and everycharity we display isremembered by tracksidespectators and ITV4 viewersand that it goes a small way inhelping to support them in doingthe fantastic work they arealready doing!” he added.

On the day of the raceunfortunately, Chris crashed inthe second race of the day butthe main thing is he was okay.

The British Touring CarChampionship (BTCC) wasformed in 1958 and is Britain'smost popular motor racingspectacle. Its race seasoncomprises ten events at topcircuits across the UK. It iscontested by professional racingdrivers in competition versionsof every day road cars, giving ittremendous public appeal.

Some 325,000 watch the BTCCtrackside each year. It is alsoreceives widespread UK TVexposure on the ITV networkwith all ten race eventsbroadcast live on ITV4, ITV4HD and www.itv.com.

DSL sponsor BTCC car at Oulton Park

www.facebook.com (search for Down Syndrome Liverpool)

A unique advertising opportunity for DSL on the side of Chris James’ British Touring Car Pics: Matt Lynham Photography

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