Bristol is Open
Bristol is Open
Another Historic Moment – Our inaugural ‘whole team day’!
It seems like the start of our Bristol project has been a very long time coming. After a series of delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are delighted that the Bristol office is now fully staffed, and the doors are well and truly open.
We welcome Lottie Park as the project Team Leader who will also be delivering our much-valued school liaison service across the city.
Rachael Maddox joins us as a Family Support Worker. With a teenage son who has Down Syndrome and many years’ experience working in supporting roles, Rachael will be offering that all-important first contact support and standing alongside our families on their Down Syndrome journey.
Completing the Bristol team is Ann-Marie Bell who is the projects administration and finance assistant – a very friendly face if you pop in to see us and of course, the backbone of our smooth operation.
The team will eventually be supported by our amazing volunteer befrienders and parent supporters who will be trained to offer weekly support to families in their own homes by providing practical help, friendship and emotional support; if you are interested in this role, please visit the volunteer page on our website.
Catherine Jessop, who currently runs our Weston-Super-Mare youth club, will be starting to plan our Bristol youth club sessions early in the New Year, so if you have a young person with Down Syndrome aged 10 to 25 and they would like to join, please contact Catherine for further details: catherine@upsanddowns.net Perhaps you would like to help at these sessions as a volunteer, please just get in touch, we would love to have you on board.
Late November 2021 saw our Bristol and Somerset teams come together for the very first time for our first ‘Whole Team Day’. Whilst many of the team had met independently, it was amazing to have the whole of the Ups and Downs Southwest team working together for the day; the shared knowledge and expertise across our full team is phenomenal. From early years to post-16, direct parental experience to knowledge of services; we carry a breadth and depth of experience that can truly offer a holistic package of support to children, parents/carers, and professionals across a wide geographical area.
With team building and strategic planning weaved into our working day, we were also delighted to be joined by a couple of our trustees for lunch. The Somerset team were also of course able to take a tour of the Bristol office and the facilities at The Park Centre; the Bristol team are looking forward to moving into the new building in February 2022.
If you are a parent/carer or professional seeking advice, information, support, or training in all matters relating to Down Syndrome, please get in touch or pop in and see us, we would love to meet you.
