One of our Members recently attending a demonstration at the Houses of Parliament and I thought it would be really interesting to get her account of what happened:

“I got the train up to London on a freezing cold morning.  I had on my yellow jumper as we had all been asked to wear something yellow to reinforce the Down’s Syndrome awareness colours of blue and yellow for the day.   It was a very long time since I had been on a demonstration and I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect.

I got to the Houses of Parliament and was met by a large crowd of people all there for the “Don’t Screen Us Out Parliament Demonstration”.  There were parents, grandparents and siblings of children with Down’s Syndrome, all there as well as several people with Down’s Syndrome.  We had a variety of banners, balloons and flyers and made our presence known in front of Parliament for two hours.  We got lots of attention from passers by, tourists and people going in and out of the Houses of Parliament as we chanted “Don’t screen us out”.

So why were we there?  We wanted to send a message to Jeremy Hunt and the government that:

1. Proposals to introduce a new pre-natal screening test that is projected to lead to a profound reduction in birth numbers of people with Down’s Syndrome are highly concerning.

2. People with Down’s syndrome should be valued in our society.

3. The Government should be putting much more effort into supporting people with Down’s syndrome and their families, and ensuring the provision of balanced information for parents with a pregnancy diagnosis of Down’s syndrome.

Various people also spoke.  First of all Sally Phillips (from Bridget Jones / Smack the Pony / Miranda fame) spoke to us over the phone from Pinewood Studios.  Then someone from the Downs Syndrome Research Foundation and Saving Down Syndrome UK, and Lord Shinkwin who sits in the House of Lords and focuses on disability equality issues.  Finally Heidi, a young lady with Down’s Syndrome who gave a fantastic speech!

I then had to leave but the group continued to the Department of Health, and to the Palace of Westminster to meet with MPs. This was the beginning of a crucial campaign for the equality of everyone regardless of ability.

For further information or to support this cause, please visit:

Dont Screen Us Out

We have always been incredibly lucky at Chatterbox to have so many lovely supporters. We are often contacted by people who have heard about what we do and would like to help in some way and this blog post is just a very small way of us saying a very BIG thank you to a few recent people who have supported us:

Cookham Dean Primary School

Furze Platt Junior School

The Maidenhead Lions Club

Natwest Bank, Slough Trading Estate

Stoke Park Hotel & Spa

These lovely flowers are for you ………

You may not be aware but on Monday 21st March 2016, we will be celebrating World Downs Syndrome Day 2016.  This day is recognised by the United Nations and will be celebrating its 11th anniversary this year. The reason that this day in particular is chosen is because people with Downs Syndrome have a triplication of chromosome 21.

Each year people with Downs Syndrome encourage their friends and family to wear different socks to signify that everyone is different, not just those who happen to have a disability.

We will be wearing our craziest socks and encourage you to do the same!

More information about WDSD 2016 can be found here: WDSD 2016

Chatterbox was set up by a group of parents who were all dissatisfied by the lack of speech therapy they received from the NHS, so took it upon themselves to form a Group where regular speech therapy could take place, in the school setting (so as not to disrupt the working day), with the support of the child’s Teaching Assistant.

Why is speech therapy so vital for our children?

Speech and language intervention is probably the most important focus for children with Downs Syndrome, both in terms of cognitive and social development.

We have found that in most cases, children of school age with Downs Syndrome, use spoken language as their main form of communication.  This is often backed up by ‘Makaton’ (a form of key word signing), but by the time a child starts in Reception year, the aim is very much to focus on the development of speech, clear production of small sentences and articulation which in turn also supports the start of early reading techniques. Most children with Downs Syndrome have a much better understanding of the spoken word than production of sound.

Our Therapist works very closely with each member of our Group and gets to know what motivates and encourages them and what they find difficult.  The Therapist works with the TA to set objectives on grammar, comprehension and production as well as articulation, phonology and intelligibility (ie. pace, tone of voice etc). Oral-motor assistance is also reviewed (chewing, biting, feeding, drinking) as this directly links to speech and is something which is closely monitored in the early years.

We are grateful for the lovely Therapist we use presently.  Our children look forward to her weekly visit and she makes the sessions fun, lively and engaging.

The East Berkshire Downs Syndrome Support Group (EBDSSG)

Although Chatterbox is an independently run, voluntary group, everyone at Chatterbox is also a member of a local support group for families caring for some with Downs Syndrome called The East Berkshire Downs Syndrome support Group (EBDSSG).

This Group provides invaluable support for parents who have just been given a Downs Syndrome diagnosis in pregnancy, those who find out their baby has Downs Syndrome at birth and then offers ongoing support, advice and friendship throughout their lives, into adulthood.

The EBDSSG is a well established charity that currently supports 68 families in the local area.  They are affiliated to the Downs Syndrome Association (charity #1147303).

For further info on EBDSSG, please take a look at their website – ebdssg

Chatterbox has inspired a local Artist to donate an original piece of art.

Local Artist, Simon Ward decided he wanted to support Chatterbox through his connection with one of our members.  He very kindly raffled off one of his stunning pieces and by doing so raised a grand sum of £420 for our Group

You can see more of his work by visiting his Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/Artwork2order/

Thanks Simon from all at Chatterbox!

This is the ‘before’ photo of the Chatterbox Swimarathon Team 2016.

We gathered at the poolside on Saturday morning and swam continuously for 1 hour and managed to complete 55 laps!!  We had a truly mixed Team, all abilities and ages and each did our bit.

The Maidenhead Lions Club raised a huge £20,500 with this figure expected to increase once money starts being paid in and gift aid is applied.

Our Team raised a whopping £700!!!!!!

Well done to everyone who swam on Saturday.  A big thank you to those who came along and cheered us on and an even bigger thank you to everyone who sponsored us.  We really are very grateful.

Saturday 9 January 2016 sees Chatterbox once again taking part in the local Swimarathon, run by the Lions Club.  We had our first experience of the Swimarathon last year and LOVED it so much we are back again for more.  Last year we raised just over £1,000 (and were also awarded a special prize from the Lions) and would like to aim to get close to this again this year.

We have a sterling swim team once again, with swimmers of all ages and abilities, all swimming to raise funds for Chatterbox.

If you are in the area and would like to come and cheer us on, we are swimming for 1 hour from 10am tomorrow morning at The Magnet Leisure Centre, Maidenhead.  We would love to see you.

Go Team Chatterbox!!!!!

We would like to wish all our friends, families and supporters a healthy, happy and chatty year in 2016!