As you are all a are we are blessed with two beautiful daughters, one of which has an extra special chromosome. We chose to have routine screening for Down's syndrome at my 12 weeks scan, the results of which came back as low risk so no further screening was advised. Soon after our princess Eliza Rose was born on the 7th July 2016 we were told by neonatal intensive care staff at the Royal Bolton Hospital that Eliza had Downs Syndrome and also Congenital Heart Disease.

It goes without saying that this news came as a huge shock and was followed by a great deal of worry. However, as a family we soon strongly believed that we had been blessed to be parents to such a happy, strong and beautiful baby girl.

A fantastic nurse advised us to get in touch with Bolton Smiley Faces which is a support group for people with Downs Syndrome and their families. Bolton Smiley Faces also funds a weekly sing and sign group to assist children with Down's syndrome to communicate alongside speech. We soon started to attend both the support group and sing and sign sessions, which we have found invaluable for providing advise, support, friendships as well as providing a means of communication , which otherwise may be difficult as Eliza gets older.

The money we are hoping to raise will help set up regular meetings for teanagers and adults with Downs Syndrome, to provide a support network and friendships for them.