As I approached 40 I was determined not to be fat and forty and now that I am nearer 50 than 40 I am determined that it is going to be fabulous to be fifty so these next few years will be about making each year better than the last and finding new challenges that will make life exciting and raise money for a cause that is so dear to my heart and also to drag my very dear friend, Jo, along with me.

    Jo and I will be climbing Snowdon this year and not one of the leisurely paths up the mountain but taking a hard mountain trail to make it worthy of your support. We are raising funds for a truly fantastic project – the Swindon Down’s Syndrome Group’s Salamander Fire Course run in partnership with the Wiltshire Fire Service.

  This year’s course is for 18 young people aged between 12 and 25. The course is not just about the official write up that you can read on our website but so, so much more. For the young people with Down’s syndrome it is a week spent with their peers learning new skills but also about having fun with friends in a safe, challenging but liberating environment. For the instructors it is a week of learning about young people with Down’s syndrome and everything they have to offer – fun, the ability to learn everything you have the patience to teach, friendship and unconditional devotion. For the carers – me and Jo- it is a week on a rollercoaster of emotions watching with awe and amazement as our young people learn, develop and interact, watching with gratitude, laughter and love as the instructors change from teachers holding all at arm’s length to life-long friends full of admiration and pride in their students and then experiencing for ourselves, as parents, the heart wrenching need to let go and allow our children to take risks in order to grow and mature.

     August 19 – 23 will see the Drove Fire Station in Swindon being taken over and you take your life in your hands if you cross the yard when the hoses are out!!

    I will update this page as we have the details but sincerely hope you will support Jo and I in the effort to ensure that this course will take place in August this year and I will take this opportunity now to thank you on behalf of all this year’s participants and their families .

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