The Learning & Development team are aiming to raise £5000 for Downright Excellent (DEx), a small London charity which gives children with Down’s Syndrome the skills they need to communicate and socialise – skills they can find difficult to acquire without specialist help.

There’s a personal connection between John McLachlan (L&D) and the charity: John‘s 5 year old son James has Down’s Syndrome and they go to DEx every Saturday morning for James’s specialist speech and language therapy.

Downright Excellent is an amazing charity which gives 115 children with Down's Syndrome the life-changing skills they need to communicate and socialise– skills they find difficult to acquire without highly specialised help.

Down's Syndrome is the most common form of learning disability, approx 750 babies with Down's Syndrome are born each year in the UK.  Children with Down's Syndrome have a profile of communication needs which affects their ability to understand language, produce and use speech, and to put words and sentences together.

Downright Excellent wants all their children to gain the life skills they will need to work towards employability. The charity provides weekly speech & language and occupational therapy sessions for 115 children aged 0-15. They also provide quality play experiences plus education and support for parents and carers. The team includes highly specialised therapists, parent trustees and committed volunteers who bring a range of skills and experience.

Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page, every penny you donate will pay for services the children need and benefit from directly.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.