I didn't know anyone with Down's syndrome. I hadn't met anyone. I hadn't been around anyone. I didn't know anyone who knew anyone with Down's syndrome. All I knew was what I'd seen, huddles of hooded anoraks trudging one behind the other supported by a bossy carer or two. That was until 1992. Emily was born in 1992 but Emily wasn't the first person with Down's I met. When Sheron was six months pregnant we were invited to a work colleague's home for a garden party. Lots of people were there, including my colleague Harry's daughter. She was six years old and had Down's syndrome. I'd had no idea ..read more

TV, radio, newspaper, social media, it doesn't matter how you get your news these days, it always seems to be bad news. Murder, terrorism, nuclear threats, war, white supremacists, the rise of the far right, the list goes on. Don't focus on the bad news, as the world creaks and groans from evil on this side and that.  Focus on all that is good. Look for the miracle. What is your miracle? Maybe it's the gurgle of a baby,  the warmth of the sun on your skin,  the smile from a stranger,  the colours of the sunset,  the wind on your face,  the laughter shared wit ..read more

How do you like your movies? Are you the type of person who likes the crash bang wallop of big budget special effects with epic battle scenes of monumental proportions? I’ve got to say they are not my cup of Darjeeling. I’m much more of a sucker for good old fashioned storytelling. I like a film that makes me think, something that is emotionally stimulating, a film that asks my imagination to fill in some of the blanks. That’s why when I saw My Feral Heart it ticked all of the boxes I want in a film. If you haven’t seen it yet I want to challenge you, as you read the last line of this blog p ..read more

Have you got your bag? I have. Phone? Yes. Bus pass? Got it! And with that she says goodbye and leaves to walk up the hill, across the road, round the bend, up the next street, across the dual carriageway to the bus stop. She patiently waits and then boards the bus and takes the short journey to the next village, where she goes through the underpass and into the hair salon. To work. This could be any young woman. This is the way it should be when school is over, college is almost done and you’ve got a spare day in your week. Get a job. Earn some money. Find out what it’s like in the real wor ..read more

Every now and again we get a snapshot of someone else's life. We don't get the whole picture, how could we? But what we do get is a brief insight, a flicker, a window into their world. This post is such a snapshot. It was a short Facebook post between friends but I felt these words needed sharing more widely, deserving of a larger audience. So with her permission, I'm bringing Colette's words to the world - a world very much in need of inspiration, of light, a world which needs to know the existence of such faith, hope and love. These are words which challenge the world view of perfection, whi ..read more

There has been much written and said about Down’s syndrome over the last month or so leading up to, and since, Sally Phillips’ documentary A World without Down’s Syndrome. Some of what I’ve read has been balanced and fair, recognising that the discussion Sally has started is not an easy one for some to join in but some of what has been printed has been defensive knee-jerk reactionary nonsense from some people who should know better. I asked friends and work colleagues to watch A World Without Down’s Syndrome and let me know what they thought. Largely these are people who have are representati ..read more

Last year Emily had an opportunity to go on set of a BBC adaptation of David Walliams’ book Billionaire Boy starring John Thomson, Catherine Tate and Warwick Davis. She even got a brief walk on part as an “Extra” (well she does have an “extra” chromosome don’t you know!). It was shown on BBC1 on New Year’s Day. Whilst Emily enjoyed being involved and seeing herself, briefly, on TV, we thought that would be the end of it. However, a few months ago we were contacted by Joanna, Producer of Billionaire Boy, who was just starting to film an adaptation of another book for the BBC and as they were f ..read more

The 1960s were the age of freedom and individualism. It was a time when hitherto social taboos of racism and sexism began to be challenged and popular culture was changed forever through the “countercultures” of sex, drugs, fashion and music. Pushing the boundaries to excess and beyond, they say if you remember the 60s you weren’t there! It's also when I was born. 1968 to be exact. But the 60s were also a time of restriction, of violence, of war. The threat of nuclear war hung heavy throughout the decade. It was a time of fear and political change. I’ve recently seen old film archive and fa ..read more

“You told me of darkness where there is so much light. You told me of sadness and there is so much joy.” Stories. Everybody has a story. Some chapters are interesting, exciting; other chapters average, mundane, the daily grind. Sometimes we’re told a story by people we trust about what our lives will be like, or what someone else’s life will be like, only to find out that the reality is so very different. Every so often you read or hear a story which just seems to thump you in the chest. It’s so powerful, it thumps so hard it stops you in your tracks and you feel your eyes begin to flood ..read more

Guest post: Lynn Murray As a special, and long overdue, treat for my regular reader (don't say I don't spoil you), I’ve asked my friend Lynn Murray to write a guest post. I’m not going to introduce it further as I don’t want to detract from Lynn’s excellent words. Lynn is UK Spokesperson for Saving Down syndrome and Don’t Screen Us Out (DSUO). DSUO was launched in January following the announcement that the UK National Screening Committee recommended that the NHS roll-out Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) despite concerns raised by Saving Down Syndrome and others in the publ ..read more