Rugby school girl to conquer Snowdon in a fundraising mission for Down syndrome
10-year-old Ella Hands is set to lead a team of volunteers to the top of Snowdon to raise funds to help students with Down syndrome.
A 10-year-old from Rugby is set to lead a team of volunteers to the top of Snowdon this weekend, in a fundraising mission for Down syndrome.
Ella Hands, who was born with the genetic condition, will be joined by friends and family in her journey to raise £40,000 to help secondary school pupils with Down syndrome in the classroom.
All funds raised will be put towards a fundraising campaign spearheaded by Ella's parents, Dave and Rachel Hands.
Dave and Rachel want to fund the development of a Secondary Education Programme, to give schools all the resources and expertise needed to help students with Down syndrome thrive in the classroom.
Dave said: “Ella has absolutely thrived throughout her primary school years, and we were looking forward to replicating her success in the classroom in secondary school.
“But we met with a number of schools, none of which had the same level of experience or expertise on helping children with Down syndrome to perform at their very best.
“So we are working closely with national parent-led charity Down Syndrome UK to ensure that every secondary school pupil in the country is given the very best start and allowed the same opportunities as their counterparts in the classroom by equipping all schools with training, resources and ongoing support in subjects such as numeracy, literacy, communication and social interaction, to ensure all teaching staff are equipped with the right skills to work with children with Down syndrome in their care.”
The programme is being devised by Becky Baxter, a speech and language therapist with almost two decades of experience in working with children with Down syndrome.
A similar programme devised by Becky for early years and primary teaching and support staff on behalf of Down Syndrome UK has been a huge success.
Altogether Dave and Rachel Hands are hoping their various fundraising efforts over the coming months will raise the £40,000 needed to get the programme off the ground.
Launched just four months ago their fundraising appeal has so far raised £16,000.