At the start of October, South Manchester WorkFit Liaison Officer Lucy and North West WorkFit Officer Molly visited Ivy Café in Cheadle to deliver a presentation about the WorkFit programme. They provided an overview to parents and young adults from the South Manchester Down’s Syndrome Support Group, showcasing their options as they prepare to leave college. We invited some WorkFit candidates to share their experiences and Mark Cook came along to co-present and did a fantastic job. Lucy provided him with a list of questions beforehand to help him prepare, and during the event, she asked him those questions in front of everyone. Mark also responded to additional questions from the parents, offering valuable insights.
Marsha de Cordova MP met Tom, one of our WorkFit candidates. Thanks to the collaborative efforts between the DSA’s WorkFit Officer, his employer Travers Smith and Tom’s family, he has been in his role for nearly five years—a great example of a sustained, paid, and meaningful career.
A WorkFit information evening took place on 8th October at Stratton Churchway Bowling Club in Swindon. While 15 people had registered, only a few could attend due to illness and the extreme, monsoon-like weather. Nevertheless, the event was successful, with significant engagement and interaction from those present. Roy, our Swindon Down’s Syndrome Group WorkFit Liaison Officer, delivered a presentation on the programme’s benefits for everyone involved, and we’ve already received several emails from families showing interest. A special thank you to the families who braved the challenging weather to join us!
Also, on the 8th of October, WorkFit had the pleasure of hosting Akil Ukaj, Executive Director of Special Needs Albania and Project Officer, at the Jonathan Center. Akil visited our WorkFit programme in the North West and was greeted at his first visit by Nick Cooper, Managing Director and Paul Howard, Security Operations Manager from Adept Corporate Services. Akil was given an overview of inclusion in the security and facilities sector. Then he met WorkFit candidate Matt, Adept’s second WorkFit candidate, who was joining the team as a Security and Facilities Assistant. He’s the second candidate the company has successfully onboarded. The next visit was to GXO Centerpoint V, where Akil was introduced to Richard Pollard, Site Manager and Sharon Gee, the site’s HR Manager. Akil was given a tour of the site and heard about how the team had welcomed Luanne and Aaron and how they had grown and developed in their roles and transitioned into new departments over time. Both teams at Adept and GXO enjoyed sharing good practices and heard about the fantastic work that Akil’s programme is doing to support people with learning disabilities in Albania.
It was a fantastic day at the Hilton Abilities Team Member Luncheon. Alison Thwaite, our Employment Development Manager, was honoured to receive a generous $10K donation to the Down’s Syndrome Association on behalf of American Express Global Business Travel. Angela Kelly presented the cheque at this special event, which showcased the remarkable skills and talents of people with learning disabilities. A big thank you to Hilton, American Express Global Business Travel, Cynthia Castillo, Esther Brittan, Cyril Landy, Simon Vincent CBE, Stephen Cassidy, and everyone who helped make this day so special.
Thank you to all of our employers for their continued support of our WorkFit programme, and good luck to everyone starting new roles this month.
To find out more about WorkFit and how we support people who have Down’s syndrome to access meaningful work opportunities that can benefit the rest of their lives, please contact the team on 0333 12 12 300 or email us on dsworkfit@downs-syndrome.org.uk For more information visit the WorkFit website: www.dsworkfit.org.uk