Speaker*: Down's Syndrome Association

We have a number of national charities based locally and we were pleased to welcome a representative this week from The Down's Syndrome Association which has its national office in Teddington.

Her talk was in two parts, firstly a history of Normansfield Hospital and the founder Dr John Langdon Down, followed by some very enlightening information about Down's Syndrome and the work of the Down's Syndrome Association.

About one baby in every thousand in the United Kingdom is born with Down's syndrome and there are approximately 40,000 people with Down's Syndrome living in the UK.

Down's syndrome is caused by the presence of an extra chromosome in the body's cells and, in the majority of cases, it is not an inherited condition. It usually occurs because of a chance happening at the time of conception. It is a random occurrence and cannot be prevented.

The quality of life, life expectancy and role in the community for people with Down's syndrome have gradually been transformed as education and support have improved and one of the aims of the DSA is that there should be more opportunities for people with Down's syndrome to lead the lives they want to.

A very interesting talk which helped inform us about the issues faced by people with Down's syndrome.

(*The speaker is unnamed because for personal reasons she did not wish to be identified on social media)