During Down Syndrome Awareness Weekend, 96 volunteers braved the 100m descent to abseil down the Spinnaker Tower, all hoping to raise awareness about Down Syndrome as part of Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association’s awareness celebrations. Emma is a keen supporter of the charity, and when she heard about the awareness weekend, she was very happy to be involved. Emma said, ‘Being a girl from Portsmouth, I was absolutely thrilled to be asked to support Portsmouth DSA’s awareness celebrations. Scott said, ‘It was a real honour to be asked to support a charity which provides so many valuable services for children with Down syndrome in the local community. They have been a real life-line, and I honestly don’t think Sebby would have made such good progress without their support.’
Charity Chairwoman, Rachael Ross said, ‘The weekend has been a huge success, not only generating vital funds for the charity, but also raising awareness about Down syndrome. Several prominent businesses including our charity partners Zurich, Sainsbury’s and Warner Goodman, entered teams to show their support. We have once again been overwhelmed by the generosity shown by our families, supporters and the community.’
Portsmouth DSA’s awareness abseil is expected to raise over £30,000, and all funds will be used to provide specialist services for children with Down syndrome which they wouldn’t otherwise receive. The charity which is self-funding and run by volunteers was awarded the Points of Light Award recently by Prime Minister, David Cameron, for outstanding charity work.