A COMMUNITY group set up by parents of children with Down’s Syndrome has celebrated its second birthday alongside World Down’s Syndrome Day.

Upside Down, which runs from the Baptist Church in Stocksfield, is a support group for children with Down’s Syndrome aged up to 14 years.

The group originally started as a charity called Educational Charity for Children with Down Syndrome (ECCDS) in 2010, but in 2017 it folded due to a lack of funding.

Lindsay McCulloch, Helen Taylor and Nicola Naisbett all have children with Down’s Syndrome and worked for the charity, and when it closed they chose to set up Upside Down.

Lindsay, who is now secretary for Upside Down, said: “When the charity ended we were all devastated and knew we couldn’t just walk away from our families.

“We quickly put our heads together with another mum Sue Robinson, who was a trustee for ECCDS and put together a community group called Upside Down. We have been up and running two years in April and Helen, Nicola and myself volunteer and run the group alongside our jobs.”

Families came together to celebrate its two year anniversary on March 23 with a party held at Vallum Farm to also celebrate World Down Syndrome Day which was on March 21. The event attracted 150 people including BBC broadcaster Carol Malia.The group supports the children with sessions in speech and language, numeracy and occupational therapy which includes sensory, fine and gross motor skills. Relying on children’s fees for attending the group as well as fund-raising, they also take regular outings including forest school and zumba sessions and provides support for parents and siblings too.