Swindon Down's Syndrome Group

09/09/2026

Saturday 26th 10am - 12pm
St Barnabas Church Hall, Gorse Hill, Swindon . Come along and say hello and pick up a bargain.


Bargains, cakes and more.

08/09/2026

Congratulations to Harry who recently attended the School Games National Finals! Harry was one of two paras on his team, Southern Sharks. He ran 200m in the ambulant race, then a mixed relay 4 x 100m and finished on Saturday with his final 200m. He was also asked to be the flag bearer to walk in the England athletics team for the opening ceremony. What an absolute honour for him to have been selected! We are very proud of you Harry!

You can follow his achievements on instagram https://www.instagram.com/321goharry?stkn=MjF1MjVhNTJsYzh3

07/09/2026

The Swindon Down’s Syndrome Group is looking for a friendly and enthusiastic volunteer to help us keep our social media pages active, engaging and up to date.

We are a small local charity supporting people with Down’s syndrome and their families across Swindon and the surrounding area, and we have lots of wonderful things happening that we would love to shout about!

We’re looking for someone who could help us with things such as:
✨ Sharing information about our activities and events
📸 Posting photos and updates from the Group
🎉 Promoting fundraising events and campaigns
💙 Celebrating the achievements of our members
📢 Helping us reach more families and supporters locally
💡 Coming up with ideas for interesting and engaging posts

We anticipate the role would take around 1–2 hours per week, and probably closer to an hour for someone who is already confident using social media.

You do NOT need to become a Trustee or attend our Trustee meetings. We know not everyone wants the commitment that comes with being on a committee! You can simply volunteer to support our social media and report directly to our Secretary.

The role is flexible and can largely be done from home, at times that suit you. We can provide you with the information you need – we just need someone who can help turn it into engaging posts and make sure people know about the fantastic things happening within our Group.

This could be perfect for someone who enjoys Facebook and Instagram, works in marketing or communications, is studying social media or digital marketing, or simply wants to use their skills to support a small local charity.

Most importantly, we’re looking for someone who is friendly, reliable and enthusiastic about helping us make a difference. 💙
If you think this could be you – or you know somebody who might be perfect – we would absolutely love to hear from you!
Please get in touch with the Swindon Down’s Syndrome Group for an informal chat and find out more.

Please share – our perfect social media volunteer might be somewhere in your friends list! 💙💛

07/09/2026

Swindon Community Lottery results are in!

Remember to check your email to see if you've won!

If you haven't signed up yet visit our page -

Swindon Downs Syndrome Group is offering you the chance to win big prizes and help raise much needed funds.

06/09/2026

What's on this week?
Monday T21 Friendship Hub Toothill Farmhouse, Bodiam Drive, Westlea. SN5 8BE , 6.30-8.30pm. 13+ £2 per session
Tuesday Tennis 5.00pm-6.00pm Delta Tennis Centre Welton Road, Westlea SN5 7XF 5+ £5.00
Wednesday Football 5.00pm-6.00pm Foundation Park County Ground Lane SN1 2FD 5+ Pay through Swindon Foundation.
Friday Dance 5.30pm-6.30pm The Deanery CE Academy Peglars Way SN1 7DA 11+ £4.75
Saturday Dance 11.00am-11.30am The Deanery CE Academy Peglars Way SN1 7DA 4-10yrs inc. £4.75
Saturday Padel Tennis 9am -10am Padel4All Bassett Down Golf Course. Hay Ln, Swindon SN4 9QW pay through Padel4All 9+

05/09/2026

A small plea from the resident LEGO builder. 🙏🏻
Many of you know that one of the Trustees builds Lego sets and sells it to raise funds for the group.
If anyone out there has “Friends Lego” sets or odd bits no longer wanted. Please be kind and donate it to the group. We have some lovely sets all with bits missing 😒 big thanks in advance.

04/09/2026

☀️ SUMMER RAFFLE – FANTASTIC PRIZES! 🎉
https://www.justgiving.com/page/sdsgsummer26

Support the Swindon Down’s Syndrome Group and help us fund our vital Speech & Language Therapy (SALT) Project, supporting children and young people to build communication skills, confidence and independence. 💙

🎁 Prizes to be won:
🥇 VIP Day at Swindon Town Football Club
🥈 Alcohol Hamper
🥉 Bottle of Champagne

🎟️ Enter for just £2!
Every £2 donated = 1 entry, so donate more for more chances to win!

⏰ Entries close: Midnight, Sunday 18 October 2026
🎉 Draw: Tuesday 20 October 2026 at 7pm

Please include your name and contact telephone number with your donation.

🙏 Every entry helps us continue providing this important service to local families. Thank you for your support and good luck! 🍀✨

🔞 18+ only. Entries must be made through the dedicated JustGiving page. Registered under the Gambling Act 2005. Licence No. 25/3309/SSLOT. Entries are non transferable

04/09/2026

Another great example of inclusion on mainstream tv! 📺

Gogglebox UK is welcoming its first cast member with Down’s syndrome as two families join the hit programme on Friday.

The additions include football-obsessed brothers Steve and Mark, as well as Sandy and her TV fanatic son Max, who is the first person with Down’s syndrome to feature on the show.

The long-running Channel 4 series is narrated by The Royle Family star Craig Cash, and films ordinary families, couples and friends in their homes as they react to the past week of TV shows.

Sandy, 62, said it will be “total magic” to appear on the show alongside her son as she discussed how “important” it is to provide a positive representation of his disability.

“To have people see the superstar, who is my son, and realise that a person with a learning disability can be smart, opinionated and hilarious is very important for me,” she said.

“My greatest joy is being his mum.”

Max added: “I’m much funnier than my mum, so that’s good.

“I’m all about spreading the love and showing other learning-disabled people what we can achieve.

“And my mum is my greatest supporter.”

The 33-year-old also joked that his opinion is “very important” as he reflected on how he looks forward to “watching TV and letting people know what I think about it”.

The mother-son duo, from north London, also reflected on how their family and friends reacted to their role on Gogglebox.

Sandy said: “They think it’s amazing and bonkers in equal measure.”

“They are all very happy that the world will see what a superstar I am,” Max added.

Fellow newcomer Mark, 46, shared the sentiment that it is “proper surreal” to be joining the hit show, saying “it’ll be such a laugh” to participate alongside his brother.

“He’s super funny and it’s a great excuse to hang out,” he said.

The brothers, from Newcastle, both joked that they were warned “not to swear too much” when they told their families about their new roles.

Mark said: “Everyone’s absolutely stoked. When I told our mam that we might be doing the show, the first thing she said was ‘please don’t swear’.

“I told her I can’t make that promise.”

“I’ve not told my friends yet. I think waiting for them to read or see me on the TV will be a better surprise,” Steve added.

The 44-year-old also said he looks forward to spending time with his brother outside the “usual stress” of watching Newcastle United together.

Gogglebox premiered in 2013 and has had major success, winning many accolades including National Television Awards, TV Choice Awards and Baftas.

It has spawned spin-offs including Gogglesprogs – a children’s version – and Celebrity Gogglebox featuring the likes of Ed Sheeran, Rylan Clark and Nigel Havers.

The new additions will make their debut on series 28 of Gogglebox, which will air on Channel 4 on Friday at 9pm.

✍Carla Feric

04/09/2026

Lots of smiles for a successful start to the school term!

04/09/2026

Padel Tennis returns tomorrow. 🎾

Saturday 9-10am
Padel4All, Bassett Down, Hay Lane SN4 9QW

Join our team. This is a hybrid game which has elements of squash added to tennis and is played as a doubles game on a court half the size of a normal court. We are pleased to have linked with Padel4All who are offering a session for people with Down’s Syndrome. Minimum age is 9 years.

For more information contact
[email protected]