The Champions Drama Group has been running for 10 years, bringing lots of fun and laughter to the members and a chance for parents to have a break and go for a coffee.
The Group was commissioned by a charity using a grant from a local council. Unfortunately the charity folded and the funding stopped.
We have tried to carry on without funding but are struggling to meet staffing, equipment and hall hire costs.
We desperately want the group to continue as the children love the group. It is designed to be a drama/play session. The children act scenes, dress up, paint their faces, play music, sing and dance. They also write their own stories and plays, keep scrap books and do arts and crafts. While they are having fun they are also developing their speech, learning about sharing and taking turns and developing social skills.
Parents can go over to the local cafe and have a drink and a chat or do some shopping, confident that their children are enjoying themselves - and at the end of term they are invited to a relaxed performance showcasing what the children have been doing.
The children are supported by a dedicated team of staff and volunteer/s who enable them to work individually or in a group, providing one-to-one support when needed. We have someone on the team who has Downs Syndrome herself, who provides understanding and is an amazing role model.
The adults seem to get as much out of the group as the children, being entertained and getting the chance to laugh and have fun too! Children and adults alike are happily exhausted at the end of the session!
Parents have said that they value the group because they feel it is a space where their child is accepted and where they are cared about.