Hands Up for Down's Fundraising

We fundraise throughout the year to raise money to run the vital services we provide for our children.

​Without the support, generosity and kindess of our supporters and the general public we would not be able to do what we do and give our children the best start and opportunities in their development and future life.

Our Current Fundraiser

During the month of October 2020 we completed our spooky fancy dress Halloween House Hike. Our aim was to climb the Welsh Three Peaks virtually which is a distance of 37km however we actually covered a staggering 41.5km and raised an incredible £7500. Children with Down's Syndrome have low muscle tone and often reduced mobility so this was a huge achievement as they stair and hall hiked, crawled and even shuffled with the help of their families. We had great fun and it was an amazing opportunity for our families to get together virtually during our Welsh lockdown.

​​During the Down's Syndrome Awareness month of October, the children and families of Hands up for Down's are looking to complete a spooky fancy dress Halloween House Hike over the next few weeks in the lead up to the 31st October. Due to the local lockdowns, and the fact that many of our members have been shielding, we will collectively attempting to virtually climb Pen-Y-Fan (3km), Mount Snowdon (11km) or even the Three Peaks (37km) with our children by stair and hall hiking, crawling or even shuffling! Children with Down's Syndrome have low muscle tone and often reduced mobility, and this would be a huge achievement if we only climb Pen-Y-Fan as this would mean 750 stair climbs of an average 4m stairs! We are looking to raise much needed funds so that we can continue to deliver the life changing services such as Speech and Language Therapy that has formed the main stay of input for our children during COVID due to the fact that we have been able to deliver virtually, alongside online peer support sessions and vital training. As our Charity has no fixed premises, and relies solely on volunteer support we have not been eligible for any Government support packages and we have been hugely affected by COVID, especially as we have had to cancel our 2020 Charity Ball which provides our biggest fundraising opportunity. We would be so grateful if you would considering donating to help us raise our target to ensure that we can continue providing vital services to children with DS throughout this uncertain and vulnerable time - we promise you some fun along the way with videos and pics on our Social Media Platforms! Every single penny you donate goes straight towards service provision and any amount you can spare will help us reach our goal. To donate please click on the link below:

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Our Upcoming Fundraiser

Hands Up For Down's Charity Ball 6th March 2021 - POSTPONED DUE TO COVID 19

We are excited to announce that the next Hands Up For Down’s Charity Ball will be taking place on Saturday 6th March 2021. This event will take place at the prestigious Brangwyn Hall in Swansea and we will be welcoming back  Joe Schmo who will be rocking the dance floor for us. The evening will be full of great entertainment, dancing and our wonderful charity auction, as well as a tasty 3 course meal from JR Catering.​Tickets will go on sale for the 2021 charity ball in the coming months so watch this space…!

Some of our Fundraising Events

World Down's Syndrome Day

Every year we celebrate World Down's Syndrome Day on the 21st of March. This day signifies the third copy of the 21st chromosome (21/3). On this day we wear mismatched socks as they repersent the shape of chromosomes and are the symbol World Down's Syndrome Day. All our families get together for a party to celebrate our special day. 

We raise awareness through our fundraising activities, in schools, in work places and our community. This year one of our lovely members, Shelly, made badges (as shown to the left) which we sold to raise money to help fund our Speech and Language Therapy. These badges and ones with just our logo on are available to purchase by getting in contact with us via the Contact Us Page.

Hands Up For Down's Charity Ball 2017 and 2019

​Our first charity ball was in October 2017 at the National Waterfront Museum and the second in March 2019; both events providing a wonderful evening of fundraising and the opportunity to raise awareness of Hands Up For Down’s and our amazing members.

Admiral Swansea Bay 10K 

Some of our wonderful members ran the Admiral Swansea 10K to raise money and awareness for us, whilst some children ran the 1K. Our lovely member Katie dressed up as Handy The Bear and ran the mascot race.

TEAM JAXON Skydive

Back in 2018, 14 members of Team Jaxon, made up of parent members of Hands Up For Down's, family and friends, took to the skies above Swansea Bay with the help of Skydive Swansea and their team of amazingly talented tandem skydive instructors and took a leap of faith jumping from 12,000ft raising £8,000 for Hands Up For Down's.
Thank you to all who jumped and Skydive Tandem Instructors Grayson Summers, Ricky Davies, Lee Winters and Joby Chadd for getting everyone down safely, not forgetting Becky Jones for her patience co-ordinating with the jumps having to be rescheduled on 3 occasions due to unsuitable weather conditions. What a beautiful day the jump did finally proceed on, absolutely perfect conditions!
Photo credits to the equally talented Tanya (Teej) Quigley and Steve Adams who jumped with them to get these superb shots!

Winter Toddle

To raise money our children, siblings, parents/carers, grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins and friends walked nearly a mile to raise money for Hands Up For Down's. This was one of our first big fundraisers and was a huge achievement for us. We dressed up in our Christmas outfits and finished our walk having fun on the rides at the Christmas Winter Wonderland.