North Swindon MP Backs Swindon Downs Syndrome Group With Charity Bet Win

Justin Tomlinson MP has delighted members of the Swindon Down’s Syndrome Group by donating a cheque worth £262.50 which was won off the back of a charity bet provided by William Hill.

Each year, local MPs are given a chance to put on a bet on the basis that all of the winnings go to a local charity of choice. In December, Justin put his faith in Bournemouth to beat Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers to beat Rotherham. For the first time in years he was successful, with a 2-1 victory by Bournemouth allowing him to turn £50 into £262.50.

Justin Tomlinson MP said: “As a huge sports fan I was delighted to take up the chance to win some money for a local charity. Thanks to a couple of decent results in the football, we turned a £50 bet into a £262.50 donation to the Swindon Down’s Syndrome group who do fantastic work to bring parents together to share opportunities and challenges; as well as youngsters who enjoy a wide range of different activities. I’m thrilled to be able to win them a bit of money and I’m sure they will put it to fantastic use.”

Group Chair, Kim West, said: “Justin has always been a huge advocate of our speech and language therapy so we are going to be putting the money towards that. Our therapy involves a parent and a teaching assistant as well as the child so it can provide a benefit to them at home and at school. We are able to give the children an hour each week whereas without us they would only have access to thirty minutes every three months. Repetition is so important to making the therapy effective, you’ve got to keep doing it again and again and eventually it starts to work. It costs us £17,500 a year and although we've been quite lucky with grants from organisations like Children in Need over the last three years we do rely a lot on fundraising and donations.”