It is not often that I find myself lost for words however last Friday was certainly one of those moments as I joined the Swindon Down’s Syndrome Group as part of the Salamander project.
The Salamander project is a collaboration between Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service and Swindon Down’s Syndrome Group, which is supported by Swindon Police and the South West Ambulance Service. The week-long project sees 16 members of the Swindon Down Syndrome Group, aged between 12-26, to experience a basic fire and rescue training course.
Now as an MP, I am fortunate to be invited to lots of fantastic local visits and events which truly showcase the wonderful talent and great opportunities that we have here in our town. But seeing the beaming faces of the participants light up as they demonstrated all that they had learnt over the course of the Salamander project has definitely been one of the most memorable moments for me.
Not only were they able to ride in the fire trucks with the sirens blazing but the youngsters were also tasked with using the seriously heavy-duty equipment including the hydraulic cutting equipment and water pumps. They were overjoyed to be able to demonstrate all of the things that they had learnt to their exceptionally proud parents.
A HUGE amount of thanks must go to all of the staff from the fire service, police service and ambulance service who dedicate their time for this programme, especially the fantastic Mark Evans, Watch Manager for Wiltshire Fire Service who has recently been awarded an MBE for his dedicated work to helping young people learn life skills.
Elsewhere tomorrow I am hosting a charity coffee morning at my office to help raise funds for Bliss, a national charity which supports mothers and families for babies born premature or sick. I am helping local mum Sarah Woods to raise awareness locally of the work that the charity does, especially when it comes to providing support for families on the neonatal ward. Sarah is fantastically determined to allow more local mums to be aware of the support and to create a local network for those who have a baby which is born too sick or too soon.
I would be delighted if people could come along tomorrow between the hours of 10am and 12pm to my office on the Orbital Shopping Park to enjoy some tea, coffee and cake in order to raise some money for a great cause. I will be there to support Sarah and hope others will spare some time to pop along and encourage local volunteers to get involved and promote some great causes.
