Helen Cherry: Workfit Case Study
Helen Cherry, from Merseyside, joined DanceSyndrome in 2017 at the age of 27. She completed our Dance By Example leadership training course with a view to co-leading her own dance sessions. Helen really loved the course and when it ended she really wanted to continue working with DanceSyndrome, so she joined the DS Collective performance company.
Helen was a confident performer as a result of many years of previous performing experience, including working as a TV extra for the BBC, Channel 4 and ITV, including 15 episodes on Coronation Street! She thrived in rehearsals and this resulted in her taking the lead female role in DanceSyndrome’s 2018 Edinburgh Fringe performance piece “Lit aDrift” as her first performance role with the company. She has since been involved in a wide range of performance pieces in a range of styles including Ballet, Contemporary, Musical Jazz and Street Dance.
During the pandemic, Helen used her skills from Dance By Example to become a regular co-leader of DanceSyndrome’s online dance workshops, adding to her list of talents, which includes a range of fitness activities, playing the piano and violin, as well as dancing!
Helen loves to keep busy and has worked with several high-profile arts organisations, including DaDaFest, Extraordinary Bodies and Shadow Dance. She loves to do administrative work too, so in 2024 she became involved with Down’s Syndrome Association’s DS Workfit scheme. With the support of a Workfit Officer, an opportunity was identified for Helen to take on a Finance Assistant role with NHS Merseycare, which she started in early 2025.
Helen said “I am Admin Assistant in the NHS so I will be getting training so I know what to do and hopefully I will be a proper Financial person as well. I’m a Staff member now, I travel independently and I’ve got my Staff Badge. I’ve been doing an introduction of what I’m doing. I’ll be doing the paperwork of Health Checks. I have been sorting out the letters, expenses and payroll. I give the letters to the right people. I’ve been doing a bit of Admin as well and in the future I will be helping putting flyers and posters on the noticeboard as well. I’m getting to know the tasks a bit. I have a Line Manager who is the Senior Administrator, she supports me if I need it.”
Helen is a very busy lady and we feel very lucky to have her involved with DanceSyndrome!
To find out more about Workfit, visit the Down’s Syndrome Association website. Helen’s story is one of several that we are sharing as part of Down’s Syndrome Awareness Week. If you’d like to know more about this vital campaign to challenge perceptions about learning disabilities, please visit the News page on our website.
