On Wednesday 13th December, Ellie Bamber was the proud recipient of the Christine Doolan Memorial Award for 2023.
The award is given in honour of DanceSyndrome supporter Chris Doolan, who sadly passed away in 2021, and it aims to reflect the love that the DanceSyndrome family have for her that will always live on.
Chris Doolan was Dance Leader Pauline Hall’s sister and they both joined DanceSyndrome in 2017. Everyone involved with DanceSyndrome came to love Chris for her kindness and generosity and her straight-talking, no-nonsense attitude. Chris loved all that DanceSyndrome stood for and she herself would help anyone in need. She joined in with the weekly dance sessions in Preston and further afield, travelling across the UK to hundreds of events and showcases. She was determined that Pauline would have the life she chose and never let disability be a barrier. “Nothing about me without me” was her motto, echoing DanceSyndrome’s person-centred values and mission to treat everyone equitably and with respect. Chris had experienced discriminatory practices throughout her work life, and she made it clear to everyone that it was unacceptable; she would challenge anyone to break down barriers for Pauline and her peers to be included and consulted. She was vocal about how much DanceSyndrome had enabled Pauline to thrive and live her best life.
This award was created in 2021 to celebrate Chris’s life and honour the contribution she made to DanceSyndrome and to the Learning Disability community. Every year we look for a winner who has:
– shown bravery, compassion and caring
– refused to give in when there were barriers
– challenged difficulties and overcome them
– been a great friend to others and brought joy and laughter to all.
Like Chris herself, the annual award winner leads by example with integrity and demonstrates great generosity of spirit and heart, giving us all something that we can all learn from.
In 2023, Ellie Bamber displayed all these wonderful attributes. Ellie was nominated for the award by her Dance Leader colleagues because she consistently showed kindness and compassion for her colleagues throughout the year, making everyone smile with her joyful approach to life.
Ellie is 23 years old from Blackpool. She joined DanceSyndrome just before lockdown in 2019 and carried on dancing throughout the pandemic when DanceSyndrome were forced to move activities online. After lockdown, Ellie joined the DS Collective performance team and has taken part in prestigious events such as U.Dance and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival performances. Ellie also completed DanceSyndrome’s unique Dance by Example Level 2 accredited course and now co-leads workshops and event activities on a regular basis.
Ellie said “I love being part of DanceSyndrome, we really are an amazing dance family. I have danced from the age of two and attended other places, but sometimes struggled to fit in with my learning difficulties. DanceSyndrome welcomed me with open arms, and I now feel I belong.
“My dream is to teach children with special needs dance. I feel this is now achievable, because of the support I receive at DanceSyndrome. I am now taking my level two Dance Leadership qualification with DanceSyndrome and feel really positive that my dream will come true. My learning difficulties won’t hold me back and I want to show others there are no limits to what you can achieve if you follow your dreams.”
Ellie has worked so hard throughout 2023 and we feel that she is a very worthy recipient of DanceSyndrome’s Christine Doolan Award for her compassion towards others in our community.
Congratulations to Ellie from everyone at DanceSyndrome!
Previous winners of the Christine Doolan Award:
2021 – Pauline Hall
2022 – John Burrow
DanceSyndrome Founder Jen Blackwell went to Lancaster Castle on Friday 20th October to receive a British Empire Medal (BEM) which she was awarded for services to Disabled People in the first King’s birthday honours in June.
Jen Blackwell is 42 and lives in Chorley. Her greatest passion in life is dance. Jen also has Down’s syndrome but has never let her disability stop her from living life to the full. After she left school, Jen and her mum, Sue, spent 10 years searching for the right dance training opportunities that would allow her to follow her dream to be a Dance Leader and performer. After all those years of searching, they couldn’t find anything that was accessible for Jen because of her learning disability, so in 2009 they took matters into their own hands and set up their own charity, DanceSyndrome.
DanceSyndrome’s ethos is that disability should never be a barrier to following your dreams. All our activities are co-produced, with people with learning disabilities taking visible leadership roles to inspire people to see what can be achieved when we all become more inclusive. The charity offers weekly inclusive dance workshops, their own accredited leadership training, and high quality and exceptional performances at a variety of events including the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
After 14 years of striving to inspire people in all areas of life to become more inclusive, Jen was recognised in the 2023 King’s birthday honours. As announced on the 17th June, Jen was awarded The British Empire Medal (BEM). The BEM recognises an achievement or contribution of a very “hands-on” service to the community in a local geographical area. This often takes the form of sustained commitment in support of very local charitable and/or voluntary activity; or innovative work that has delivered real impact.
Presentations of BEMs are made locally by The Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire and Jen was invited to the prestigious ceremony at Lancaster Castle, where the newly installed Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire, Mrs Amanda Parker, presented medals to Jen and other recipients, on behalf of His Majesty the King. Amanda was appointed to the role of Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire by King Charles III following the retirement of Lord Shuttleworth after 26 years in the role. She officially took over the role on August 2, becoming the first female Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire in almost 500 years.
This is not the first time that Jen and the DanceSyndrome team have been recognised for their work. The charity has been the recipient of many local and national awards over the last 10 years, most notably receiving the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the MBE equivalent for volunteer groups in 2019. This prestigious honour recognises the exceptional contributions made to local communities by groups voluntarily devoting their time for the benefit of others. Jen was thrilled to be invited to Buckingham Palace to celebrate achieving this award.
Jen said “I’m amazed to receive this honour for what I love doing. I’m proud of who I am and the achievements of DanceSyndrome. It’s an honour to inspire others to dance and live a life of their choosing. I believe that everybody can dance and do things they love no matter how other people define us.”
DanceSyndrome Managing Director Julie Nicholson said “Everyone at DanceSyndrome is so proud of Jen and we are thrilled to see her recognised with a BEM in the King’s birthday honours. This is so well deserved after many years of hard work on the part of Jen, her family, and the team of dancers. Jen has always wanted to change the world through her dance and when she is given accolades like this it demonstrates the huge difference that one person can make if they are determined and dedicated. It’s great to see success on this level and really shows what can be achieved when people with learning disabilities are properly included and supported to follow their dreams.”
If you would like to support DanceSyndrome’s life-changing work, you can donate directly using the form below and help us to empower even more people with learning disabilities in the future.
Donna Wheeldon, DanceSyndrome Dance Artist, was taken by surprise on Friday when she was awarded with a prestigious national award.
Donna, aged 49 from Tarleton, thought she was attending a family event on Friday 27th October, but the celebrations were interrupted to make the surprise announcement that she was the recipient of a Silver Chief Nurse Award. Deborah Sturdy, Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care in England at the Department for Health and Social Care, connected with the group via video link from London to congratulate Donna.
The Chief Nurse Awards were developed by the Department for Health and Social Care to acknowledge and reward the significant and outstanding contribution made by social care workers and nurses in England. They celebrate nurses and care workers who go above and beyond their everyday roles to provide excellent care, leadership, and inspiration to their colleagues and patients and those who use services.
DanceSyndrome was founded by Jen Blackwell, who has Down’s syndrome, because she found it difficult to find opportunities in community dance that were accessible to people with learning disabilities. DanceSyndrome’s ethos is that disability should never be a barrier to following your dreams. All DanceSyndrome sessions are co-produced, with people with learning disabilities taking visible Dance Leader roles to inspire people to see what can be achieved when we all become more inclusive.
Donna Wheeldon is the Dance Artist who co-delivers alongside Jen at DanceSyndrome. In addition to this role, she has also been employed in the role of Lead Carer for Jen and this is what led to her being nominated for the Chief Nurses Award.
Donna said “Jen came to me in 2011 for private Ballet lessons. Every lesson I took with Jen turned out to be a lesson for myself. Jen just blew my mind with her stunning grace and passion for dance. DanceSyndrome asked me to take a couple of workshops with Jen and the first session was magical. Never before had I seen such joy, love, and passion from a group. Every session from then on continued the same: fun and loving. This was so new to me, but every day I learnt from Jen.
“As both Jen’s lead carer and her dance instructor I recognise the irony that every lesson I take with her turns out to be a lesson for myself. Not only through dance but also from my greater appreciation of disability inclusion issues. Being part of Jen’s life and DanceSyndrome has shown me how to achieve the very best, not just through technique but from the passion within.
“As a carer I know that every day can be different. Everyone has their ups and downs but it is a pure pleasure to work with Jen. I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity to champion the rights of those with learning disabilities and show the way forward.”
DanceSyndrome Managing Director Julie Nicholson said “Through her role at DanceSyndrome and as a carer in Jen’s personal life, Donna has done so much to enhance the lives of people with learning disabilities and is a very worthy recipient of this award. She takes a genuine person-centred approach to her roles, understanding each individual and the barriers they may face, before doing all she can to support them to overcome those barriers. Everyone at DanceSyndrome has a huge amount of respect for Donna and her dedication to being a supportive and compassionate dancer, carer and friend, not just to Jen but to everyone in our team.”
Sue Blackwell, Jen’s mum and DanceSyndrome co-founder said “Donna goes above and beyond demonstrating the power of focused, person-centred care. Donna and Jen are a dynamic duo living and embracing life through a shared love of dance.
“Inclusive dance and DanceSyndrome give Jen ‘a voice to be heard’ but without Donna’s unflinching, seemingly effortless caring underpinning her life, Jen would be lost. Jen says that together they demonstrate ‘anything is possible if you have the right support’. With Donna’s expert support, Jen is a contributor to society as evidenced by her numerous awards including her British Empire Medal.”
You can find out more about the work that Donna and Jen co-deliver for DanceSyndrome in the video below:
If you would like to support DanceSyndrome’s life-changing work, you can donate directly using the form below and help us to empower even more people with learning disabilities in the future.
Lancashire County Council funded places on DanceSyndrome sessions
DanceSyndrome is delighted to share details of a vital new partnership with Lancashire County Council to provide free access to dance sessions for individuals with learning disabilities who are not currently able to access dance activities due to a range of barriers. Accessing this funded programme will enable new people to build confidence, develop new skills, network and meet new people and exercise which benefits both physical and mental wellness.
An easy read version of this information can be found on this link.
Eligibility
We are partnering with Lancashire County Council from April 2023 for 2 years with an aim of providing subsidised and fully funded introductory places on DanceSyndrome sessions for those who meet the following eligibility criteria:
• Lives in Lancashire (postcode required)
• Age 16 plus
• Has a Learning Disability and/or Autism
• Individuals DO NOT have to be eligible for Adult Social Care support in Lancashire
Unfortunately, we cannot use this funding to support existing DanceSyndrome participants.
The funding is limited so we will support people on a first come, first served basis. If you are interested, please apply early to avoid disappointment.
What we are offering
For those who are eligible, we can provide:
• Fully funded introductory places for 6 weeks at one of our inclusive Everybody Dance sessions or our Weekly Company Class. This will help them decide which classes might be for them in the long term.
• After 6 weeks we will talk to participants about the classes they may want to continue and for a further 6 weeks they will pay 50% of the session fee and the partnership grant will fund the other 50%.
• This 12-week period will give individuals time to try some new things. After the 12 weeks, we will also help people to look to see if there are any options that may be able to help with ongoing costs.
Sessions are available in Accrington, Clitheroe, Chorley, and Preston.
We also have places for 5 people with learning disabilities to complete our Dance By Example leadership training. This course will be at Level 1. We will support them to put the skills learned into practise and if additional resources can be identified then individuals will be supported to progress to Level 2 training. We will also provide employability/ work experience opportunities with DanceSyndrome and/or signpost to relevant external employment opportunities.
How to apply
All interested participants need to email info@dancesyndrome.co.uk or call us on 07597 942494 so that we can check your eligibility. We will then ask you to complete a DanceSyndrome new participation form so that we can record your personal information as part of the funding requirements. Once this is completed, you can access the session of your choice.
DanceSyndrome is delighted to announce the appointments of a new Chair, Malcolm Blackwell and Vice Chair, Louise Howitt to lead the Board of Trustees in a new era as the organisation grows and executes its current strategy; Vision 2025.
Malcolm brings over 35 years’ experience of running international manufacturing businesses around the world. He has spent most of this time leading businesses through challenging times, requiring a transition, and then onto profitable growth. This has given him an insight into managing change effectively, building teams and empowering people whilst recognising the different cultures and aspirations of those involved.
Malcolm said “It is a privilege to become the Chair of such a groundbreaking charity that truly transforms the lives of the people it touches. DanceSyndrome demonstrates what can be achieved if you truly embrace inclusion and reimagine what social care should look like. I am looking forward to bringing my business experience to help the team continue to grow and develop what DanceSyndrome does and the impact it has on society.”
As Malcolm takes over the role of Chair, we also welcome Louise Howitt to the role of Vice Chair. Louise has been a Trustee since January 2022, bringing a unique combination of health and social care and dance industry experience that has been invaluable to our work. She firmly believes in the ethos of DanceSyndrome; inclusion, collaboration and artistic excellence, and hopes that her work as Vice Chair will be able to bring these values to a wider number of people across the UK.
Louise said “Over the past two years I have found it extremely rewarding to be on the Board of DanceSyndrome. It is a truly inclusive charity, putting people at the heart of all the work it does and constantly working towards a more positive future for people with learning disabilities. I am excited and honoured to be moving into a new role as Vice Chair and hope that I can bring my experience of working in both healthcare and participatory arts into this role.”
With a passion for inclusion, dance and transforming lives, both Malcolm and Louise bring an array of both strategic and hands-on experience and skills, and an ambition to reach more people with learning disabilities and to drive real impact.
Managing Director, Julie Nicholson says “I am absolutely delighted with these new appointments. This is an extraordinary time for DanceSyndrome. We are building on the last 14 years and the foundations which have been created by former Chair, Sue Blackwell and former Vice Chair, Chris Robson, both of whom I am extremely grateful to for everything they have brought to DanceSyndrome. We are now expanding quickly, and I am very excited to be working closely with Malcolm and Louise focussing on high quality and the need for greater inclusion, not just in the Arts but in society in general.”
To find out more about DanceSyndrome’s Board of Trustees, please visit the About Us page on our website.
You can find out more about DanceSyndrome’s unique work in this video:
Be part of an exciting movement igniting change where EVERYONE can “Dream, Believe, Achieve.”
DanceSyndrome exists to transform lives and break down barriers! We enable people to follow their dreams and passions and show that every individual matters.
We want you to join us on this extraordinary journey.
On this page, you will find details of our Online Auction, donate to Campaign 10 and details about the different ways you can Support Our Work.
Online Auction
In September 2022, DanceSyndrome founders Jen and Sue Blackwell won the Charity Champions Award at the Best Business Women Awards in London. We we’re excited to be able to join them to celebrate their 2023 Awards ceremony on Friday 22nd September, where we were the charity of the evening. To celebrate we are holding a raffle, selling some of our wonderful merchandise and running an online auction with some fantastic prizes on offer, some of which have been generously donated by other Best Business Women Awards winners. You need to be at the event to take part in the raffle, but anyone can bid in our auction.
If you would like to bid on any of the prizes, you can find the listings below. The auction will close at 5pm on Sunday 24th September, so get your bids in!
Donate to Campaign 10
In 2023, DanceSyndrome is celebrating 10 years since being registered as a charity.
You can support us in our 10th year as a charity by signing up to Campaign 10 and committing to donating a minimum of £10 per month for at least 12 months. The first 50 people who join and commit to regular donations can claim a limited edition art print, specifically created for DanceSyndrome by Award Winning Artists Ciaren and Sarah Diante from Little Park Studio (see left). These award winning artists recently won an international competition held to pick the new poster for the Locarno Film Festival 2024. They specialise in creating cinematic art inspired by nature and they have generously designed a custom piece of artwork for DanceSyndrome. We will send copies of this exclusive art print to the first 50 people who set up a minimum £10 a month payment for 12 months to DanceSyndrome. If you would like to receive one of these prints please email info@dancesyndrome.co.uk to find out more.
Alternatively, you can support our work by making a donation using the form below or by texting DANCE to 70191 to make a £10 donation via your phone.
Support Us
As well as donating, there are lots of other ways that you can help us. If you need any information about any of our services, please contact info@dancesyndrome.co.uk.
Commission us for a performance or Inclusion In Action training.
Join us in one of our Zoom dance sessions and see the benefits of inclusive dance for yourself!
Sign up for our quarterly newsletter to keep in touch with us and hear our biggest news stories.
Follow us and share our posts on these channels – this is a great way to help us spread the word about our work!
Thank you for being part of the change for people with learning disabilities.
Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2023 Feedback
Following our trip to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August, our team have been overwhelmed by the positive feedback from our audiences at the performances and from the members of our team who took part.
We are proud to share this feedback with you.
The word cloud shows the responses to the question “What three words would you use to describe the performance?” Larger words appeared more frequently in the responses.
Below is feedback from audience members and performers.
Audience Feedback
- “I’ve got goosebumps! magical, thought-provoking show that highlights how easy it is to put people in boxes. Very moving. thank you!”
- “I enjoyed the different choreographies and the different personalities of the members of the cast were visible.”
- “My son has DS – he is a traditional musician. Ground-breaking performances such as this can only help to raise the profile of people with DS in performing arts. “You can’t be what you can’t see” More power to you all. Thank you.”
- “Highlights the travesty of our time, injustice because you are labelled. DanceSyndrome are truly amazing.”
- “Individuality is key. Every person MUST be heard, valued, embraced in their journey through life.”
- “Wonderful trust and empathy between all of the dancers. Very fluid movements and in harmony with the music and objects. Great agility, in moving around in and out of the boxes.”
- “Inspirational and thought provoking. Lessons to be learned for the audiences attending. Very well attended and much appreciated, thoughtful and well executed production.”
- “Great to see diversity on the stage and the performers enjoying themselves. A clear message and it was great to have the simple program – very helpful! Keep up the good work and I look forward to the next show.”
- “Really lovely piece, very fluid, with lots of talented performers. As a parent/ carer of a disabled child, I was very moved and the performance brought me a lot of joy to see such talent”
Dancer feedback
“Its means a lot to me being a part of this trips its takes me out of the house doing more things and different things in life as well and going out in the community… [it’s important] being involved doing different activities and trips out doing dancing and performing as well and being as team in trips out doing something useful for myself and everyone as well.”
“I had loads of fun spending time with fellow dance leaders, artists and carers. I found the performances to be challenging and rewarding and… I was able to push through and deliver to the best of my ability. Having opportunities like this means the world, being able to perform at the fringe is something I never thought I was able to do, so thank you all so much.”
“The overall experience was amazing. I have enjoyed the performance side of things. It has allowed me to develop my performance skills to a new audience. Many thanks for this wonderful opportunity.”
“It is absolutely amazing to perform in Edinburgh Fringe and to promote our performances to a massive community in Edinburgh. It created for me really special memories in the community. It shows we can now perform in other places we done not yet in other parts of the UK. I like to do more trips yes please.”
Parent/Carer feedback
“Thoroughly enjoyed the experience… I think it is brilliant for the dancers to be part of such a huge festival.”
“Watching these dancers work their magic is truly humbling… to be part of the euphoria after the final performance and the overflowing emotions of so many all so moved where each dancer had been recognised as the individuals they are, each enabled to contribute in their own unique way. We both felt that we had witnessed and been involved in a small way with something transcending every other performance we’ve seen, something very special. The messages were so powerful, so poignant, and so incredibly pointed when told by those directly affected.”
We hope you agree that this is amazing feedback! We are looking forward to further developing SENse ahead of a North West tour in early 2024, so follow us on social media to look out for an opportunity to see the show at a venue near you really soon!
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DanceSyndrome is only able to offer life-changing opportunities, like the trip to Edinburgh Fringe Festival, thanks to the generous support of our donors. If you would like to support us to offer more opportunities in the future, you can donate directly using the form below. Thank you for your support.
Join the DanceSyndrome journey where EVERYONE can Dream, Believe, Achieve
In September 2022, DanceSyndrome founders Jen and Sue Blackwell won the Charity Champions Award at the Best Business Women Awards in London. We are excited to be joining them to celebrate their 2023 Awards ceremony on Friday 22nd September, where we will be holding an online auction with some fantastic prizes on offer.
Every pound raised helps DanceSyndrome to transform futures for people with learning disabilities. Every auction prize has been very generously donated by some of our wonderful supporters, so we can create more of what matters in our communities.
DON’T MISS OUT! Place your bids NOW and do tell all your friends and family! The auction will close at 5pm on Sunday 24th September, so what are you waiting for!
Please bid generously to support our life-changing work with people with learning disabilities!
The DanceSyndrome team feel very fortunate to have been able to return to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2023 and couldn’t have done this without the help of our dedicated supporters. We would like to thank the following people:
• Our wonderful Creative Team: David Darcy, Anna James, Sophie Tickle and Donna Wheeldon
• Our sponsors Harmony Blinds and Little Things to Cherish
• Everyone who donated to our Big Give Christmas Challenge campaign to fund this trip
• Ben and all the team at Plungington Community Centre for supporting our rehearsal process
• Sue Auty for delivering workshops to help with development of the SENse concept and designing and creating our set and props
• Noel Jones for producing our show’s beautiful video content and providing technical support
• Brian Slater for photographing this performance and for capturing our work so enthusiastically throughout 2023
• Scott Willis (Aarol Films) for going above and beyond his brief to film the show
• TheSpace UK team for making us feel so welcome this week
Finally, thank you to our families and friends whose continued support makes it possible for us to follow our dreams!
Pay As You Feel Donations
Our co-production model is expensive to deliver and we aim to keep tickets at an affordable level to ensure that inclusive dance remains accessible to all, in line with our charitable mission.
The ticket income from our Fringe shows does not cover the cost of our team making the trip to Edinburgh, but we believe that it is vital that dancers with learning disabilities are given access to opportunities to perform at high profile events. We’re sure that you will agree that it is also vital that audiences are given the chance to see performers with learning disabilities being fully included in high quality, co-produced dance pieces.
If you have seen the show, we ask you to consider giving a “pay-as-you-feel” donation if you are able to.
If you value the opportunities that we provide and you feel that the show was worth more than £10, please donate to support our work.
We need your help!
You might know that train strikes have been announced for 26th August. This is the date our full team were due to return from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
We have a team of over 20 people who now need alternative, wheelchair accessible travel from Edinburgh to Preston, at a cost of around £2,000 which we haven’t budgeted for.
Our team have been working around the clock to find the most cost-effective solution but as a small charity we were already working on a very tight budget for this trip and the impact of this change is significant for us.
We’re asking for your support to help us to cover these unexpected costs. Please donate if you’re able to. You can donate directly using the form below or send a £10 donation via your phone, please text DANCE to 70191.
