Graduation event for young people with Down syndrome sees many smiling faces

10 October 2022

Beaming summer school graduates attended a celebration event at Lily&Lime café in Portsmouth.

Run by Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association and Minstead Trust, the event welcomed graduates and their parents, as well as local councillor, Suzy Horton. Thanks also goes to Councillor Chris Attwell, for supporting this partnership.

Awards were handed out to young people with Down syndrome who had completed a summer employability course, helping them towards their employment goals and living independently.

The day began with a cake making session, of which delicious cookies and cupcakes were expertly produced by the students and their teacher, Louisa, who has trained and worked at Lily&Lime since 2016. Louisa said: ’It has been wonderful working with our summer school students and I’m excited to see what they do next’.

The graduates were then put to the test in an icing competition with their parents, coming out on top with many beautifully iced cupcakes, which were then thoroughly enjoyed by all in attendance.

To finish off the day, each graduate was awarded a certificate of completion before sitting down with their families to tuck into the delicious treats they had made earlier in the day.

Lily&Lime is one of six social enterprises run by Minstead Trust, a charity supporting people with learning disabilities to achieve independence and to live happier and healthier lives. The team at Lily&Lime is made up of people with learning disabilities who are local to Portsmouth, aiding in their employment ambitions.

Portsmouth DSA is an award-winning charity with royal approval, committed to improving the lives of children and families. They know young people can succeed when given the opportunity and with the right support, they deserve the same opportunities and right to experience success as their peers.

Sophie Enright, who manages Lily&Lime, is incredibly proud of all the graduates, having worked closely with all of them over the past four weeks. She said: ‘I’ve really enjoyed training and working alongside our summer school students, they’ve exceeded my expectations and each proven their ability to bring both positivity and skill to a workplace’. Lucy Field from Portsmouth DSA said: ‘I could see that the students had really grown in confidence and their skills had visibly improved.  We are all incredibly grateful to Lily&Lime for providing this wonderful opportunity.’

Lucy Burfoot, one of the summer school graduates said: ‘I thought the scheme was awesome.  I loved making the cakes.’

Chris Hillman, Head of Employability for Minstead Trust said: ‘Working with organisations like Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association is really important to us. We are mostly known at Minstead Trust for supporting adults with a learning disability, so to be able to work with a younger demographic and to see how much of a difference it can make to their lives, is both rewarding and vital to the future of Minstead Trust’s support efforts.’

With the right support, people with a learning disability can achieve great things. Being able to provide crucial support and training to young people with a learning disability is hugely important in improving their overall happiness and wellbeing.

You can find out more about Portsmouth DSA by visiting https://portsmouthdsa.org/