Foundation newsletter - Summer 2026 - Newspaper - Page 9
Supporting children
and young people
with Down Syndrome
One of the 110 charities we supported in 2025 is is
Stepping Stones DS, which supports children and
young people with Down syndrome and their families.
The charity was delighted to receive a £15,000 grant
following a nomination by Owl Financial Protection
Adviser Helena Serne.
To mark the award ahead of World Down Syndrome
Day, Fiona Ferreira, Senior Marketing & Sales Support
Manager at Owl Financial, spent an afternoon visiting
Stepping Stones DS on behalf of the Openwork Foundation and Owl. She
attended a special event with children and parents/carers who have benefited
from the charity’s work.
One of the young people speaking at the event was Lloyd, who shared his
remarkable story. As a baby, Lloyd’s parents were told he might never walk. He
also has restricted hearing and described feeling isolated while growing up.
Thanks to the support of Stepping Stones DS, Lloyd has gone on to achieve
incredible things.
Despite challenges, Lloyd has completed multiple half marathons, several full
marathons, and now works with an acrobatics company that supports Stepping
Stones DS and other children and young people with Down syndrome.
Fiona Ferreira:
“It was incredibly inspiring to attend the event and see the impact the
grant has made. Hearing the families’ stories was truly uplifting, and it was
wonderful to see first-hand how contributions to the Openwork Foundation
help charities like Stepping Stones DS provide vital practical and emotional
support,”
Lloyd was also featured on BBC Children in Need last November, where he
completed the BBC Children in Need Olympic Triathlon as part of The One
Show Challenge Squad – swimming 1.5km, cycling 40km and running 10km.
Shaping the
future of the
next generation
You can also hear Tayler Aitken,
Penny Group Harridge, talking about
the powerful impact of the work of
the Youth Adventure Trust who he
successfully nominated for a grant in
2025.
