Nicola took the Symbol co-worker course and attended the Down Syndrome Education International’s monthly Early Intervention Groups in Southsea and started putting ‘early intervention’ structure to the local weekly meetings.
Who we are
The group soon flourished as parents valued the importance of sharing information and experiences. The rest, as they say, is history.
We are now a registered charity with five Trustees, all parents of a child or young person with Down syndrome. We run weekly sessions for the different age groups: pre-school, primary, secondary school and young adults.
Our Trustees are:
Nicola Enoch
Mum to Tom born in 2004 who enjoyed attending his local mainstream schools and is now a qualified Fitness Instructor. Nicola is the driving force behind The Ups of Downs and in 2017 launched Positive about Down syndrome/Down Syndrome UK. Nicola is also a Founding Officer and Vice Chair of National Down Syndrome Policy Group.
Mel Simkiss
Mel is mum to Carla born in 2011 who attends her local senior school. She lives in Leamington with her husband Ed and their son Dexter. Mel works in communications at a large automotive manufacturer and drives our fundraising and communications plans.
Ursula Adams
Ursula is Mum to Kitty, who was born in 2013 and has 3 older siblings. Kitty attended her local primary school, and has recently moved up to senior school. Ursula lives in Leamington with her husband Crispin, their 4 children and 2 cats. Ursula works for the Local Authority as part of their SEND team, and oversees the primary-aged activities within our group.
Kelly Porcas
Kelly, mum to Olly who was born in 2016. After a tough start health wise Olly is now thriving and attending mainstream school. Kelly lives near Rugby with Olly and her husband, daughter and a bouncy Cocker Spaniel. Kelly has worked for a welfare to work provider for several years supporting people with disabilities to develop employment skills, move into and sustain employment. Kelly’s responsibilities for The Ups of Downs cover governance, policies and safeguarding.
Scott Leonard
Scott, Dad to Madeleine born in Nov 2023 currently in a mainstream nursery I’ve been a professional engineer for 15 years+ in various specialties, and am currently work as an Automotive Quality Engineer, as well as running a small business with my Wife. In my spare time, I am a keen runner and love anything where I can get my hands dirty, whether it be tinkering with cars, DIY or gardening. I live in Leamington Spa with my wife Rosie Jo (who is the administrator of the Charity) as well as Madeleine and our eldest daughter Elizabeth. My interest/focus area with the charity is pre-school age group, the age group that Madeleine is in.
