21 Together reflects on 2024 and looks forward to 2025!

Reflecting on 2024: A Year of Achievements

New Leadership: This year we saw one of the charity’s founders, Jo Aiyathurai, step away

from her role as Charity Manager in order to pursue a new challenge. In July, we were lucky

enough to employ John Keeley as the new CEO. John brings with him a wealth of experience

and a profound passion for education, creativity, and community service, making him an

ideal leader for our vibrant and ambitious organisation.

A new centre in Thanet: This summer, we launched our

‘Communicate Together’project, replicating our established groups and services in Maidstone in a new centre in Margate.

Kent is a large county, and while Maidstone has served as a central hub for our first location,

it left certain areas harder to reach. We are now more accessible to some of Kent’

s most underserved communities, who may have found it difficult to access our services in the past.

We are incredibly fortunate to have gained the support of several new patrons, including

Lady Colgrain, Lord Lieutenant of Kent, who has proven to be a dedicated and enthusiastic

advocate for our charity. The new Thanet centre opened in September 2024, and our groups

are now in full swing. We are so excited to make our services more accessible and can’t wait

to support many more families in the coming months!

Family Support Networks: Our Regional Hubs have continued to strengthen our community

this year, offering a safe space for families to connect, share experiences, and find support.

With over 165 people now in our WhatsApp groups, our community can access peer support

quicker than ever before. Over 400 people attended our RH socials over the last year, from

circus-themed events to adventure golf and graffiti t-shirt workshops!

I think it's great to have opportunities where both parents and children

mingle. It's great for my daughter to see other children like her. And it

really goes a long way for me to be in a space where her behaviours are

not going to be judged and where I feel supported and understood.

Thank you so much

This is the magic you help create.

Looking Ahead

As we look towards 2025, we’re excited to not only continue

to provide our current core services such as communication

groups for children and the Community Support Service for

families and professionals, but also to:

Celebrate World Down’s Syndrome Day with our community in March 2025 at the beautiful St Augustine’s

in Westgate-on-Sea. We have some VERY special

musical guests coming along to perform!

Grow our outreach initiatives, ensuring that all families access the support they need.

Develop our support for children and young people with more complex needs, including

those with dual diagnoses for ASC/autism, other communication challenges, and complex

physiological conditions.

Develop further links with post-19 providers to support our young adults, with a focus on

pathways into careers/work, independent living and life skills.

But we can't do it without you.