Community encouraged to show off their brightest socks as part of awareness campaign from Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association

As part of Down Syndrome Awareness Week, the community has been encouraged to wear bright socks to celebrate our differences with Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association’s campaign.

The charity has received photos from schools, NHS staff, MPs and even pets getting into the spirit and tagging @PortsmouthDSA #PortsmouthDSA #RockYourSocks.

Chairman Rachael Ross MBE said: ‘Our awareness celebrations have been more of a challenge this year, as everything has to be done virtually, but our members and community have really stepped up to support us.

‘Down Syndrome Week always incorporates March 21 as World Down Syndrome Day, and this is because a person with Down syndrome has three copies of chromosome 21 instead of the usual two - so 21st of the third month, March.’

Charity trustees had a great start to the week, as their award-winning short film Innocence starring Tommy Jessop and Bethany Asher beat 3,000 films to win the Equality and Diversity Film Festival Award.

The film is free to view at bit.ly/30MlbeM to help raise awareness.

The charity’s other multi-award winning film My Feral Heart was also screen on BBC4 on Thursday.

Trustee and producer Ken Ross said: ‘We want to tell stories that empower people with Down syndrome and show the multi faceted sides to them.’

Rachael added: ‘We want to give them more emotions than just being happy because people with Down syndrome have every emotion we have.’

The pair have been working to improve inclusion of actors with disabilities, and have been asked by BAFTA to be their inclusion and diversity patrons.

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Ken said: ‘Someone with Down syndrome who is an actor would love to have a part where the fact that they have Down syndrome is irrelevant to the storyline and they’re just playing a part.

‘We’re trying to get as much mainstream inclusion as we can so people won’t see them for their disability but see them as a person.’

Charity patron Emma Barton, who is an EastEnders actress, has joined the Rock Your Socks campaign to raise awareness.

Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association has had a tough year for fundraising, and is hoping to get some new charity partners as businesses restart fundraising.

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