Sligo

About Us

Down Syndrome Sligo is a group of roughly 60 members of all ages and their families. Our Committee is comprised of parents, siblings and carers/guardians of people with Down syndrome as well as other skilled volunteers who have an interest in supporting our work.

We run various social events for our members to meet up and for family members to share information and gain support. Parents/Guardians meet regularly in coffee shops and we hold quarterly meet ups for our younger members in a local play centre. We offer weekly online yoga classes run by an OT, and our adults meet up at a monthly pool club in the Embassy or at our library clubs in Tubbercurry and Sligo town.

Each summer we offer our members subsidised places in mainstream activities such as surf camps in Strandhill. Over the years, we have run additional activities including yoga, art, photography, drama, drumming, computing, baby & toddler events and many types of sports activities.

We liaise with other local branches of Down Syndrome Ireland and relevant agencies such as Sligo Sports & Recreation Partnership, Sligo libraries, the HSE/CDNT, community groups, sports club, schools, the ETB, RehabCare, Sligo ATU, Sligo LEADER, NLN etc.  We also regularly host staff from Down Syndrome Ireland who run workshops on the topics of Education, Employment and See & Learn training etc. We run regular public fundraisers and occasionally avail of small grants.

We employ a part time Coordinator, Riona Rochford, who organises events and activities for our members and their families to promote socialisation, education and inclusion. Riona advocates on behalf of the branch and its members and generally keeps the branch and communication going. She is our main point of contact and can be reached on 086-4409596 or sligoinfo@downsyndrome.ie To enquire about becoming a member or getting involved, please get in touch for a no-pressure chat. Membership costs €10-€20 per year and means you are covered to attend our events, join our WhatsApp Announcement group and receive regular email updates from both us and Down Syndrome Ireland. You can sign up here: https://dsimembership.ie/ or take a look at our facebook page here.

• Chairperson: Nikki Curran | Email: SligoChairperson@downsyndrome.ie 

• Treasurer: Marie Whelan | Email: SligoTreasurer@downsyndrome.ie 

• Secretary: Marlene Scanlon | Email: SligoSecretary@downsyndrome.ie 

• Branch Co-ordinator (15 hours per week): Riona Rochford rionarochford@downsyndrome.ie | Call: 086 4409596