Sunshine and Smiles - Leeds Down Syndrome Network

Sunshine and Smiles - Leeds Down Syndrome Network Sunshine and Smiles is a support network for families in Leeds with a child or young person with Down Syndrome.

All of our group sessions run at Stainbeck Community Hall, 162 Stainbeck Lane, Leeds, LS7 2EA. We have fortnightly Monday groups for children aged 0-3 years and their parents or carers. We have fortnightly Wednesday groups for children aged 3-5 years and their parents or carers. We have monthly Saturday family groups - everyone is welcome to these sessions. We also run Speech and Language groups e

very month. Please email or phone or text for more details and the date of our next group : [email protected] or 07902 054355

In three days, The National Down Syndrome Policy Group will take an Open Letter to carrying a simplemessage: 4 years. S...
05/09/2026

In three days, The National Down Syndrome Policy Group will take an Open Letter to carrying a simple
message: 4 years. Still waiting.

Behind those words are people with Down syndrome and families who want to see the promise of the Down Syndrome Act translated into meaningful change. We are asking Government to complete the work and publish the final statutory guidance.

Over the next three days, help us make this message travel further. Share the graphic. Share the campaign. Ask others to stand with us. Help us turn the Act into Action.

There’s something quite fitting about the fact that our new home is called Acclaim House. 💛The word acclaim means “to pr...
04/09/2026

There’s something quite fitting about the fact that our new home is called Acclaim House. 💛

The word acclaim means “to praise enthusiastically and publicly” — and that feels like such a lovely connection to what Sunshine and Smiles is all about. ☀️😊

We already have a wonderful community, but until now we’ve been using a shared community building for our groups and activities. Acclaim House will give us our own home and a base for Sunshine and Smiles for the next three years. 🏠

Bringing together our groups and activities for children and young people with Down syndrome and their families — creating a space to connect, learn, have fun and celebrate 🤗

It’s also the first step towards our longer-term vision of creating a permanent home for Sunshine and Smiles. 🏠

Our new home. Our next chapter. 💛

There are just four days until The National Down Syndrome Policy Group take their message to Downing Street.On 8 Septemb...
04/09/2026

There are just four days until The National Down Syndrome Policy Group take their message to Downing Street.

On 8 September, an Open Letter will be delivered to No.10 calling on Government
to publish the final statutory guidance without further delay.

This isn't about diminishing what was achieved when the Down Syndrome Act
became law. It is about finishing what was started. The Act created the opportunity for change. The guidance is crucial to helping translate that ambition into practice.

Four years is long enough .
Publish the guidance. Help turn the Act into action.

Please share the campaign and encourage others to stand with us.

People with Down syndrome, families, support organisations and professionals haveengaged with this process.✅We contribut...
03/09/2026

People with Down syndrome, families, support organisations and professionals have
engaged with this process.

✅We contributed.
✅We consulted.
✅We shared our lived experience.
✅People gave their time because they believed their voices could help shape guidance capable of making a real difference.

Those voices deserve to be heard.

We have played our part . Now we are asking Government to play theirs: finalise and publish the statutory guidance and turn the Act into action.

On 8 September, we will take that message directly to Downing Street.

Join us for more yoga fun with Yoga with Debs this autumn! 🧘‍♂️These sessions are really fun, relaxing and inclusive for...
03/09/2026

Join us for more yoga fun with Yoga with Debs this autumn! 🧘‍♂️

These sessions are really fun, relaxing and inclusive for everyone.

The session this Saturday for Smilers (Ages 8-18) 😊 will be at Stainbeck Community Hall but, going forward, all sessions will be held at our new premises at Acclaim House in Leeds. 🙌

📅5th September
🕥10.30 - 11/30
😊Smilers (8-18yrs)

📅3rd October
🕥10.30 - 11.30
🌻Smilers (8-18yrs)

📅10th October
🕥10.30 - 11.30
🌻Sunflowers (2-8yrs)

📅12th December
🕥10.30 - 11.30
😊Smilers (8-18yrs)

You can book in advance here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/sunshineandsmiles/1223549

We hope to see you there! 🧘‍♂️

An Act Alone Doesn’t Change Lives UK Prime MinisterThe Down Syndrome Act was never meant to be the end of the journey. I...
02/09/2026

An Act Alone Doesn’t Change Lives UK Prime Minister

The Down Syndrome Act was never meant to be the end of the journey. It was the
beginning.

Real change happens when the principles of the Act are reflected in everyday life —
in health, education, social care, housing and employment.

That is why the statutory guidance matters. It has the potential to influence how public bodies understand, plan for and meet the needs of people with Down syndrome throughout their lives.

The legislation exists. Now we need the guidance that helps put it into practice.

An Act alone doesn’t change lives. Action does.

Please share and help us keep this issue visible. 🗣️

We'd like to wish all of our Sunshine and Smiles families all the best this week - whether you're starting nursey, schoo...
02/09/2026

We'd like to wish all of our Sunshine and Smiles families all the best this week - whether you're starting nursey, school, a different school or a new class! 🏫

And we're especially acknowledging that this can be a difficult time for some children and those who struggle with the start of a new term and big transitions - We're here for support for anyone who needs it ☀️😊

4 YEARS. STILL WAITING. 💙The Down Syndrome Act became law more than four years ago, but we are still waiting for the Gov...
02/09/2026

4 YEARS. STILL WAITING. 💙

The Down Syndrome Act became law more than four years ago, but we are still waiting for the Government to publish the final statutory guidance needed to turn the Act into meaningful change.

The The National Down Syndrome Policy Group is calling on the Government to — and we stand firmly behind them.

📣 On 8 September, the Open Letter will be taken directly to Downing Street.

We will be sharing their campaign each day and would love you all to support the campaign, share the message and help us make sure the voices of people with Down syndrome and their families are heard.

4 YEARS. STILL WAITING. HELP TURN THE ACT INTO ACTION.

We’re so excited for this next chapter! ☀️😊Sunshine & Smiles is moving into a new space at Acclaim House — creating a we...
28/08/2026

We’re so excited for this next chapter! ☀️😊

Sunshine & Smiles is moving into a new space at Acclaim House — creating a welcoming, accessible space where our groups, therapies, family support and employment pathways can grow together under one roof. 🏠

Once we’ve confirmed our moving date, we’ll be reaching out for your support as we get everything ready. Moving into a new space comes with lots of costs, from decorating and furnishing to creating a sensory and quiet space, equipping our café and covering the costs of moving and setting everything up.

Your support will make a huge difference as we get the space ready and help us continue to support more children and young people with Down syndrome and their families. 💛

We’d really love people to get involved with some fundraising — it could be anything from a sponsored challenge to a cake sale, quiz night or something completely different!
Have you got an idea? We’d love to hear it, share your fundraising ideas in the comments!

We’ve set up a fundraising link: https://localgiving.org/fundraising/sunshineatacclaimhouse that you can use to collect donations and share with friends, family, colleagues or anyone who would like to support your fundraising. There will also be opportunities to help with the practical side of the move, including moving and setting up furniture and equipment. We’ll share more about this once we know our moving date.

If you can fundraise, donate, help with the move or simply share our post, we’d be so grateful. 💛

Thank you for all your support — we can’t wait to get started! ✨

🎉 We’re moving! 🎉A few days ago, we shared the exciting news with our families that Sunshine and Smiles is relocating!We...
26/08/2026

🎉 We’re moving! 🎉

A few days ago, we shared the exciting news with our families that Sunshine and Smiles is relocating!

We’re delighted to have secured an important stepping stone towards our long-term vision of finding and creating a permanent home for our charity. ☀️😊

We’re moving into a fantastic space in Central Leeds in September, which will be our home for the next 3 years!

📍 Where are we?

Our new home will be Acclaim House, Central Park, just off Victoria Road and accessed via New Lane.

There’s free parking on site, accessed through a barrier, making it easy and safe for families to park when visiting us. We’re also around an 8-minute walk from Leeds train station and 5 minutes from Crown Point Retail Park, with lots of bus routes nearby.

🏡 What will the new space be like?

We’ll have the whole first floor, with lift and stair access, giving us so much more room to grow, support our families and have fun! Penty of space for our groups and activities, including:

✨ Speech & Language groups
✨ Early Development groups
✨ Made with Music sessions
✨ Yoga sessions
✨ Sunbeams baby group
✨ And lots more!

We’ll also have office and meeting spaces, quiet rooms, baby changing room, showers and an accessible toilet.

All our existing groups and activities will transfer from Stainbeck Hall to Acclaim House — so you’ll still have the same familiar Sunshine and Smiles team and activities, just in a brand-new space!

21 Co. Café & Shop will continue to operate from its existing home in Headingley. In our new space, over time, we plan to develop an area where families can get drinks and snacks, staffed by our brilliant café teams. ☕🍰

We know that change can feel daunting, so we’ll do everything we can to make the transition as smooth, familiar and positive as possible. We’ll be sharing more photos, videos and information to help our children and young people become familiar with their new surroundings.

👉 Swipe through the photos to take a look at our new home and the surrounding area!

Address

Stainbeck Community Hall, 162 Stainbeck Lane
Leeds
LS72EA

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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