The Committee

I am Hannah. I live in Watford with my husband Dave and son Caolán, 11 months. We enjoy travelling and letting Caolán see and experience as many new things as possible. When I do manage to get a night off, I love going to the theatre or out for dinner (ideally both!).

I am part of the social media team for sparkles, I love using Instagram to connect with other families & keep up to date with the latest Down syndrome information and research. I look forward to meeting all the other sparklers soon!

I’m a pharmacist with a deep passion for healthcare. Life’s not all about prescriptions though! I’m also a proud parent of two amazing boys. My older son keeps us on our toes at 4, and my younger son, who is 2 and has Down syndrome, brings a whole new kind of joy to our lives.

Balancing work and family life can be a whirlwind, but it’s incredibly rewarding. Looking for ways to stay involved in my community, I recently joined the Sparkles Committee. It’s a great way to give back while meeting new people.

Hi i’m Lucy mum to Elouise who is 3 and half. I am the fundraising and grants admin.

I’m Lydia the Social Media Officer on the parent-led committee team. I have 3 daughters and the youngest, Sienna has Down’s Syndrome and is a current Sparkler.

Before having the girls, Lydia worked in Youth Justice. She is a keen runner and is always up for a crazy fitness related challenge!

We are the lucky parents of our little beauty Nandi. We became parents to Nandi in autumn 2023 and she brought her little extra sparkle with her. After the first years cardiac journey we discovered Sparkles at the perfect time (when we were finally starting to look at Nandi’s development as she had more strength and energy) and they have been helping and supporting Nandi and us since.

We wanted to give back as much as we could and help keep Sparkles running for future parents who find themselves lucky enough to journey through life with our wonderful babies. We will be helping however we can supporting the grants and fundraising team.

Hi, I’m Martin and I’m the Assistant Treasurer on the Committee. This means I run the Sparkles Lottery, taking that over in 2024, and my aim is to expand it in 2025!

I have also been involved in doing some Grant applications and did a presentation on Sparkles at Huntswood Golf Club last year as we were their chosen charity.

I am married to Claire, also on the committee, and we have Oliver, 8, and Francesca, 3, to keep us busy. I am a Primary School Teacher by trade and now do that part-time to spend more time with Francesca and go to all her S&L and other therapy sessions as well as just generally have fun!

Hi, I’m Beccy! I am mummy to Charlotte and live in High Wycombe with my husband Ben.

We first become involved with Sparkles in late 2022 and Charlotte has benefitted massively from the therapies Sparkles provides! I became Co-Chair of the parents committee in September 2024.

I’m Claire, the Secretary of the Parents’ Committee. I’m married to Martin, who is also part of the committee, and together we have two children, Francesca and Oliver.

In addition to my role assisting with meeting administration, we actively assist with events and fundraising efforts, all to ensure that Sparkles can continue providing the support necessary for the children it serves to thrive.

Hi I’m Irfan, father to twin daughters Innaya and Aisha. I’ve recently taken on the role as Treasurer for Sparkles.

I’m delighted to be able to assist the charity, as they provide so much support for Innaya and other young children with Down Syndrome. I work in finance and accounting, and have a passion for DIY and carpentry.

Hello, my name is Nima and I am the mum to an amazing son and a beautiful little girl! My princess was mine and my husbands little surprise and the reason why I joined Sparkles in 2023.

We had a post birth diagnosis and Sparkles was such a great source of support not just in those early days but also now as my daughter is getting older. I wanted to be able to learn as much as possible about down syndrome for my daughter but also to give back to this amazing charity in any way I could, therefore I joined the committee. My role consisted of speaking to new parents when they first joined sparkles, I organised get togethers and encouraged them to come. I’m currently over seeing the smaller parent groups (which are based on school starter age), these groups are set up so parents can meet with other parents who have similar age children. I and am hoping to be more involved in the committee once I have settled back into work.

I work full time at a University as a Partnerships Projects Manager where i manage large scale university wide projects. My job and children keep me very busy but music is my escapism – i love playing music and dancing around the house, which my kids love. If anyone ever needs a chat i’m always here!