Helping others
In 2010, I started working for Mencap. I became co-chair of a sex and relationships group, creating accessible resources for people with learning disabilities, to help them understand things like consent, and that people with disabilities can have healthy relationships.
I’d had several boyfriends myself, but what I really wanted was a husband!
By the age of 33,
I’d been a
bridesmaid for friends and family four times, and I never forgot my childhood dream of wanting to get married. In August 2015, I joined a dating agency called Stars in the Sky, for people with disabilities, and they matched me with Allan, then 30.
Mum came to the restaurant with me and sat at a different table, and as Allan and I chatted over our burgers and chips, we shared a love of musicals, the theatre and going to the pub! He was kind, handsome and funny – the perfect gentleman, and I knew he was the one. We continued dating, met each other’s friends and families and loved spending Friday nights together at our local pub – me with a glass of wine and Allan with a pint of cider. And in March 2019, Allan proposed to me on the platform at Stratford railway station. Finally, my dream was coming true!
Throughout the COVID pandemic, we kept in touch with video calls, and when restrictions were lifted, Allan came to stay every weekend.
In July 2022, I slipped into a beautiful satin gown with a sweetheart neckline and sparkling, diamanté belt, and with a starlit curtain behind us, we said our vows, swearing to love each other for the rest of our lives.
The day was everything I’d hoped it would be, and for me and Allan it was a new beginning.
Now, Allan has moved into my flat. He also has learning difficulties, so we have support, but we live independently. I love children, and I’d like to work in childcare – who knows, perhaps one day we will have a baby of our own.
I’ve never known a life without Down’s syndrome, but I wouldn’t change a thing about myself. I’ve got a good job, friends, family and a husband who adores me. What more could I want?
‘Getting married was a new beginning’