Airline back Ups and Downs again

Feb 26 2009 by Shirley Bartynek, Hamilton Advertiser

A LANARKSHIRE-based drama club for adults and children with Down’s Syndrome are celebrating a second successive year of support from British Airways.

The Ups and Downs Theatre Group was established in 1995 to provide a fun and creative outlet for children and young adults with Down's Syndrome and their families.

Every March for the last 14 years, the group have put on a week-long show at Motherwell Theatre that has grown in success and popularity.

British Airways have continued their support for the group for the second year running by giving one of their supporters, Neil MacMillan, a British Airways community volunteering award for £1100, to be used by the group.

Neil, a production engineer at British Airways Maintenance Glasgow (BAMG), the airline's engineering hangar at Glasgow Airport, was given the award in recognition of his fund-raising efforts for the group.

Neil, of Newton Mearns, is the first member of British Airways staff in Scotland to receive the award.

The airline also donated two tickets to New York to be used in a special raffle during this year’s show week (March 9-14).

The Ups and Downs production for 2009 will include a day and night scene, a bedtime scene, a lively dance scene and a unique telling of the Wizard of Oz.

Last year, BA gave the theatre group, who attract members from all over Lanarkshire, a charitable donation of £1000 and a pair of tickets to Europe, which raised £2000 in a special audience raffle.

John Crawford, president of the Ups and Downs Theatre group, which rehearses in St Mary’s Church, Motherwell, said: "We greatly appreciate the generous support British Airways have given us over the last two years.

"The financial support, which goes towards the cost of our production and helps us take the kids and young adults on various outings during the year, is tremendously important.

“Having an organisation such as British Airways associated with our production is a real bonus."