Wide -eyed and curious, Willow looks at a photo of her mum and points.

The 13-month-old sits on a mat with two other toddlers. The tots are with their mums, and all are taking part in a teaching session run by expert early years practitioner Isabel Ashman.

“Hello mummy,” Isabel says, slowly mouthing the words so they are audible and clear. “Hello mummy.”

Willow looks at mum Kerry and lifts her arms.

They are sitting in the Pamela Sunter Centre in Whitley Street, Bingley, which houses the Down Syndrome Training and Support Service.

The service helps almost 400 families of children with Down syndrome across the Bradford district and beyond, running sessions and courses addressing the specific learning needs of children, including teaching literacy and numeracy using the multi-sensory Numicom approach, , behaviour, signing and developing language and communication skills.

Kerry Ryan-Moorhouse, 39, has been bringing Willow since she was six months old. “It gives her consistency and helps her develop her motor skills, speech, language and social interaction. The social environment makes it easier to go to than other groups.”

She adds: “You know you are not on your own.”

Willow has an older brother and sister aged 11 and 13, who come along to family sessions. “They interact with her quite closely and she picks things up,” says Kerry. “Recently my little boy sang ‘Twinkle, twinkle little star’ and Willow hummed it.”

She adds: “I work with people with additional needs - there are so many different aspects to consider. Nothing is impossible and Willow has as good a chance as anyone else.”

Dr Wendy Uttley founded the support group after her son Sam was born with the condition. Like many parents of a baby with Down syndrome, she felt she needed specialised help but was met with a lack of support and understanding.

“There was no support, I knew nothing,” she says. “Sam was born in Cornwall and at the time Down Syndrome Education International was based in Hampshire.”

When Sam was one they moved north, where Wendy set up the group to help those in a similar situation. That was 15 years ago.

“For the first five years the group ran from my home, with everything we needed stored in boxes under the bed, and then, following lottery funding, from a small office on Heights Lane,” she recalls. “There was clearly a need, and we have grown from that.”

In 2008 a legacy resulted in the centre’s name: Pamela Sunter was the daughter of Bradford chimney sweep Hughie Sunter and his wife Clarice. Born in 1945 with Down syndrome, she died in the later 1990s. The executors of Mr Sunter’s will read about a funding crisis at the centre and decided to give the charity £150,000 from his estate.

Over the last academic year the service - which is a registered charity - has delivered over 50 training sessions to a total of 761 people, 172 of whom were new to working with a child with Down syndrome. They have also delivered assemblies to over 3000 pupils and staff.

Janine Burgan, 33, brings her daughter Isla to the centre after being told about it by her health visitor. A mother of four, she asked Wendy if she would visit her eldest daughter’s school to deliver an assembly and help them to understand more about Down syndrome.

She adds: “It is definitely good to meet others. I like to come on my own with Isla and concentrate one-to-one on her needs. Having such a big family it is hard to do research by myself. If I come here they are giving me ideas to help. Everyone is very approachable and helpful.”

The centre is funded from sources including the Big Lottery, donations, fees, activities and training. Fundraising sessions by families of children attending the centre, and by members of the community are also held.

“We visit schools to train teachers and demonstrate ways to teach the children who are very visual learners,” says Isabel, who also supports families. “We teach schools to adapt their work accordingly. We encourage signing from birth as the children are very challenged in communication. Signing can reduce frustration. If you keep signing it is not long before the words are in the children’s heads.”

The centre also hosts family swim sessions, dancing lessons and summer trips. Facilities for older children include the weekly Wish Club, held in a large, bright room at the top of the building, complete with an Xbox, pool table and giant Connect4, as well as air hockey and table football.

Says Wendy Uttley: “Our next big challenge is to find good paid places of employment for people with disabilities, not just work experience but proper jobs.

“I believe that there are plenty of places in Bradford that could offer employment . There are lots of opportunities out there. We can provide the training and support.”

The charity employs two people with Down syndrome part-time, including Wendy’s son Sam, a student at Keighley College, who helps to run the centre’s youth club and tuck shop.

Working at the centres brings many rewards. As Isabel says: “The other day a child who does not normally speak said something and I welled up. You know that you are winning. It is a real privilege to work with the children.”

*Down Syndrome Training & Support Service, Pamela Sunter Centre, 2 Whitley Street, Bingley BD16 4JH Tel: 01274 561308; W: downsupportbradford.btck.co.uk; E:office@downsyndromebradford.co.uk