Meet Princess Diana’s Goddaughter

The late Princess Diana was always known as the “People’s Princess”, with her kind and caring personality and the ability to chat to people from all walks of life making her one of the most popular royals of all time. During her short life, the 36-year-old Princess of Wales had become a legend in the world of charity fundraising. She supported a wide variety of causes, including fundraising for people with HIV and AIDS, victims of landmines and people with cancer, to name but a few. She also supported the British Sports Association for the Disabled, Help the Aged, Barnardo’s, The Leprosy Mission and the British Deaf Association, even learning sign language as part of her Princess’s goddaughter Princess Diana would have been very proud of her own goddaughter, 24-year-old Domenica Lawson. The daughter of her good friend, Rosamond “Rosa” Lawson MBE, Domenica has Down Syndrome but hasn’t let her condition hold her back. She has followed in her godmother’s footsteps by launching a charity. Appearing recently on This Morning, Domenica revealed how she and her mother were running Team Domenica. The charity helps people who have learning disabilities to find employment. As a result of taking part in the charity’s Supported Internship Programme, Domenica had completed her own work placement at the Pavilion Cafe in Brighton. She did so well that she was delighted to be offered a permanent paid job there. Emotional understanding Rosa said Princess Diana would have been proud of her goddaughter. Rosa and the Princess of Wales had been very good friends. In 1994, when Rosa suffered the agony of giving birth to a stillborn child, Diana supported her friend by offering her a private burial service in Kensington Palace gardens. A year later, in 1995, Diana was the first person who visited Rosa in hospital after Domenica was born. Rosa described Princess Diana as having “more emotional understanding and empathy” than anyone she had ever met. Domenica defied all the odds after doctors told Rosa and her husband, Dominic Lawson, that their baby would never walk or talk. She proved them wrong on both counts and has never let her disability stand in her way. Team Domenica Team Domenica was set up to support the 1.5 million UK residents who have learning disabilities. With 94% of those people being unemployed, the charity aims to help young adults to gain employment. Domenica promotes Princess Diana’s belief that everyone should be valued and has the potential to give something back. The charity was launched by actress Julie Walters in Brighton in September 2016. It operates a training centre, a training cafe called Café Domenica and an employment centre. Thanks to their programme, 33% of the participants have found employment, which is more than five times higher than the national average. Only 6% of people with learning disabilities find work on average. Financial support is provided by donors to run the project. Jobs market “opening up” Rosa is delighted that her daughter has proved everyone wrong, as she loves dancing and “talks non-stop”! Viewers of This Morning were touched by her heart-warming story and voiced their hopes, on social media, that society was gradually beginning to open up, accepting people with specific needs in the jobs market. People with Down Syndrome can experience sleeping problems, which can be aided by our range of special needs beds for adults and children – providing safe sleeping solutions and improving the quality of life of the people who use them. Kinderkey’s range of beds for people with Down Syndrome are market leaders. Please contact us for further information.

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