Saturday 25th October 2008

John Howell MP

Henley MP asks Thomley Hall's young people to design Christmas card

John Howell, the MP for the Henley constituency, is promoting Thomley Activity Centre for children and young adults with disabilities and specific needs such as autism this Christmas.  The Centre lies near Worminghall on the Oxfordshire/Buckinghamshire border.

The front picture for his Christmas card will be selected from designs prepared by the children and young people in a competition which will take place at the Centre during October.

The winning picture will be selected by Henley-resident Dame Stephanie Shirley who through The Shirley Foundation is helping to facilitate scientific research into autism to get at the causes of this disorder by 2014 and to halve its global costs by 2020.

John Howell said:

“I am delighted to use my Christmas Card to promote Thomley Activity Centre and am particularly pleased both that the young people at the Centre will be producing the picture for the front cover and that Dame Stephanie, who has pioneered so much work into autism, has agreed to select the winning picture.

“This is a constituency filled with examples of exceptional charitable activity.  I have seen the impact Thomley Activity Centre can have on the lives of families in which a young person is disabled or has specific needs and it is a pleasure to be able to work with it on this project.”

Claire Acworth from Thomley Activity Centre added:

“We were pleased that our new MP came up with such an original idea to support us and the work we do. Thomley Activity Centre provides a unique recreational facility for disabled children who attend with their families, schools, respite carers, play schemes and groups. We are delighted that this Christmas card will reach people who do not yet know about the Centre.”