A Mother Like Alex

Alex Bell is a 53 year old woman who lives in Swinton on the outskirts of Manchester. She is feisty funny with a real firecracker of a personality. She has needed that strength of character for Alex is the adoptive mother of 8 children with Downs Syndrome or other disabilities children who some parts of society would perhaps prefer to forget. Age 28 and unmarried Alex adopted her first Downs child Matthew and became one of the first people in the UK to be approved for adoption as a single woman. Amazingly she went on to take eight more children under her wing Simon, Adrian, Nathan, Andrew, Chloe, Tom, Emily and Callum. Some of these children had been through a frustratingly bureaucratic care system or moved from one foster parent to another. It sometimes seemed an impossible challenge to take so many into her care but Alex was determined to give these children stability love and the best life possible. But Alex not only helps the children she also brings together the families often torn apart by Downs. With her downtoearth charm Alex encourages the birth families to get together some of whom have sadly turned their backs on their son or daughter but others have now long been happily involved in their childrens lives. The nine children each have unique sometimes heartbreaking stories but the joy and warmth they bring into peoples lives make them among the most compelling and fascinating children you're ever likely to meet.