MODEST SUPERMUM
EXTENDS FAMILY FURTHER
Alex Bell has won a prestigious Carer of the Year
award, met Sir Paul McCartney and had her garden transformed by
Handy Andy.
But the Salford mum says none of this compares
to welcoming new additions to her family.
Alex Bell has already adopted seven children who have
Down’s syndrome.
Read
Inside Out’s original story about Alex.
But Alex is about to extend her family by adopting two
more children.They are a brother and sister aged
four and five years old.
"There’s just so many children in care who haven’t got
a chance of finding a family," says Alex, "And we’ve got spare bedrooms!"
Recognition
The arrival of her eagerly-awaited siblings are the end
of busy few months for Alex.
 |
| Chloe
entertains Ant and Dec at the ceremony |
In March she received a Pride of Britain award at a star-studded
ceremony in London.
"I was terribly embarrassed about the whole thing. I
don’t understand why people think this is special. It’s just what I do."
"I’m not a supermum. There’s lot of other women who are
doing a damn good job of being parents."
Despite her embarrassment, Alex hopes that her award
will raise awareness of adoption and the difficulties of caring.
"I just hope that my award doesn’t make other carers
feel inadequate because they are only caring for one or two children or
elderly relatives. That would be a very negative thing."
Serenade
All Alex’s children attended the ceremony. Mathew, Alex’s
20 year old son sang to his mum in front of the celebrity-filled audience,
earning the family a standing ovation.
Alex says, "Anybody who knows Matthew knows that you
don’t give him a microphone. I thought that he was going to do an hour’s
cabaret."
"They were all perfect on the stage. I am so proud of
them."
Attention
 |
| The Bell family
in Hyde Park before the awards |
As well as the award Alex picked up a few fans. These
included none other than Sir Paul McCartney and his wife Heather Mills.
"We were invited to his concert at the arena. The kids
loved it. They’re still rocking!"
Alex also had her garden decked by Changing Rooms’
Handy Andy.
"People recognise us everywhere, which never fails to
amuse me. The children think it’s fantastic. They think they are very
special, which of course they are."
Busy
As well as rearranging the family home in preparation
for her new arrivals, Alex has various other projects.
| DOWN'S SYNDROME |
|
1 in every 1000 babies born is born with Down's
syndrome.
Approximately 600 babies are born each year with
the condition.
It was first described by John Langdon Down in
1866.
The chances of a woman having a child with Down's
syndrome increase with age.
Source: The Down's Syndrome Association
|
As a Governor at her daughter Chloe’s School, she is
arranging its grand opening ceremony. This will be conducted by actor
Ross Kemp.
And she’s also got the dilemma of trying to locate a
nine-seater bus to carry all the children around.
"I’m hoping to sort out an American import because they
make things much bigger. But how we are going to finance it I don’t know!"
When asked whether these will be the last additions to
her family, Alex simply says, "Probably. But only because we’ve run out
of bedrooms. That’s the only thing that stops me." |
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