Who is TALKmoreCORNWALL CIC?

TALKmoreCORNWALL launched in 2018, making Makaton workshops accessible for people in Cornwall. TALKmoreCORNWALL, as a brand name, was chosen because we wanted Cornwall to talk more and believed that Makaton had a key role in making this happen, people with communication difficulties would have a voice and become less socially isolated. Our philosophy is that children who need Makaton grow up to be adults who need Makaton. We believed that Makaton could also help adults who have acquired communication difficulties due to medical issues. This became our dream – to bring Makaton into adult social care settings across Cornwall, as well as making Makaton training accessible in Cornwall.

The decision was made to become a CIC so that we could apply for funding to make this dream a reality. Four years later, we offer a wide range of Makaton workshops across Cornwall, online and face to face, including the popular Using Makaton with Singing, Saskia’s favourite workshop, and Watch My Needs, designed for people who have dementia or an acquired language impairment. Eve Facey joined the team in 2024 with a focus on promoting Makaton in early years and primary school settings.


Saskia Dady

I qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) in 1998. I worked for the NHS for five years and gained invaluable experience working in community clinics, in a school for children with profound learning difficulties and then specialising in hearing impairment. In 2004, I started work with the MoD and subsequently SSAFA (a national Forces charity) in Germany; providing speech and language therapy for children whose parents were in the Armed Forces. With the rebasing of the troops from Germany to the UK, my role finished in December 2018. I knew that I wanted to continue with Makaton signing, as it has helped so many of the children that I have worked with over the years; to be able to communicate their needs and support any verbal communication that they had. I initially completed my Makaton training as part of my SLT role in 1999. In order to become a Makaton tutor, I needed to update my skills and retook my Foundation and Enhanced Workshops with Ellie. With her support, I qualified as a Makaton Tutor in June 2019 and have not stopped running workshops since then! Since Covid, many of the workshops have been delivered online, which works really well.

Qualifications
Licensed Makaton Tutor: Levels 1 -4, Makaton Approaches in Safeguarding, Using Makaton with Singing, Watch my Needs, Tasters, Using Makaton with Babies & Families

Education
MSc Speech and Language Therapy
BA Hons Sociology

Registrations
HCPC – Health and Care Professions Council
RCSLT – Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
ASLTIP – Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice

Angie Emrys-Jones


Angie’s background is a variety of skilled jobs within the health sector, then in 2006 her middle child was born with Down syndrome and she developed a passion for supporting new parents to have access to balanced contemporary information around the condition. She spent the next 16 years on the board of Cornwall Down’s Syndrome Support Group Charity (CDSSG) where she is co-author of the Looking Up book series, Publication & Training Lead and New Parent Representative. After 7 years as Director of Cornwall Accessible Activities Program Charity, Angie changed direction in 2020 and is now a foster Carer for her local authority. Angie is an Expert by Experience at the Institute of Health Visiting and a Founding Member of the National Down Syndrome Policy Group (NDSPG).

Eve Facey

I started working with children by volunteering as a parent helper at my children’s primary school for 5 years. My main roles included listening to readers and helping children with writing. I really enjoyed watching the children thrive with support. I qualified as a Level 3 teaching assistant back in 2018 and started a job within Early Years. I became very aware of Makaton whilst working in this role with a child who was nonverbal. Together we learnt Makaton signs and a whole new world was opened. I saw first hand how Makaton helped bring out their speech. I was able to have conversations using signs and symbols. Now the child is reading and writing independently. This made me determined to learn more about Makaton and better my skills to empower those with communication difficulties.

During the start of lockdown 2020 I contacted TALKmoreCORNWALL CIC to enrol in the level 1 workshop. I spoke to Saskia and that’s where my journey started.  I undertook my Level 1 with Saskia, I was then hooked! I wanted to learn more and more. I completed all my levels with her.

Once back at school and the world started getting back to normal, I began a Makaton afterschool club. This has grown and grown over the years. I also teach Makaton to the whole of our Reception and Nursery children. We once performed with 70 children to Saskia over zoom. It was a magical moment!

Qualifications
Licensed Makaton Tutor: Levels 1-4, Tasters

Education
Level 3 Certificate in supporting Teaching and Learning in schools.
Diploma in Special Educational Needs
Diploma in Autism Awareness