Belfast student sprinkles some Makaton magic at Disneyland Paris to mark milestone birthday

A trip to Disneyland Paris is a birthday dream for many of us but one Northern Ireland student nurse used her recent visit to spread a very important message.

Claire Thompson from East Belfast is a third year Learning Disability Nursing student at Queen's University and has taken to TikTok to teach other students Makaton signs to use at work.

Makaton is a unique language programme that uses symbols, signs and speech to enable people to communicate.

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Claire started 'Makaton Mondays' in January 2022 where she records a short video of herself each week with a new sign that people can learn and take with them - whether in a healthcare setting or their daily life.

She shares her weekly lessons on TikTok, Instagram and Twitter so that a greater range of people can have access to Makaton and hopefully learn something with every video.

But when she was preparing to celebrate her 30th birthday earlier this month, her husband Josh had a special surprise in store.

Claire told Belfast Live: "For months I had this idea of being in Disneyland and doing a video with the characters and staff to Sheppard's hit song 'Geronimo', not knowing that I would end up getting this surprise trip to Disney.

"So once Josh told me where we were going I printed out the lyrics, translated it and that was it. When we got to Disneyland and asked the cast members if they were up for taking part, they were all incredible and every single person was happy to do it.

"I thought it was a really upbeat song choice and thought the idea of 'Say Geronimo' was easy to translate and perform even with costume hands."

Claire added: "I literally just went up to them, said I was doing a Makaton video and did they want to be in it and they were up for it. Makaton is really well-known in France as well so that was a great stepping stone as everyone was aware of it.

"Once the staff learned that it's for those with a communication difficulty they were all buzzing for it. We even ended up getting premier access to the rides afterwards which was really nice but not why I did it in the first place!

"I want to say thank you to every character and cast member who got involved in making my dream of Makaton magic at the Magic Kingdom of Disneyland Paris a reality and of course thanks to our Josh for the best 30th birthday!"

Last year, Claire was rewarded for making healthcare more accessible for patients with learning disabilities by teaching sign language online with a prestigious invite to King Charles III's Coronation at Westminster Abbey.

And she's just been named Student Innovation in Practice and Student Nurse of the Year: Learning Disabilities at the 2024 Student Nursing Times Awards, held in London last Friday, which recognises the outstanding achievements of student nurses and nurse educators.

Claire was described by judges as a “true advocate for people living with a learning disability”.

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