Laura Higgins

Mencap Liverpool & Sefton

Mencap Liverpool is a local, independent charity that promotes equality for people with a learning disability. Everyone probably recognises the Mencap name, but what you probably don't know is that we are a separate local charity, we don't receive financial support from national Mencap. Our work is steered by the New Directions group (people who have a learning disability) and governed by local people who volunteer as trustees. Our vision is a city where people with a learning disability are valued equally, listened to and included. We want everyone to have the opportunity to achieve the things they want out of life. Most of the people we help have mild- moderate learning disability. This means they often don't have any paid support from the local authority and many have very limited contact with friends and family. Three quarters of people in Liverpool who have a learning disability don't receive support from health or social services, so we have a really big job to do! Our busy team of staff, volunteers and placement students current deliver: - an outreach service which reaches out to those who are most socially isolated, - a community connectors project which links isolated people to activities in their local area through volunteer ‘connectors'. - weekly/fortnightly social activities; on Tuesdays a women's group, or Gentlemen's Club; on Wednesdays arts & crafts or sports/activity sessions, plus an evening running group; on Thursdays a lunchtime drop-in social and on Fridays: Boxing in the morning and five-a-side football in the afternoon - a befriending project which matches people based on their shared interests - lots of workshops, currently we're running sessions on Travel training and Easy Money (money management) - we also provide an easy read service, learning disability awareness training and consultancy to earn the additional funds needed to deliver our activities.