Mencap's 80th anniversary
This year marks the 80th anniversary of Mencap.
That's 80 years of supporting people with a learning disability to live their lives to the full.
Campaign. Community A community is the people and places in an area. . Care.
How the Royal Mencap Society began
In 1946 Judy Fryd, a mother of a child with a learning disability, wrote a letter to Nursery World to highlight the unfairness of her daughter being sent away from a mainstream school.
Little did she know she would start a movement with that letter...
Below are some of the key milestones and achievements that we are proud to have been a part of over the decades.
- In 1946 Judy Fryd, a mother of a child with a learning disability, formed 'The National Association of Parents of Backward Children' - which later became Mencap.
- Judy had written to 'Nursery World' magazine inviting other parents to contact her. Many wrote back to Judy expressing their anger and sorrow at the lack of services for their children. A movement was born.
- In 1955 the association changed its name to 'The National Society for Mentally Handicapped Children' and opened its first project, the Orchard Dene short-stay residential home.
- In 1958, the National Society launched a ground-breaking project called the Brooklands Experiment. This compared the progress of children with a learning disability who lived in hospital with a group of children who were moved to a small family environment and cared for using educational activities modelled on those in 'ordinary' nurseries. After two years, the children in the home-like environment showed marked improvements in social, emotional and verbal skills. The success of the experiment was published around the world.
The life of Judy Fryd
Find out more about Judy Fryd, the mother of a child with a learning disability, who fought for rights and tirelessly campaigned to improve the lives of people with a learning disability.
This is Judy's story.
- In 1963 Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother opened the National Society's new hostel and training workshop in Slough, Buckinghamshire - the first training centre of its kind for adults with a learning disability.
- In 1966 Mencap started the Gateway clubs, offering sports and
leisure
Leisure is when you have time to do things you enjoy like playing sports or going to the pub.
opportunities for people with a learning disability. - In 1969, the society changed its name to 'Mencap'.
- In 1975 Mencap's Pathway
employment service
An employment service is a place that can help you get a job. This might be a job centre or an organisation.
was launched, combining on-the-job training with support from an
employment
Employment means having a job.
officer, a model which quickly spread to
local authorities
A local authority is another name for your local council. It is a group of people whose job is to look after the area where you live. Local authorities means more than one local authority.
across the country and opening up many more opportunities for people with a learning disability to find paid work. - The Mencap Trust Company was set up in 1976 to provide a discretionary Discretionary means it is up to somebody to decide if you get something. trust service for families. They have been supporting families to plan for their loved one’s future ever since.
Mencap Trust Company
It’s natural to worry what will happen to your loved ones when you are no longer around. Find out how Mencap Trust Company can help with your financial Financial means anything that is to do with money. It is used to describe how people, businesses, or governments get money and how they use it planning.
- Mencap's influence and campaigning work saw people with a learning disability included in the Further and Higher Education Act.
- Mencap set up the first homes and community-based accommodation for people with a learning disability in the UK.
- In 1985, Mencap's services for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities were founded. These were among the first in the UK.
- A new national
survey
A survey is when someone asks you to answer some questions.
of disabled people included people with a learning disability. - In 1986, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother became the patron of Mencap.
- People with a learning disability were elected as Mencap national assembly members and became fully involved Involved is being included in something or taking part in something. in decisions about how Mencap is run.
- In 1995 the Disability
Discrimination
Discrimination is when someone is treated differently (usually in a bad way) because of things like their disability or their religion.
Act was passed. It aimed to end the
discrimination
Discrimination is when someone is treated differently (usually in a bad way) because of things like their disability or their religion.
faced by many disabled people and to guarantee their civil rights. - In 1998 Golden Lane Housing was established as a housing charity to address the shortage of quality housing options for people with a learning disability.
- In 2001
the government
The Government are the people who run the country. They decide how much tax people should pay for things and how things like the National Health Service should work.
published ‘Valuing People'
white paper
A White Paper is a report that is written by the government. It talks about new rules the government wants to make.
. - In 2004 the Countess of Wessex became Mencap's patron.
- In 2004 Mencap launched its new five-year corporate
strategy
A strategy is a plan to show what an organisation, or a person, wants to do and how they are going to do it.
called ‘Equal chances', which focused on securing equal chances in life for all people with a learning disability. - In 2005 the government published a report, ‘Improving the life chances of disabled people', and set out plans to improve the quality of life of disabled people by 2025.
- In 2006 Mencap celebrated 60 years as the leading UK charity for people with a learning disability.
- In 2008 Mencap rebranded as part of the plans to make Mencap a more modern and dynamic
organisation
An organisation are a group of people who work together.
. This included the launch of new font, FS Me, developed with people with a learning disability to be as
accessible
Accessible means something is easy for people to use or join in with. For example: Accessible writing means the writing is easy to read and understand.
as possible. - In 2009 The Department of Health published ‘Valuing People Now', a three-year plan for learning disability services in England.
- In the same year, the UK finally ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It reaffirmed that disabled people have the same
human rights
Human rights are the rights that everyone has. These include the right to go to school and the right to start a family.
as non-disabled people. - 2009 ended on a high, when the International Paralympic Committee voted to re-include athletes with a learning disability in the Paralympic Games.
Scandal exposed at Winterbourne View
Winterbourne View was an
assessment
An assessment is a way of finding out what help a person needs. When you have an assessment, you might have to go to a meeting or fill in a form.
and treatment unit (a type of mental health hospital) for people with a learning disability.
Significant abuse Abuse is when someone bullies you and does or says something to you that makes you feel hurt, upset or scared. and  neglect Neglect is when you are not being cared for or supported.  of some of the people at Winterbourne View led to 11 members of staff being sentenced. There was a national outcry after the documentary was shown and the hospital was closed.
- 2011: Winterbourne View scandal is exposed by BBC Panorama. Since then Mencap and the CBF have worked alongside families with loved ones who have been held in mental health hospitals like Winterbourne View to campaign for people with a learning disability to be released from inpatient units and moved into the right care and support in their local communities.
- 2015: Mencap launched the Hear my Voice campaign for the general
election
An election is when people choose who should be in charge of something. This could be in charge of a group, an area, or the country. People choose by voting. The person with the most votes wins.
, working with MPs to get learning disability issues higher on the political
agenda
An agenda is a list of things to talk about at a meeting.
and encourage people with a learning disability to use their right to vote. - 2016: The first stage of the Here I am campaign is launched to raise awareness and visibility of people with a learning disability.
- 2018: Health campaign Treat Me Well is launched to transform how the NHS The NHS is the National Health Service. The NHS gives free healthcare to everyone in the UK and includes things like your GP (doctors) surgery and hospitals. treats people with a learning disability in hospital.
- 2020: Mencap is the charity partner of the year for the Virgin Money London Marathon. Plans to celebrate this partnership are affected massively by the coronavirus pandemic, leading the race event in London to be cancelled. Instead, many of Team Mencap – including 10 people with a learning disability – complete the 26.2 mile challenge virtually.
- 2020: Campaigning begins to prioritise people with a learning disability for the Covid-19 vaccine; data from Public Health England shows that people with a learning disability are dying from the virus at up to 6 times the rate of the general population.
- 2021: Huge relief for the learning disability community as the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation responds to our campaign and people with a learning disability are prioritised for the Covid vaccine A vaccine is medicine that helps your body to fight an infection in the future. .
- 2022: We introduce the Myth Busters, a group of people who are living life with a learning disability, challenging misconceptions and providing greater representation. The 18 new ambassadors demonstrated just how unique learning disability is, and how everyone in the community deserves to be seen and heard equally.
- 2024: Our partnership with Omaze UK raises £3.9 million, enabling us to fund a series of awareness initiatives and campaigns to help break down barriers to create a fairer and more inclusive society.
- 2025: Our I’m in campaign launches, raising awareness of the
learning disability register
The learning disability register is a list of people with a learning disability that the doctor’s surgery looks after.
so everyone with a learning disability gets better health care and a free
annual health check
An annual health check is when you see a nurse or doctor once a year so they can help you stay well. Everyone aged 14 or over who has a learning disability should be invited for an annual health check.
. - 2026: Our new five year strategy, Mencap 2030, launches. From campaigning for a fairer society, to building inclusive communities, to delivering the services people need, this strategy brings together our organisational priorities.
- 2026: Mencap celebrates 80 years as the leading UK charity for people with a learning disability.
- 2026: In March Historic England awarded a blue plaque to mark the place where Mencap founder, Judy Fryd, lived and worked.
Meet the Mencap Myth Busters
Who are the Mencap
Myth
A myth is an idea about something that is not true.
Busters?
A cover model. Athletes. TV stars. Activists... And more!
Meet the ambassadors who are challenging misconceptions about what living with a learning disability looks like.
Care. Community. Campaign
Support to live life to the full.
This is learning disability.
Our journey continues...
We continue to campaign, raise awareness and support people with a learning disability to live their best life.
This year Mencap celebrates 80 years as the leading UK charity for people with a learning disability.
You can join our journey by getting involved at Mencap. Join a campaign, take part in an event, share our research or make a donation.
Mencap was founded in November 1946.
Judy Fryd is the founder of Mencap. Judy was a mother of a child with a learning disability, and formed 'The National Association of Parents of Backward Children' - which later became Mencap.
Everything Mencap does is about supporting people with a learning disability live their lives to the full.
We campaign for a fairer society. We work with families and partners to create inclusive communities. We provide the support and services people with a learning disability need to live their lives to the full.
No, Mencap is is a UK-based charity that supports people with a learning disability and their families across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.