Annual Report 2025-26 Easy Read

Royal Mencap Society Annual Report 2025/26

The main work we have done in 2025 and 2026

What is in this report?

About this report

Some things that have happened in the last year

The 5 main things we have worked on

A woman pointing to a piece of paper which has the numbers 1 to 5 on it.

The 5 things we worked on were:

Giving people great support that is right for them.
Making sure that people with a learning disability can take part in more things.
Helping everyone to understand more about people with a learning disability and their lives. And helping to change unfair laws and rules.
Making sure that everyone feels welcome at Mencap.
Making sure that Mencap is run well.

About this report

We are Mencap.

Four people smiling with their hands in the air

We want everyone with a learning disability to have the best life they can.

A young woman sitting with her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands looking worried.

But many people with a learning disability are still treated badly.

We must change this.

A drawing of a booklet with the title Annual report

This report is called our Annual Report .

It tells you the main things we have worked on in the last year.

This year Mencap is 80 years old!

We have done a lot already. But we want to change things even more for people with a learning disability in the future.

Some things that have happened in the last year

We have a new plan for the work we will do until 2030.

The plan is called Mencap 2030.

It talks about 5 main things we will work on.

A group of people working together at a table. Around them is a circle and the word Plan

Many people helped us to make the plan.

That includes people with a learning disability, their families and people who work for us.

Three people are sitting together and one person is holding a leaflet. All three have their thumbs up

The plan says what they all want to happen and what is important to them.

We will check with them in 2030 how well we have done on the plan.

The 5 main things we have worked on

Many people and companies gave us money and support for this work.

A group of people sitting around a table. Each person has a hand up to vote.

And many people with a learning disability helped us to decide what to work on.

1. Giving people great support that is right for them. And learning new ways to give people great support.

We gave support to many people with a learning disability in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

And we plan to support more people next year.

A support worker shaking the hand of someone outside their home

We have given more people support in the last year by running more services.

For example, we now have more housing for people.

This is where people can get support to live how they want to.

Our support has helped to change lives.

For example, we have supported people to:

Learn new skills to live on their own.

Two women discussing finances with a calculator and money on the table.

Learn how to look after their money.

A woman holds a shopping basket whist another woman who has a bandaged arm, puts a food can into it.

Do things they want to do.
Like go on holiday, go shopping or go to the theatre.

A woman and a man sit and talk to each other

Make their homes and gardens better.

We also gave more people with a learning disability advice about important things.

For example, housing and jobs.

A woman with a clipboard and a woman looking thoughtful and looking at the room.

We want all our support services to be the best they can be.

So we decided to check all our services.

This was to see if we can do anything better.

We are making any changes we need to as quickly as possible.

A woman infront of a laptop putting books in a filing tray on her desk

We started a new way to keep information about our services.

This is to make sure we are doing everything right to give people good and safe support.

A group of workers are meeting and talking to people with learning disabilities

2. Making sure that people with a learning disability can take part in more things.

This will also help to stop people being lonely.

We will work with many people and groups to make that happen.

A group of people with different disabilities and ages

Making sure that people with a learning disability can take part in things where they live.

We supported young people and adults to take part in things they want to do.

For example, people wanted to do things like:

A group stand around a table with dj mixing equipment on it.

Be a DJ where people play music at clubs and events
Speak at meetings to help change laws and rules
Raise money for local charities.

A woman leaning on a fitness ball with one hand on the ground and the other hand in the air.

We also started new work that supports people with a learning disability to:

Get fit and do sport
Feel happy and healthy.

A group of 4 people who are holding tools for the jobs they do

Supporting more people to get work

We gave many people with a learning disability support to:

Try jobs to see what they are like
Get a job they are paid for
Learn important skills for work. This is so they are ready to work.

A man with downs syndrome and a woman are pointing to a flip chart which has a picture of people with learning disabilities doing different jobs

We also gave some companies training.

This was to help them know more about people with a learning disability and how to support them.

A man and a young woman are talking to a woman with a clipboard sitting around a coffee table.

Good support for families of people with a learning disability

We gave families lots of support like:

Advice and information from other parents and carers.

Groups and events where parents and carers can meet and support each other.

Groups for dads of children with a learning disability.

Places where children with a learning disability can play together and learn new skills.

3. Helping everyone to understand more about people with a learning disability and their lives.

And helping to change unfair laws and rules.

This will help people with a learning disability to be treated fairly.

Two peoples hands shaking each other under a picture of the Houses of Parliament

Making life better and fairer for people with a learning disability

We have worked with the government and other people to change things.

For example, we have worked to make sure that:

A letter requesting someone for an annual heath check next to a picture of a health action plan. Beside these two pictures is a photograph of a doctor talking to a patient at a desk

More people with a learning disability get a health check from their doctor every year. And a plan about their health.

A reminder letter for an annual health check

People also have checks for cancer when they get their health check.

A picture of a man with a flipchart who has his hand outstretched to two people sitting looking at him. The flipchart says Welcome to your new job

We have also worked with the government and other people to:

Make it easier for people with a learning disability to get a job.

Two happy teenage girls with desks and chairs behind them.

Make schools and education better for children with a learning disability.

A man is pointing to a house with a green tick on a flip chart. Underneath the house is a picture of a secure hospital with a red cross next to it

Make sure that people with a learning disability are not kept in mental health hospitals when they do not need to be.
Make sure that people can get the right support near where they live instead.

A gas and an electricity bill next to a hand passing £150 into another hand

Make sure that people with a learning disability and their families get the benefits they need.

And more help to pay gas, electricity and water bills.

A man reading a newspaper, a radio, at TV and various digital devices showing social media channels

Helping everyone to know more about Mencap and people with a learning disability.

A lot of our work about people with a learning disability has been in the media.

The media is things like TV, radio and newspapers.

This has helped many people to know about our work.

A man with his hand cupped around his mouth talking, with a speech bubble over his head

We have also made sure that people with a learning disability can speak up for themselves.

For example, Ellie Goldstein was the first person with Down syndrome to take part in the TV show Strictly Come Dancing.

Ellie has also helped Mencap with our work.

She has shown many people what people with a learning disability can do.

A group of people welcoming a woman to their group

4. Making sure that everyone feels welcome at Mencap.

That means people who work for us, volunteers and people we support.

This will help us all to make life better for people with a learning disability.

A group of people with their hands raised sitting behind a person with a thumbs. up and a green tick.

We started some new work to help us:

Include everyone really well at Mencap.

That means making sure that everyone is treated fairly and no one is left out.

A woman is helping a man in a wheelchair to do some work at a computer

Make it easier for people with a learning disability and other groups of people to work for us.

A word cloud of different words like Stop, Hello and Eat

Make sure we are using the right words when we talk about people.

Make sure our managers can do the best they can.

A group of people around a large meeting table and a list of things on a piece of paper

5. Making sure that Mencap is run well so that Mencap can do the work it needs to do.

We are making sure that Mencap makes good decisions and has enough money for its work.

For example:

We opened more Mencap shops to make money for Mencap.

A woman hanging up clothes on a rail. Behind her are shelves with items on them and a box which says donations.

People with a learning disability can also work in the shops as a volunteer.

They can learn important skills for work.

A group of people sat around a U shaped meeting table talking

People with a learning disability also help us to make big decisions about Mencap.

For example, we have a group called the Voices Council .

They give us advice and help us to make important decisions.