Hello, my name is Ciara, and I’m Mencap’s Engagement Lead
My role is to make sure people with a learning disability A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things. shape what we do. I listen to what people tell me so we can build our work around what matters most to them.
In this Mencap Matters, you’ll learn more about Mencap 2030 and how we’re keeping people with a learning disability at the heart of it. You’ll also hear from Area Operations
Manager
A manager is a boss at work. They tell you what you need to do and give you support if you need it.
Tracy Welford, who has worked at Mencap for over 36 years. And on the back page, you can find out how to get
involved
Involved is being included in something or taking part in something.
with our 80th anniversary celebrations and share your Mencap moments with us. We can’t wait to read them!
I’m so pleased to share how Mencap 2030 will help more people with a learning disability live their lives to the full, and I hope you’re as excited as I am about what we can achieve together over the next five years.
Mencap 2030
For 80 years, we’ve been changing lives. Now, we’re focused on the next five.
Since 1946, supporters like you have made our work possible. Together, we’ve moved from institutions to
independence
Independence means doing things on your own. Making your own choices.
, and from invisibility to inclusion.
But many people with a learning disability still don’t get the support they need to thrive. That has to change. Here’s how we’re going to do it:
Excellent person-centred services
Across 582 services, Mencap already support 3,464 people with a learning disability to live life the way they choose. Mencap 2030 will grow that, giving more people the opportunities to thrive.
We’ll deliver more services that put people with a learning disability first, making sure they have the chance to live their lives the way they choose.
We’re committed to offering more high quality, person-centered support that truly makes a difference in people’s lives. We’ll grow our care services, improve the quality and variety of housing we can offer, and expand the ways we support families and young children, all guided by what matters most to each person.
We’ll look for the right opportunities to grow and invest in better homes, to provide the base for our services to flourish.
Residents from our Westcliffe-on-Sea service enjoy a day out!
Inclusive communities
Many people with a learning disability face isolation and loneliness in daily life. That’s why our Me Time social-inclusion programme helps them build confidence, learn new skills, and become active in their communities.
68% of Me Time participants say it helps them make friends.
It gets me out of the house, and I have met new friends. I love doing activities and going out in the community A community is the people and places in an area. .
People with a learning disability also want to have meaningful jobs, but the barriers are immense.
Only 5% of working age adults with a learning disability are in paid work, despite 86% wanting a job.
We’ll support hundreds more young people into paid work so they can thrive and feel valued in their communities.
Before I started, I was very nervous, quiet and anxious. But my Mencap Skills Coach supported me, like explaining new skills when I was feeling anxious and overwhelmed.
We’re pushing to increase the number of people on the
Learning Disability register
The learning disability register is a list of people with a learning disability that the doctor’s surgery looks after.
and create more
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.
neighbourhood health hubs.
33 million people in Britain cannot correctly define a learning disability.
That’s why we’re working hard to educate the general public about life with a learning disability and reframe how it is talked about.
Together, we can challenge misunderstanding, reform services and push for a fairer system. With your support, we can create real change and help give people with a learning disability the chances and opportunities they deserve. Please donate today.
Mencap’s 2030 Strategy
Supporting people with a learning disability to live their lives to the full.
Mencap’s 2030
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.
sets out how we will support people with a learning disability to succeed in the things that matter to them.
36 years of changing lives
Tracy Welford is a Mencap Area Operations Manager in South Yorkshire. For 36 years, she’s supported people with a learning disability to live life to the full. Here she reflects on Mencap’s legacy and her hopes for 2030.
I started working for Mencap in 1990 when I was 25. My role was to go into long-stay institutions and move people into the community.
I remember walking into this one horrid place, a massive room, empty, except for rows of chairs and a TV nailed to the wall. Such a sad, lifeless place. And Liam*, one of the guys we were moving to a Mencap Service, was scrunched up in a chair in the corner.
Liam used to talk, but after moving into that institution when he was just seven, he never spoke again. The hospital’s notes used horrible old-fashioned terms to describe him and said he had no personality. No one deserves to have that written about them. They didn’t know Liam at all. He had the most amazing personality.
Liam sadly passed away 15 years ago, but for 20 years we made sure he had a really good life. That’s what Mencap and a whole team of brilliant people did. We made sure of that.
Life was very different for the people we supported back then. There were no policies or protocols. We were just trying our best to protect Protect means keeping someone or something safe. people and keep them safe.
In the early days, it was all about changing attitudes. People with a learning disability weren’t often seen in the community, and we were having horrendous names thrown at us. It was shocking. And there were no colleges or proper training for people with a learning disability. Most people I supported had never experienced real independence.
Everyone at Mencap was committed to changing that.
I remember the 50th anniversary because we spent some time looking back at what we’d achieved. There was no social media then, so we were sending out letters about our milestones – like the changes in community care and seeing so many people with a learning disability move out of those horrid institutions. We really did want to celebrate because Mencap had come so far.
Looking forward, we need to keep that momentum going and make sure people with a learning disability are seen as equals. They have a right to go out to the shops, live their lives, and get a job – just as much as the next person. Everyone with a learning disability has something to offer this world.
We need more funding so people with a learning disability can be properly supported in the community, close to the people who love them. People I’ve supported have been labelled challenging, but they’re not. They just need the right support from the right people.
Mencap is going to make that happen. We have some brilliant people in the
organisation
An organisation are a group of people who work together.
now. I know when we all come together, Mencap 2030 will get us there.
It’s a massive thing to reach our 80th anniversary and look back at this long road we’ve been down together. I know there’s still some hurdles ahead. But we’re very good at bashing them down, aren’t we?
Creating better futures
We’re celebrating the kindness of more than 5,000 people who have chosen to leave a gift in their Will to Mencap since our founding in 1946. Their generosity has helped shape Mencap and continues to create a better future for people with a learning disability.
Our Fundraising Assistant, James, who’s worked at Mencap for 16 years, has lovingly hand-crafted thank you cards we send to supporters who choose to put us in their Wills. He reflects on his time at Mencap:
I love making thank you cards for our supporters. I want our supporters to feel special, which makes me feel happy and proud. I love working at Mencap, as I feel trusted to do my job, and I’m supported by my team. The people who leave gifts in their Wills are very generous and their support means I can work with people I love and learn new skills.
Help create better futures
Learn how to write your Will and see the difference leaving a gift makes - donwload our free gift in Wills guide to find out more.
For any questions, please email [email protected]
80 years 80 moments
2026 marks Mencap’s 80th anniversary and we’re reflecting on how far we’ve come, together. That’s why we want to hear from you. Your stories. Your memories. Your reflections. This is 80 years, 80 moments, and we’re shining a spotlight on what Mencap means to you – our wonderful community of supporters.
However long you’ve supported Mencap, or whatever made you stand with us – we want to hear your moment! Your stories will be at the heart of our 80th celebrations – because we really couldn’t be here without you.
Share your Mencap moment
Fill out our quick form to share your Mencap moment with us to celebrate our 80th anniversary.
