Welcome to Mencap Matters: our 80th anniversary edition
This year, we’re celebrating 80 years since Judy Fryd founded Mencap. It is an extraordinary milestone, and would not have been possible without the kindness of supporters like you.
In 1946, Judy wanted to challenge a society that expected so little of 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. , like her daughter Felicity. She believed Felicity and others deserved opportunities, respect Respect means showing someone you think about someone's feelings, wishes or rights. and the chance to live full, meaningful lives. 80 years on, that belief still drives everything we do, and we remain in touch with members of Judy’s family.
We have seen remarkable progress thanks to generations of people like you, who refuse to accept inequality. And our 80th anniversary celebrations reflect the pride we all feel in Judy’s legacy and our shared commitment to building a more inclusive future.
With you by our side, we can build on the progress of the past 80 years so that every person with a learning disability can live life to the full. Thank you for believing in Mencap’s mission and for supporting and partnering with us on this journey. I’m so grateful for your support and excited about everything we can achieve together in the years ahead.
Jon Sparkes OBE
Chief Executive, Mencap
Parliamentary event
Our chief executive, Jon Sparkes, spoke at a parliamentary reception on 17 June to mark Mencap’s 80th anniversary. The event took place during Learning Disability Week and brought together MPs, campaigners, supporters and people with a learning disability.
Jon paid tribute to our founder Judy Fryd and reminded everyone why her work still shapes Mencap today. In 1946, Judy set out to build a support network for families of children with a learning disability after she could not access the support her daughter Felicity needed. Mencap was formed, with a mission to improve the lives of people with a learning disability.
Jon highlighted some of Mencap’s campaigning achievements and support for people with a learning disability over the years.
One of the day’s highlights came from Arjhay, a member of Mencap’s Job Squad. Arjhay shared how the right support helped him secure a job at Chopstix. The noodle bar chain is a Mencap corporate partner, looking to employ more people with a learning disability, and staff are busy fundraising. Arjhay’s experience Experience is when you have learned or tried something before. showed MPs first-hand the difference removing barriers can make, and why inclusive workplaces benefit everyone.
Most people with a learning disability want to work. I was given a chance, the right support and reasonable adjustments, and now I’m doing a job I love.
Thanks to supporters like you, our services have grown from strength to strength. Today, we provide
social care
Social care means the services that give care and support to people who need it.
support for almost 4,000 people. And we support thousands more through early year programmes, information and advice, helplines,
employment
Employment means having a job.
support and
community
A community is the people and places in an area.
engagement programmes such as our Me Time groups.
80th anniversary
In 2026, we have all joined together across our community to celebrate 80 years of Mencap.
The focus of our 80th anniversary celebrations has been people with a learning disability, who are at the heart of everything we do.
Our events across England, Wales and Northern Ireland have provided friendship and laughter. Seeing people with a learning disability sharing moments together and living life to the full shows just what a difference your support can make.
Wolfy, the Warrington Wolves rugby team mascot, visiting his local Mencap shop.
Lil, who is supported by one of our services.
Darren and Tracey from our McIntyre Road service.
Happy Birthday Mencap!
Linda Espiner, a dedicated
support worker
Support workers are people who are paid to give care and support to people who need it.
in Leeds, has been part of the Mencap family for eight years. To mark Mencap’s 80th anniversary, she wrote a poem celebrating the progress made for people with a learning disability and the future we are building together.
Home at Last
Once we didn’t have a voice,
Once we didn’t have a choice.
Behind closed doors we used to be,
Didn’t know we could be free.
A group of people without a right,
Kept well hidden out of sight.
And if we showed that we had will,
Someone popped another pill.
But now in a home safe, and free,
And now at last, I can be me.
Linda Espiner
Celebrating Judy Fryd
80 years ago, something special happened. Judy Fryd sat down at her kitchen table and started to build a network of support for families of children with a learning disability.
She spent 60 years working tirelessly for people with a learning disability to be given rights Rights are the things everyone should be allowed to do like have a say, or go to school. , recognition and fairness in a world where differences were never fully embraced. This work continues in her name.
In 80 years, the landscape has changed. Back in 1946, opportunities were limited for people with a learning disability and their voices went unheard. Today, many people have access to work and education Education is when you learn things. When you fill in a form to get a job, education means you write where you went to school, college or university. . They can use technology and personalised support to communicate and participate. Many feel empowered to make decisions about their own lives.
We have so much to celebrate. And on the facing page, you will see just a few of the campaigning achievements your support has made possible.
One of our first was the Brooklands Experiment in 1958, which showed children with a learning disability developed more rapidly in small, homely settings than in hospitals. It was groundbreaking at the time and is now understood as a basic truth. Yet injustices live on today, with over 2,000 people with a learning disability and people with
autism
Autism is a disability. Autistic people find it difficult to understand what other people think and feel. They also find it difficult to tell people what they think and feel. Everyone with autism is different.
still living in inpatient mental health units in 2026.
Through our Homes Not Hospitals initiative, we continue to campaign for people with a learning disability and people with autism to move out of mental health hospitals into appropriate homes with community support. Situations like this show why our shared commitment to a fairer and more inclusive world for people with a learning disability remains so important.
80 years of progress
In remembering the past 80 years, we look ahead to a future where every person with a learning disability is valued, included and able to live the life they choose.
1958-1960:
The Brooklands Experiment, launched and funded by Mencap, makes waves when it shows children with a learning disability develop more rapidly in small, homely settings. The findings were published internationally and helped challenge assumptions about institutional care.
1975:
Our 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.
shows people with a learning disability could thrive in paid employment with the right support. The service helps open up employment opportunities previously denied to many.
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 is introduced, sharpening focus on disability rights and reinforcing our mission to improve the lives of people with a learning disability.
2011:
Our Stand By Me campaign secures support from 42 police forces and 25 Police and
Crime
A crime is when someone does something wrong and breaks the law.
Commissioners to improve responses to disability
hate crime
A hate crime is when someone is hurt or bullied because of things like: their disability or their religion.
. This helps increase action against disability-related
abuse
Abuse is when someone bullies you and does or says something to you that makes you feel hurt, upset or scared.
.
2014-2015:
Our Hear My Voice campaign secures Easy Read Easy Read is a way of making written information easier to understand. Pictures are usually added next to the writing. versions of major party manifestos. It gives people with a learning disability a stronger voice in politics.
2022:
We
advocate
An advocate is a person who can help you have your say. An advocate can speak up for you if you find it hard.
for Oliver McGowan
Mandatory
Mandatory means that something must be done.
Training, to improve understanding of learning disability and autism in health and social care services. Through the Health and Care Act, it becomes a legal requirement. Around 520,000 health and social care staff have completed training to date.
Supporters who shape our future
In 1946, Judy Fryd wrote a short but powerful letter, published in The Nursery World magazine. In it, she shared her experience of raising her daughter Felicity who had a learning disability. She invited parents in similar situations to come forward, and began connecting with them through the letters pages. This act of courage sparked the movement that became Mencap.
Following in Judy Fryd’s footsteps Shaping the future she imagined
In 1954, Judy was writing again, this time in The Parent’s Voice newsletter. She called on people across the UK to stand together and take action to improve the lives of people with a learning disability, both in her lifetime and beyond.
Judy Fryd’s belief that we must do everything we can for people with a learning disability has inspired supporters ever since. Supporters just like you. Throughout our history, every act of kindness has helped build a fairer society for people with a learning disability. Lasting change can only happen because generations of supporters just like you choose to create a better future.
All that we can do to lighten the darkness which surrounds this subject, we should do with a whole heart, for the sake of our own children and those yet to be born.
Judy Fryd’s legacy shaped Mencap. With a gift in your Will, you could help shape what comes next.
Free Will writing service
We have partnered with Farewill, the UK’s leading Will writing service, to offer a free Will to Mencap supporters. It is a simple process which you can do over the phone or online. Call 020 8050 2686 or click below.
