The Royal Mencap Society is a
charity based in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
that works with people with a
learning disability. Its Charity Number is 222377.
History
Established by
Judy Fryd in 1946 as The National Association of Parents of Backwards Children, the organisation changed its name to The National Society for Mentally Handicapped Children in 1955, becoming The Royal Society for Mentally Handicapped Children and Adults following
patronage from
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
in 1981.
Fryd had written to ''Nursery World'' magazine inviting other parents to contact her. Many wrote back expressing their anger and sorrow at the lack of services for their children.
Since 1969 the Society has been commonly known by the abbreviation "Mencap" (presumably from ''Mentally Handicapped'') and, in 2002, its full legal name was shortened to the Royal Mencap Society.
In 1955, the Society opened its first project, the Orchard Dene short-stay residential home. In 1958, it launched a ground-breaking project called the Brooklands Experiment. This compared the progress of children with a learning disability who lived in a 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.
Mencap also provides help and support through supported living, supported employment, respite services, organised activities, systemic and individual advocacy, and outreach support. It has an individual membership organisation with a local network of more than 450 affiliated groups. Mencap's work is membership-driven, and thanks to its work for the welfare of young people, it is a member of
The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS).
[Full list of NCVYS members](_blank)
In 2019 it formed a partnership with
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Public limited company, plc () is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Telephone company, telecommunications company. Its registered office and Headquarters, global headquarters are in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It ...
to connect over 45 supported living homes using Internet of Things technology. The MyLife app gives residents control of their devices while also providing support workers with remote access.
Coalitions
Mencap, along with 14 other organisations, is a member of the
Learning Disability Coalition
The Learning Disability Coalition (LDC) is a group of fourteen organisations which campaigns to secure better funding for social care for people with learning disabilities in England.
The Coalition was formed in May 2007. It believes that better ...
. The Coalition was formed in May 2007 to campaign for better funding for social care for people with a learning disability in England.
Mencap partnered with
ENABLE Scotland in a special 'sister charity' relationship to help support people with learning disabilities in Scotland.
Mencap is a member of the Disability Charities Consortium (DCC), which brings together leaders from the UK’s leading not-for-profit disability organisations to work with the Government to make sure disabled people’s experiences are reflected in UK policy making.
Management
Since 1998, at least one-third of the members of the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...
must be people with a learning disability.
From 1980 the actor
Brian Rix
Brian Norman Roger Rix, Baron Rix, (27 January 1924 – 20 August 2016) was an English actor-manager, who produced a record-breaking sequence of long-running farces on the London stage, including ''Dry Rot'', ''Simple Spymen'' and ''One for ...
represented the charity in a number of positions, including
Secretary-General
Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derive ...
,
Chairman and finally
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...
. Until October 2019, the chief executive of Mencap was
Jan Tregelles
Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to:
Acronyms
* Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN
* Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code
* Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group
* Japanese Article Numb ...
, succeeding
Mark Goldring
Mark Ian Goldring CBE (born 8 March 1957) was chief executive officer of the charity Oxfam GB, Oxfam's British affiliate. He was appointed in May 2013 and resigned in 2018. Since 2020 he has been Director of Oxford-based charity Asylum Welcome.
E ...
in March 2013. Tregelles first worked at Mencap in 1983 as PA to one of the then directors. She has held various posts across Mencap; she has been the director of personal support since 2002 and has grown the business from £80 million turnover to £180 million in that time. In the summer of 2019, Tregelles announced that she would be leaving Mencap. She was succeeded by
Edel Harris
Edel is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include:
Surname:
* Abraham Edel (1908–2007), North American philosopher and ethicist
* Alfred William Edel (c. 1930–2005), American television news presenter
* Apoula Edel ...
in October 2019.
Supporters and ambassadors
In 1986,
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother became the patron of Mencap and in 2004 the
Countess of Wessex
Earl of Wessex is a title that has been created twice in British history – once in the pre- Conquest Anglo-Saxon nobility of England, and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. In the 6th century AD the region of Wessex (the lands of the ...
became Mencap's patron.
References
External links
*
Learning Disability Coalition{{authority control
Charities for disabled people based in the United Kingdom
Disability rights organizations
Health in the London Borough of Islington
Mental health organisations in the United Kingdom
Organisations based in the London Borough of Islington
Organizations established in 1946
1946 establishments in the United Kingdom
Social care in the United Kingdom