The Royal Mencap Society is a

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * C ...

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 continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

that works with people with a

learning disability Learning disability, learning disorder, or learning difficulty (British English) is a condition in the brain that causes difficulties comprehending or processing information and can be caused by several different factors. Given the "difficult ...

. 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 Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

from

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was th ...

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 durin ...

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
In 2019 it formed a partnership with

Vodafone Vodafone Group plc () is a British multinational telecommunications company. Its registered office and global headquarters are in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It predominantly operates services in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. , Vod ...

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 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 r ...

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 derived ...

Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the group ...

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 ...

. Until October 2019, the chief executive of Mencap was Jan Tregelles, succeeding

Mark Goldring Mark Ian Goldring Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 8 March 1957) was chief executive officer of the charity Oxfam#Oxfam GB, Oxfam GB, Oxfam's British affiliate. He was appointed in May 2013 and resigned in 2018. Since 2020 he has been Direct ...

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 in October 2019.

Supporters and ambassadors

In 1986,

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