Mencap Liverpool & Sefton

Mencap Liverpool & Sefton Mencap Liverpool & Sefton is the local Mencap group for Liverpool & Sefton. Mencap Liverpool & Sefton is the local Mencap group for Liverpool and Sefton.

We are a small grass roots charity working with individuals who have a learning disability.

🎓🎉 What an incredible celebration of creativity and achievement! 👏🎓A huge congratulations to our amazing Mencap members ...
09/03/2026

🎓🎉 What an incredible celebration of creativity and achievement! 👏🎓

A huge congratulations to our amazing Mencap members and students who have officially graduated from our second Mini Module – ART 🎨 at as part of the “Yes! We See You” Phase 2 project.
Throughout the module, members explored their creativity by designing unique art prints 🎨 and stamping them onto plywood, which was then laser cut. Members assembled the pieces and transformed them into beautiful plant pots 🪴, bringing their designs to life from start to finish!

Their creative journey ended with a very special graduation 🎓 celebration to recognise everyone’s hard work and talent.
Each graduate received a certificate 📜 and a fantastic medal 🏅 made by the brilliant team at a well-deserved reward for their dedication, creativity, and a special keepsake to celebrate their achievement!

We’re incredibly proud of everything our members achieved and can’t wait to see where their creativity takes them next. 💚

On Monday 2nd March, three of our Learning Disability Awareness Trainers – Rachel, Racheal and Kyle – took part in the L...
04/03/2026

On Monday 2nd March, three of our Learning Disability Awareness Trainers – Rachel, Racheal and Kyle – took part in the Learning Library with first year student doctors at the University of Liverpool.

This was the first time this had been done and we were really excited to be invited along. The students had been asked to think about an “access audit” – looking at the barriers people might face when doing everyday things like going to the supermarket, visiting a coffee shop or attending a concert.

They were asked to think about these situations from different perspectives, including someone with a visual impairment, hearing impairment, physical disability or learning disability. We were part of a group of 11 volunteers sharing our lived experiences to help students understand these challenges better.

The Learning Library works by people sharing their real life experiences – almost like pages in a book. Dr Fiona Greeley, Director Dr Anna Stickland and Dr Becca Holmes (GP and Community Clinical Teacher) explained the idea to us. Racheal also pointed out that it is World Book Day this week, which made it the perfect time for the students to visit the Learning Library!

One of the things we talked about was the extra planning and challenges people face every day.

Kyle shared what it can be like just getting somewhere. Although he owns a car, he can’t drive it himself, so he relies on staff being available who can drive. If staff are off sick or covering shifts, it can affect whether he can attend activities. Sometimes he needs to book the Comfy Bus days in advance. Even using public transport can be stressful, as people with disabilities sometimes face bullying and skitting.  We are taught where to sit so we are close to the driver to avoid this and sometimes when we do this we are made to feel uncomfortable when using priority seating if people can’t see our disability.

All of these challenges can happen before we’ve even arrived where we want to go, which can make everyday activities stressful and sometimes stop people from going out at all.

The students were fantastic to speak to – really enthusiastic, thoughtful and full of great questions.

On Friday evening, our Outreach Manager Jo and member Kenneth were invited by to West Lancashire Golf Club for a presen...
04/03/2026

On Friday evening, our Outreach Manager Jo and member Kenneth were invited by to West Lancashire Golf Club for a presentation evening.

Crosby Rotary have supported Mencap Liverpool and Sefton for a long time, and we were really honoured to be part of such a wonderful evening alongside so many other incredible organisations.

Kenneth has attended our Thursday Club for 37 years and and it was a great surprise to find out that Kenneth knows the Crosby Rotary club President, Geraint Short.

Kenneth was brilliant and gave a speech thanking everyone for their support and kindness to Mencap, and for making the evening so special.

Making sure people with a learning disability attend events like this is so important and we are literally at the table included and are recognised for the important role people play in organisations like ours.

The work we do at Mencap Liverpool and Sefton is so important – while we have lots of fun and make friendships, we also deliver training and raise awareness of learning disability.  Some of the inequalities people with learning disabilities face are shocking for example:

• A man with a learning disability is likely to die 22 years younger than a man without a learning disability and it is 26 years younger for women.
• 96% of people with a learning disability have experienced verbal harassment.
• Less than 5% of people with a learning disability are in paid work.

Challenging these inequalities is why we are so grateful to organisations like Crosby Rotary, who support us in our mission to create a world where everyone is valued and treated equally.

Thank you to everyone at Crosby Rotary for such a wonderful evening and for your continued support.

CommunitySupport MakingADifference ThursdayClub

On Friday, Mencap Liverpool and Sefton member Lewis Scott recorded an interview for our show “Reach Out” on ! 🎙️Lewis sp...
04/03/2026

On Friday, Mencap Liverpool and Sefton member Lewis Scott recorded an interview for our show “Reach Out” on ! 🎙️

Lewis spoke with Bob Davis, who has volunteered at Merseyside Thursday Club since it began 60 years ago. The Thursday Club is a social club for adults with learning disabilities, set up in 1966 to provide a safe, welcoming, and friendly space where people can meet friends, take part in activities, and access the local community.

It’s amazing that the club is still run entirely by volunteers after all these years. As well as weekly sessions, they organise holidays and day trips, creating lasting memories for members.

Lewis asked some fantastic questions, including Bob’s favourite memories – and the water fights on holidays sounded like an absolute blast!

Bob was keen to emphasise that he is part of a team of volunteers, and the joy he has experienced over the past 60 years comes from working with people with learning disabilities in an environment where everyone is equal and respected. There’s even a holiday to Skipton coming up soon!

A big thank you to Lewis for doing such a great job and to Ste at .7fm for producing the show – we really appreciate it! It’s wonderful to hear about all the great things happening for people with learning disabilities across Liverpool.

Find out more:
Instagram:
Facebook:

.7FM Inclusion Equality LiverpoolCommunity MencapLiverpoolAndSefton CelebratingVolunteers CommunitySpirit

On Friday, Kyle delivered another Oliver McGowan Tier 2 Mandatory Training session in Prescot to a group of Social Care ...
04/03/2026

On Friday, Kyle delivered another Oliver McGowan Tier 2 Mandatory Training session in Prescot to a group of Social Care support workers.

This training matters. At the heart of the Oliver McGowan training is a simple message: people with learning disabilities and autistic people must be listened to.

Our voices matter. Our families matter. The people who know and support us every day bring knowledge, insight and understanding that should be valued – not dismissed.

Too often behaviour is misunderstood, when really behaviour is communication. When someone is distressed, overwhelmed or struggling, they are trying to tell us something. It’s the responsibility of professionals to listen, understand and respond with respect and compassion.

The training is named after Oliver McGowan, a young autistic man with a learning disability who tragically died in 2016 after receiving inappropriate medical treatment. His death highlighted the serious inequalities people with learning disabilities and autistic people still face in health and social care. Because of Oliver’s story and the determination of his family, the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is now required across health and social care.

And that matters, because people with learning disabilities are experts by lived experience.

We are not problems to be managed.
We are not stories to be ignored.
We are people.
We deserve to be heard.
We deserve to be respected.
We deserve the same quality of care as anyone else.

Great job Kyle!

On Friday, our Outreach Champions Lewis, James, Adam, Martin, Rachel, and Ste joined our Outreach Manager Jo at the Kirk...
04/03/2026

On Friday, our Outreach Champions Lewis, James, Adam, Martin, Rachel, and Ste joined our Outreach Manager Jo at the Kirkdale Community Shop Partnership Day.

This was their first community partnership event, and we were so proud to be invited. At Mencap Liverpool and Sefton, we believe that our members are equal partners in everything we do – making decisions, attending events, and shaping the work we deliver.

The work being done at the Community Shop is truly inspiring. We split into groups with other stakeholders, including local police, NHS professionals, schools, and housing organisations, and heard three short presentations about the incredible work happening there:

✨ Emily spoke about the range of courses available and helped us to make own oat bags to help with relaxation.
✨ Angie led a cooking demonstration, showing us how to make butter from double cream and explaining how the shop uses surplus food to create breakfasts and lunches. She also explained that she runs various cooking courses that help people in various situations e.g. an air fryer couse, or hob only course for people who might only have access to limited cooking facilities – it was fascinating and really hands-on! Angie also creates daily menus  for the Community Café and these change daily depending on what stock comes in to the Community Shop.  The Café is open to everyone.
✨ Ian, the manager of the shop, told us about the UK’s first social supermarket, supporting people on means-tested benefits and tackling the root causes of food insecurity.  The ‘Plenty for 20’ range is a fantastic initiative and you should check them out to find out more.

It was great to attend an event and meet such passionate people and see how collaboration, creativity, and community spirit can make such a difference. Thank you for a really informative and inspiring session!

🤩 We’re proud to celebrate the completion of the first Media Module last Wednesday 🎬 at as part of the “Yes! We See You...
02/03/2026

🤩 We’re proud to celebrate the completion of the first Media Module last Wednesday 🎬 at as part of the “Yes! We See You” Phase 2 project.

Our members, alongside students, have been taking part in a specially designed university experience made up of three mini modules. The first of these focused on Media Production 🎥 delivered by Chaddy and Daniel.

Throughout the module, participants gained hands-on experience in camera work, explored professional studio environments including the green room🎬, and planned and set up their own interviews. It has been fantastic to see their confidence grow as they developed new technical and communication skills.

The programme concluded with a graduation-style celebration, where members proudly received their certificates a real highlight for everyone involved. 🎓

We’re excited to continue this journey and look forward to the upcoming modules.

A sincere thank you to , Janette Porter, Janine Melvin and the Diversity and Inclusion team for creating and supporting this valuable opportunity. Partnerships like this make a meaningful difference.


On Monday, Rachel, Kyle and Adam delivered Learning Disability Awareness Training to 4th Year student doctors at the Uni...
25/02/2026

On Monday, Rachel, Kyle and Adam delivered Learning Disability Awareness Training to 4th Year student doctors at the University of Liverpool.

We are proud to deliver the session alongside Dr Fiona Greeley from the University of Liverpool and Learning Disability Healthcare Coordinators Vivien Mansfield and Hilary Harper from Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust.

Our members have been delivering this training for over 13 years.

Our members talk to students about:

- Communication differences and what to look out for
-  The serious health inequalities people with a learning disability face e.g. that women with a learning disability die on average 26 years younger than women without a learning disability
- The importance of Annual Health Checks — missing them increases the risk of death by 1.5 times
- The importance of reasonable adjustments in healthcare settings

Students have the opportunity to ask questions, build rapport and see the person beyond the label. Because we are the same as everyone else, we love travelling, we support football teams …some are better teams than others (!), we care about our families and we have the same hopes and dreams as everyone else.. We just might need a bit more time. A bit more patience and for professionals to really listen and include us. 

Thank you to the university of liverpool for involving people with learning disaiblities for all these years and to the Leraning Disability Team at Mersey Care who support and promote people with learning disabilities.

Together, we are helping to reduce health inequalities and raise awareness of learning disabilities and challenging the inequalities we face.

InclusionInHealthcare UniversityOfLiverpool MerseyCare LivedExperienceMatters

Our Outreach Champions have signed a letter to send to each of our local MPs calling for changes to the benefits system ...
25/02/2026

Our Outreach Champions have signed a letter to send to each of our local MPs calling for changes to the benefits system that are stopping people with a learning disability from delivering essential training.

Many of our members are trained Experts with Lived Experience delivering the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on learning disability and autism. This training is now required nationally for health and social care staff — and hearing directly from people with lived experience is what makes it powerful, real and impactful.

But right now, benefits rules mean he process can be stressful and worrying, and for some people it creates a barrier to taking part at all.

One part of government says lived experience must be at the heart of training. Another part makes it difficult for people to be paid fairly for their work.

People with a learning disability should be able to use our voices, be valued as professionals and not have barriers created that make it difficult for us to be involved.

We will l keep you updated!

On Tuesday our new member Ella had a taster session working in our Coffee Shop… and she absolutely SMASHED IT!From the m...
19/02/2026

On Tuesday our new member Ella had a taster session working in our Coffee Shop… and she absolutely SMASHED IT!

From the moment she started, Ella got stuck in and gave it her all.

Amy said: "Ella did a brilliant job. She picked up the till really quickly, was really friendly with customers, took out orders and cleared tables down — she really got involved. It was a fantastic first shift!"

We are so proud of you, Ella!

What a fantastic Members Session at the Cottage today! 🎉We held a drop in voting day where our members cast their votes ...
17/02/2026

What a fantastic Members Session at the Cottage today! 🎉
We held a drop in voting day where our members cast their votes to choose who they would like to represent them as the new MMV (Mencap Members’ Voice) member. It was wonderful to see everyone getting involved, having their say, and making their voices heard. 💙
We also had double the celebrations! 🥞🎊
To mark Pancake Day and Chinese New Year, we enjoyed some delicious pancakes 🥞 and tasty hot Chinese snacks 🥡 (they went down a treat😋)!
Alongside the celebrations, members got creative with arts and crafts 🎨and even had a go at some Chinese writing ✍️. It was great to see so much enthusiasm, creativity and community spirit all in one afternoon.
Thank you to everyone who came along and made it such a special session! ✨

Address

6-8 Mariners Road
Liverpool
L236SX

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+441517078582

Website

http://www.twitter.com/mencapliverpool

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