Volunteer spotlight- Hannah

20th September 2022

Hannah is our newest Marketing and Communications volunteer and has been supporting us here at Leeds Mencap over the past few months. She has written us a bit about herself and why she wanted to volunteer for us, so that you can get to know her better!

"I wanted to join Leeds Mencap after seeing a post on my Facebook feed advertising for a marketing and communications volunteer role. I felt this position was suited to me as I am currently a digital account manager at digital marketing company, Tomoro Agency. I have great experience of working with charities on digital marketing initiatives such as Google Adwords, SEO and Social Media and have undertaken professional Google certifications.

Mencap has always been a charity close to my heart as my nanna, Joyce Fieldhouse was an honorary president and founder of Leeds Mencap. Joyce started Leeds Mencap because of my uncle who at around the age of 3 years old, gradually developed autism. I also wanted to expand my expertise in digital marketing and strengthen my skills, as well as meeting new people and doing something good for the community.

I studied at Guiseley sixth form and got my 3 A levels in Psychology, Economics and Business and shortly after finishing my A-levels, Joyce’s health started to deteriorate so I decided to spend as much time with her as possible; to care for her and my uncle as her mobility decreased. My nanna then passed on December 1st 2021 and this had a massive impact on my life and family. 

My hobbies include painting, playing the piano, ice skating, and spending time with my dog, Aussie! I enjoy trips and weekends away as well as going out for food often. When I was a teenager I also lived in Australia for 2 years and completed work experience for a digital marketing agency in Sydney. Living in Australia at a young age provided me with a great opportunity to learn about new cultures and gave me my passion to travel. I hope to move back to Australia in the next few years and explore it more.

My favourite thing so far about Leeds mencap is the environment. Everyone is very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable... It is a wonderful place with a lovely atmosphere. My role at Leeds Mencap gives me the opportunity to take on more responsibility and try different tasks and hopefully help enhance our presence in the digital landscape. It also gives me the opportunity to get involved in other volunteer work and events going on at Leeds Mencap while feeling closer to my nanna and helping to build upon her legacy. "

Greenacre Pre-School's amazing donation!

8th August 2022

We would like to say a massive thank you to Greenacre pre-school, with the sad closure of Greenacre pre-school, they have decided to kindly donate their remaining £15,259.28 to Leeds Mencap. 

We spoke to the lovely Julie and Clare who came to visit Leeds Mencap to have a look around and discuss why they had chosen us. Julie and Clare explained the closure of Greenacre pre-school to us. They informed us that the closure was unfortunately due to the pre-school not having enough children and therefore not having enough funding to continue running. Julie and Clare heard about Leeds Mencap through Julie’s Niece who works in our nursery. They decided that they both wanted the money to go to a good cause that fit the criteria of being a charity that specialized in early years education and care. After showing Julie and Clare our wonderful children and amazing facilities, they were very happy that they had chosen Leeds Mencap.

This money will go a long way in helping Leeds Mencap to support children and young people with learning disabilities and their families all around Leeds. 

We once again want to thank Julie, Clare and the rest of Greenacre pre-school for their very generous donation to us. 

Written by Hannah Crampton, Marketing and Communications Volunteer.

Stay Cool This Summer!

19th July 2022

Tips and activities for children with learning disabilities to stay cool in the summer:

With high temperatures and humidity in summer it is easy to overheat, especially in a heatwave. Signs of this include dizziness, vomiting and fainting. If you feel your child is struggling in the heat and showing signs of illness it is important to contact a medical professional. Children with learning disabilities are especially more susceptible to illness in the heat because some children may have trouble explaining their symptoms, so it is important for you to keep an eye on your child. With the UK experiencing heatwaves this summer here are some tips and activities to help keep your child cool this summer.

Tips:

• Bathe your child in cool water or apply cool water on their wrists, forehead, ankles and back of the knees to keep your child cool, this can even be done with a cold compress.
• Keep your child hydrated throughout the day whether this is done by drinking water or juice or even slushies!
• Put socks in the freezer for your child to help cool their body temperature.
• Try stay in well ventilated and air-conditioned environments wherever possible.
• Use a cooling mattress, pillow and bedding, if possible, to keep their body temperature down.
• Remember to apply sunscreen and have your child use a hat to prevent burning.
• Put a glass of cold water behind or in front of a fan to improve air circulation, however, do not direct the fan directly at your child especially for long periods of time.

Activities:

Slow water balloon toss- Grab a water balloon and poke some small holes in the water balloon so that the water sprays out slowly and the balloon will not pop, eliminating any fear of the pop noise! This can be done in a group and pass the balloons around a circle.

Sprinklers- Get swimsuits on and even goggles and swim shoes for a run around the sprinklers to cool down. You can buy a variety of sprinklers from gentle one’s to crazy ones.

Ice cream & slushies- Make homemade ice cream by following this recipe. You can also put juice boxes in the freezer to make a slushie or buy an ice lolly tray to create your own ice lollies made with juice or whatever you like!

Paddling pool- Fill a small paddling pool with cooling water to splash around in to keep your child cool.

Indoor picnic- Staying indoors will help keep your child cool and can be filled with lots of delicious foods/drinks such as ice cream.

Gracie's Story

23rd June 2022

Monday the 20th of June marks the start of Learning Disability Week 2022. Here at Leeds Mencap, supporting young people with learning disabilities and their families to be included and to achieve what they want out of life is at the absolute heart of everything we do. It is so rewarding to support children and to enable them to thrive in an environment where they are free to be themselves and not be defined by their learning disability.

One such child is Gracie. Gracie and her mum Sophie have been accessing Leeds Mencap services for over a year now. Gracie is a wonderful little girl who has a learning disability and communication difficulties. Gracie attends Jimbo's Nursery, and is a member of Hawthorn - our specialist playroom, where our attentive staff are well-trained to meet her additional needs and offer personalised support for her development. Since she has started attending our nursery, Gracie has developed in many areas.

When she first started, Gracie wasn't eating, sleeping or drinking properly and she also didn't enjoy communicating with other children or having them in her space. However, now she sits with other children contently and eats small amounts of food she likes which in Sophie's words is a "big improvement". Gracie also initially struggled with change of routine and separation anxiety. However, since working with our nursery staff she has got through this hard time and now looks forward to going to nursery and enjoys her time there.

As well as attending our specialist nursery, Sophie and Gracie have also attended our weekly stay and play coffee morning sessions, run by our friendly Family Engagement and Support Worker. These sessions have provided Sophie with the opportunity to meet other parents with shared experiences of having a child with additional needs and to receive advice and support in a welcoming and safe environment.

In addition to this, Sophie has also worked with our Family Engagement and Support Worker to apply for funding and benefits including disability living allowance. This has helped Sophie with the financial pressures of caring for Gracie and has enabled her to buy specialist toys and equipment. Our family engagement and support worker has also provided advice and support on behaviour management, communication and sleep and Sophie was able to attend a five-week course focused on establishing healthy sleep routines for Gracie.

"Ruth has helped us with countless referrals and has constantly chased things up. As a family engagement and support worker she really goes above and beyond and is brilliant at helping solve problems, listening without judgement and making sure you always know help is there if you need it.

The people here are amazing and well educated at what they do and I couldn't have chosen a better nursery to help support my daughter. They have a soft play area and sensory room for when things get overstimulating and they host lovely family friendly events that cater to all needs. Leeds Mencap have really gone above and beyond for us and I fully appreciate all the additional support they have given me to make sure that Gracie has a positive experience at nursery, surrounded by people who understand and can meet her needs. I also fully appreciate everything they have done to support her outside of nursery. I would recommend them to anyone who feels like their children may need additional support" .- Sophie (Gracie's mum)

I am writing to you to tell you how rewarding it is to see children like Gracie grow and develop due to having specialist support and care tailored to their individual needs. It is your donations so far that have made it possible, but we still need your help as each year we have hundreds of children with learning disabilities that rely on our support.

This year we are hoping to raise £1000 as part of our Learning Disability Week campaign, which aims to shed light on living life with a learning disability and to show how people with learning disabilities are coming together and reconnecting with their communities.

We greatly appreciate any amount that you can contribute, and any donation big or small really does make a tangible, positive difference. Here's what your donations could do:

• £5 could provide coffee and cake for a family support session for a family who have lost hope and need a friendly, listening ear.
• £25 could provide a weighted toy that will soothe an anxious young child and help them to focus on the positives around them.
• £100 could pay for a Makaton tutor to teach parents some basic signs so that they can understand and communicate with their non-verbal child.
• £200 could pay for a group of young adults with a learning disability to go bowling together, giving them an opportunity for personal independence and socialising

You can donate online here or you can donate via phone by calling 0113 235 1331

By choosing to support our Learning Disability Week Campaign, you will be supporting the development of numerous children like Gracie, allowing them to get the best possible opportunities that they can in life.

Thank you!

Jubilee Celebrations!

1st June 2022

Ahead of the Jubilee this weekend we have had lots of celebrations here at Leeds Mencap.

Last week we threw a jubilee party for our nursery. This party was kindly funded by a generous grant from The ASDA Foundation. Over 170 people attended the party and there was lots of delicious party food courtesy of our wonderful cook Jackie, plenty of bunting, balloons and decorations and a Fun DJ/entertainer.

Luckily the weather was on our side and the sun came out (albeit it was a little windy!) It was lovely to bring together our nursery and specialist nursery children and their families, along with our local neighbours to celebrate.

In the weeks leading up to the Jubilee the nursery children have also been busy getting their artistic hats on! They have made crowns, cards, bunting and portraits of the queen. They even wrote a letter to the queen congratulating her on her Jubilee!

We hope you all have a lovely bank holiday weekend celebrating the Jubilee.

My Time at Leeds Mencap- Mason

31st May 2022

I applied to volunteer at Leeds Mencap because it is a great charity doing valuable work within the community, the cause is something that is close to me as I have spent a lot of time around children with learning disabilities through having special educational needs myself. This meant that I sat my exams throughout primary school, secondary school and college with children like myself and with more severe learning difficulties. In addition, I wanted to develop my marketing skills, to add to my experience, learn new skills and to strengthen my applications when searching for graduate jobs.  

At an undergraduate level I studied Human Geography and in September 2021 I started a postgraduate in Consumer Analytics and Marketing Strategy which provided a blend between both Geography and Marketing, I had experience of running social media accounts for a business, but the only problem was that I had never studied marketing before. The opportunity that Leeds Mencap offered as Marketing and Communication volunteer for their fundraising department, gave me the opportunity to use the theory I was learning about every week at university in a practical sense and proved to be very beneficial to my studies. One of the modules I studied was called ‘digital and interactive marketing’ where we ran a simulation of an integrated online marketing campaign, the projects and tasks that I worked on whilst at Leeds Mencap was practically a real-world application of this module and throughout the course of the module, I found my work at Leeds Mencap becoming better and better.

My role as Marketing and Communications volunteer gave me a lot of responsibility to work on important project with a huge degree of freedom despite only volunteering once a week. My main responsibilities whilst in the role were to create social media posts as part of an integrated online marketing campaign, create graphics on Canva to be used as social media posts, physical posters and flyers, and to create and organise fundraising events as well as help to sell tickets for them. Together with Ellis, who also studies the same postgraduate course as me, we were given responsibility to run the annual ‘Imagine If’ campaign that ran throughout the month of March.

The ‘Imagine If’ campaign aims to give people more perspective of what it is like to grow up with leaning disabilities and make people aware of the day-to-day activities that can be so hard for people with learning disabilities. We decided to adapt the messaging of the campaign from the year before and make it a more positive campaign, focusing on how people can support children with learning disabilities. This displayed the freedom that Ellis and I had in running the campaign for 2022, despite only being volunteers.

Another project that we helped to organise was the Christmas quiz which took place at Headrow House, our role in this was to create the social media posts and help to sell the tickets for the event which resulted in a sell out and a great night. I attended the event with around 10 of my friends and not only was it a fun experience but it made me feel proud that I had helped to organise and raise a considerable amount of money for the charity. Additionally, seeing everyone who had donated attending the event put into perspective how important Leeds Mencap is to the community and the scale of support it receives.

My favourite thing about volunteering was coming into the office every Friday and working with the team in the office. The work that I did at Leeds Mencap provided a relaxing escape from the workload and pressures of my postgraduate studies. I loved the calmness of the office and everyone who I encountered on the Friday Mornings was nice and welcoming. Cath the CEO always offered me a ‘posh coffee’ which was always a great cup of coffee and made me feel like a regular part of the team. There was a specific occasion when I received a job interview phone call from a graduate scheme that I was applying for, whilst I was in the office and Cath let me use one of the meeting rooms to take the call, fortunately a few weeks later I found out that my offer was successful and when I came back to the office there was a congratulations card from Abi and Charlotte on my desk. Small things like this made my time volunteering at Leeds Mencap a pleasure and made me feel like part of the team.

Jimbo's Fund

26th May 2022

We want to say a massive thank you to our ongoing supporter Jimbo's Fund at Leeds Community Foundation for their support during Covid-19 last year, which has been a difficult year for everyone.

Their generous donation has funded Becky, a specialist member of staff to support children from our nurseries with the development of their language and communication skills.

Here is an example of a week in the life of Becky, so you can understand a bit more about the valuable work that Jimbo's Fund has enabled her to do.

Becky works across Jimbo's Community Nursery and Hawthorn, our specialist nursery and focuses on improving children's communication, language and literacy skills. She has a weekly timetable which allows her to work with approximately 46 children per week. She supports the children in variety of ways, from running 1 to 1 focused activities or running small group work sessions with 2-4 children at a time.

Becky focused her activities on the key areas and skills that children required extra support in. For example, for the children who were struggling to express their feelings she would use feeling and emotion dolls during play to discuss why we feel different emotions and how we act upon them.

One group activity that went down particularly well with the children was Billy Bear's Birthday. This activity helps with speech sound development by using sounds and actions together to focus on pronunciation of particular sounds. This activity was with a small groups of children who were encouraged to take turns throughout the activity. The children remained engaged and focused and expressed to Becky how much they enjoyed the activity afterwards.

An example of a typical one to one activity that Becky would do with the children is the NHS First Word Checklist. This activity helps to build upon and improve a child's understanding of common objects, common actions such as eating and walking and common family words such as mum and dad. She would use objects to help such as a cup or a car, which allowed the children to role play which encouraged first words, sounds and actions. The NHS First Word checklist would be used to record a child's understanding, this would be when a child could correctly choose the object out of a choice of two or when the child could label the object independently.

This funding couldn't have come at a more crucial time as emerging research shows that children with special education needs have been disproportionately effected by Covid-19, especially in the areas of language and communication.

Winston Solicitors Annual Quiz

26th May 2022

Hopefully you have all seen on our social media that May saw the return of the Winston Solicitors annual quiz and auction in aid of Leeds Mencap. Unfortunately Covid had prevented the quiz from running for the last two years, but it returned bigger and better than ever!

There were some amazing auction prizes up for grabs including a 4 night stay in a luxury lodge, a weekend driving a range rover and a signed triathlon suit from Jonny Brownlee. All of these, along with many other prizes were kindly donated by local businesses and contacts, some of which have been supporting the event since 2015.

The night itself was a roaring success. It was so lovely to be able to come together again in person after so long and Paul the quizmaster kept us thoroughly entertained! As Winston Solicitors kindly host the event, every single penny raised goes towards the charity.

The final total was an incredible £4,535

This amount will go a long way in helping us to support children and young people with learning disabilities and their families across Leeds.

We want to extend a massive thank you to Winston Solicitors for their continued support throughout the years. It just goes to show what can be achieved when businesses, charities and local organisations come together to support their communities.

We also want to thank anyone who supported the event in someway whether that be by donating a prize, bidding in the auction or attending the quiz. This amazing amount would not have been made possible without your help.

The power of karate!

6th May 2022

At Leeds Mencap, we strive to provide a range of opportunities for children and young people with learning disabilities to try new skills in a safe and welcoming environment. With support from Sport England, we recently delivered a range of sports taster sessions for our children and young people. These sessions included yoga, hip hop dance, football and martial arts. As well as affording them the opportunity to try new skills, these sports sessions have a profound, positive effect on our young people. One such young person is Jude.

Jude is an amazing 14 year old boy who uses our services. He has global developmental delay and uses a wheelchair. After having taster sessions of Martial Arts Jude has now started attending Karate Lessons twice a week.

We chatted to Jude, his mum and his karate instructor to find out more about how taking part in martial arts has been of great positive benefit to Jude.

Christopher, Jude’s instructor ran us through what a typical session looks like, how they are adapted to be inclusive and what improvements he has seen in Jude.

“Our classes always begin with a warm up to get the heart raising and blood pumping round the body. Then we move on to strength-based exercises such as push ups and burpees before doing the bulk of the class which is basic karate training. The karate training is scaled based on the ability of the class in order to include everyone regardless of physical or mental ability. I work with children and adults with a variety of mental and physical impairments such as ADD, ADHD and limited range of motion, so I can tailor the movements depending on people’s requirements.

People often incorrectly assume that karate is just kicking and punching but it is much more than that, it has so many benefits both physical and mental. It improves pulmonary and neuromuscular issues, reduces anxiety and inspires a positive mental attitude.

It has been particularly good for Jude. He is a model student who is focused, conscientious and has an inspirational, optimistic mind-set. When he first started attending sessions Jude relied much more heavily on his wheelchair, but since then he has gradually been walking more. Attending the sessions has also improved his confidence. He used to only attend classes once a week, and he needed his mum with him a lot. However, now he attends twice a week and does it independently without his parents.

Jude has also built a great rapport with the trainee instructor who draws out plans for him as he is a visual learner. He has also become more confident and independent and has found a place where he is free to express himself. He is making great progress, he had his first grading this month where he earned his gold stripe! He enjoys it so much he practices at home and even rocks his blade martial arts sweatshirt to the Leeds Mencap play schemes.”

The positive change in Jude has also been noticed by his mum.

“The taster session at Leeds Mencap gave me and Jude the confidence to start attending karate sessions. Chris, the instructor ensures that Jude can take part in all group activities and supports him with any of the harder movements.

The changes I’ve seen in Jude since he has start attending have been amazing. He has been developing his core and his balance which has meant he can now stand for longer and last week he took four steps on his own. Not only has there been physical benefits but Jude is also building his confidence and discipline. This is apparent in all areas of his life, and we have also seen improvement in his behaviour at home and school. Jude has started making friends with the other young people in the karate group and it is nice to see him socialising independently. Jude is now working towards his gold stripe and we couldn’t be more proud of him!”

Most importantly, Jude himself has felt the positive effects of his karate sessions.

“Karate makes me feel so happy and confident. I have made lots of new friends and I am not bored”

By choosing to support Leeds Mencap you will be supporting the delivery of activity sessions like these which create a safe space for children with learning disabilities, like Jude, to try new skills and make new friends in a safe and welcoming environment.

If you want more information on Blade Martial Arts email blademartialarts@gmail.com or visit https://blademartialarts.com/instructors/

If you want more information on Leeds Mencap activities and clubs email info@leedsmencap.org.uk or visit https://www.leedsmencap.org.uk/how-we-can-help/children-and-young-people/

Ted's Travels

25th April 2022

Last week we were joined by a very special guest at The Vinery Centre. Ted the teddy bear from Royal Mencap visited us on the first stop of his UK tour. Here’s a summary from Ted himself about all the activities he got up to this week.

Monday

On Monday I took advantage of The Vinery Centre being empty for the bank holiday and I had a tour of the building. I got to see all the amazing facilities that Leeds Mencap have. I saw the playground, sensory room, soft play room, activity rooms and offices. It was such a fun day and I’m excited to see what the week brings!

Tuesday

On tuesday morning I popped along to the sleep tight training course with Ruth at the Vinery Centre. I learnt all about bedtime routines, sleep cycles and how to help children get the all-important rest that they need to be happy and healthy! I personally think that teddy bear cuddles are a vital part of getting a good night’s sleep!

In the afternoon I visited the 3-5 year old playroom in Hawthorn, which is Leeds Mencap’s specialist nursery for children with learning disabilities. It was great to see all the children playing happily together and using the specialist toys and outdoor equipment.

In the evening I spent time with Tuesday Club, which is Leeds Mencap’s youth club for children aged 9-13 years old with learning disabilities. We had a fun-filled evening playing outside on the climbing frame and with coloured chalk and bubble wands! A big thank you to the group members for sharing their snacks with me- I needed it after all the climbing!

Wednesday

I spent Wednesday morning with the lovely Sophie and Zoe from the family services team. They showed me how they make online content to support our families that can’t travel into the centre. I even got to star in my own sensory story and spoke to a fellow co-star to get some tips!

On Wednesday afternoon I hung out in Jimbo’s, which is Leeds Mencap’s nursery. Jimbo’s is part of Leeds Mencap’s inclusive early years support offer. I had so much fun playing with the toys and exploring the reading corner!

In the evening I went to sibs, which is Leeds Mencap’s youth club for children aged 8-16 who have a brother or sister with a learning disability. We got up to so much fun making the most of the sunshine and enjoying the outdoor play equipment!

Thursday

On Thursday morning I was with the 0-2 year old Hawthorn Children. We had a fun-filled morning playing in the ball pit and going down the slide. I was even lucky enough to be fed a tasty midday snack!

In the afternoon I spent time with the centre support team. I helped out in the kitchen, became Adele’s assistant on reception and helped Paula count up some donations. I even sneaked away to the photocopier and got up to some mischief.

I spent thursday evening with Thursday club, a group where young people aged 14-18, who have a learning disability can come together to socialise and have fun. We got up to lots including playing basketball and climbing on the climbing frame!

Friday

I spent Friday morning at the stay and play coffee morning with Ruth the lovely family engagement and support worker. This week we explored sensory stories. It was so lovely seeing family come together to receive advice and get some peer support! I even got a biscuit. Yum!

On Friday afternoon I popped along to the introduction to Makaton course. Makaton is a great way for parents to communicate with their child that has a learning disability. I had so much fun learning signs and symbols such as hello and goodbye

I spent Friday evening with Friday Club. Friday club is a group where young adults aged 18-25 with a learning disability can come together and have fun, such as playing bingo!

I had such an amazing week with Leeds Mencap, meeting their beneficiaries and learning more about their services. Next stop on my tour is Jersey Mencap. I can’t wait to see what the week brings!

Easter Raffle

1st April 2022

This Easter we are excited to be hosting an Easter raffle, where you could win fantastic prizes such as Luxury Easter eggs, chocolate and toy hampers and many more Easter goodies!

Prizes will be drawn on the 13^th April at 11 am

With all proceeds going towards charity, Tickets cost £1 and are available to be purchased in person at The Vinery Centre, 20 Vinery Terrace, Leeds, LS9 9LU or purchase them online via Raffle (enthuse.com) Another option is to buy them over the phone by calling: 01132351331

Leeds Mencap would like to say a huge Thank you and a Happy Easter to our generous donors:

Irwin Mitchell for donating luxury Easter eggs

Hagen Wolf for donating a variety of delicious Easter eggs

And to Fareshare for providing chocolate

Leeds Mencap, Charity number 1091809. Registered with Leeds City Council.

Promoter: Abi Hart, The Vinery Centre, 20 Vinery Terrace, Leeds, LS9 9LU

Registered with Leeds City Council. All monies and unsold tickets must be returned to the promoter before the 18.03.2022

Hello Spring!

25th March 2022

Spring has officially sprung! The days are getting sunnier and the flowers are coming out. Here at Leeds Mencap we welcome the longer, warmer days!

Spring Activities at Leeds Mencap

Nursery have been embracing the start of spring with a variety of activities. Last week they played with an ugly-ducking themed sensory tuff tray, not only to celebrate spring but to learn the positive morals of the ugly duckling story! They also created a fun spring wall, full of pictures and key words surrounding spring, to get them in the spring spirit. Finally, this week they made the most of the nice weather and got green-fingered by planting lots of seeds!

Our youth clubs have also been getting into the spring mood! This week Tuesday and Thursday club decorated spring bonnet pictures with feathers, stickers, gems and coloured pens. We think they look brilliant and we love their creativity! 

Free, Accessible Spring Activities

Spring walk around Chevin Forest Park

The beautiful Chevin Forest Park is made up of over 445 acres of criss-cross paths through stunning woodlands, brimming with heritage and geological treasure to marvel at. A dedicated nature reserve and site of natural interest, Chevin forest provides remarkable views over the glorious Wharfe Valley and market town Otley.

With walking trails, picnic spots, organised events and woodlands to explore, there is something for everyone on this wonderful walk! Chevin forest park is also wheelchair accessible and has accessible changing places and toilets, so there's no barrier to the fun!

Leeds Easter Bunny Egg Hunt

A free family friendly event that is simply the perfect day out for the Easter holidays. Embark on an Easter adventure to find 12 eggs hidden across Leeds City Centre. You simply need to pick up a map from the Easter Bunny Egg Garden, which is located at Victoria Leeds on Sidney Street, to start your Easter adventure. Then you must crack the clues to uncover the eggs before returning back to the garden to claim your Easter treat.

This event runs from 8th-18th April from 11am-4pm

Leeds City Museum Extinction Easter Trail

Discover extinct and endangered animals at the museum with this free family trail. Meet the dod bird, marvel at the dinosaur egg and come face to face with endangered animals. Simply pick up a trail sheet at the museum entrance and post it in the museum post-box to enter the prize draw.

This event runs from 2nd-18th April 2022

The museum are also hosting some easter craft sessions on 5th-8th APril and 12th-15th april in the main hall

You can find out more here

Spring Fundraising Ideas

If you want to take advantage of the new season and fundraise for us then we have put together a list of our top spring fundraising ideas:

Easter Raffle

Support Leeds Mencap by purchasing on of our Easter Raffle Tickets. Prizes include luxury Easter eggs, toys and much more.

You can purchase tickets online here , in person at The Vinery Centre or by calling 0113 235 1331

Easter Egg Hunt

Why not host your own easter egg hunt and ask for a small donation from attendees? This is a great way to get family and friends together to make the most of the nicer weather all whilst raising money for a good cause!

BBQ

As soon as the sun comes out, there's no excuse to not have a BBQ! Get your favourite people together, enjoy some great food and ask people to donate to the charity as their contribution!

Plant Sale

Take some inspiration from our nursery with this green-fingered fundraising idea! In the spring lots of gardeners are preparing to start planting. Coordinate with local gardeners or your fellow green-fingered friends and host a donations encouraged to raise money for a great cause whilst getting your gardens ready for the new season!

Charity of the Year Partnership with Hagen Wolf!

28th February 2022

We are delighted to announce that we have been chosen as the first ever Charity of The Year for the brilliant Hägen Wolf. Hägen Wolf is a boutique law firm based in Leeds and London, specialising exclusively in property litigation.

You can read more about the amazing work they do here: https://lght.ly/3kmjle1

You can also support them on social media by following @hagenwolflaw

2022 will see their colleagues taking part in a variety of activities to support & raise money for us. They have aimed their sights high and have set themselves a fundraising target of £10,000. That amount of money will make a huge difference to us and will go a long way in allowing us to provide our vital services that support young people with learning disabilities and their families across Leeds.

You can support their fundraising efforts by donating to their just giving page here: https://lght.ly/kn6c50l

Their first event will be a treat week so keep your eyes peeled for that!

We cannot wait to work with them throughout 2022 and see how much we can raise!

Check back here regularly for updates on their latest events!

Tips for supporting your child if they have a sibling with additional needs.

7th January 2022

Being a parent to a disabled child comes with lots of additional responsibility, stresses, joys and challenges. This affects the whole family – and here are our tips for supporting a young person who has a sibling with additional needs.

·         Encourage your child to ask for attention when they need it.  Balancing your time and attention is difficult at the best of times, and this only gets harder when you have a child with additional needs. Teaching your child to ask for attention when they need it ensures their needs are also fulfilled.

·         Talk to your child to try and establish boundaries over what information they need to know about their sibling with additional needs. Some young people may find it overwhelming and stressful to know every detail of their sibling’s disability, while others may find it reassuring and comforting to know the full details.  Try and strike a balance on how much information to share with your child, and check in with them regularly to see whether there’s anything they want to hear more or less about.

·         Invite everyone along to visits with service providers. Extend the invite to all siblings, but don’t require their attendance. If they do want to attend, this can be a great way for them to gain information, feel involved and more equipped to help their sibling.

·         Keep the sibling’s additional needs an open topic for discussion. Answer any questions your young person may have about their sibling’s disability honestly.

·         Teach your child fun activities they can do with their sibling. Allow for some time where being together is fun, as opposed to being about caring and responsibilities.

·         Talk about the future. Talking about the future can help unburden young people with questions they may have about caring for their sibling later in life.

·         Ensure your child has space and encouragement to enjoy and live their own life.

Leeds Mencap Siblings Group runs Wednesdays, 6:00 – 8:00. This provides a space where young people who have a sibling with additional needs can meet peers, and offers an environment where they can relax, have fun and take some time to themselves.

For more information about this group, check out our website (link: https://www.leedsmencap.org.uk/how-we-can-help/children-and-young-people/the-siblings-group/)

For additional support on this topic, check out sibs.org (link: https://www.sibs.org.uk/)

Joyce Fieldhouse – Founder Member and Honorary President of Leeds Mencap 1953 – 2021

17th December 2021

We would like to commemorate and celebrate the life and contribution of Joyce Fieldhouse who died on 1st December 2021.

Joyce was one of a group of parents of children with learning disabilities or autism who set Leeds Mencap up back in 1953 when there was very little support available for children or families. Over the years Joyce gave an enormous amount of time and energy to the organisation, influencing local policy, particularly around education for children with learning disabilities, and setting up and improving services. Joyce was particularly dedicated to Leeds Mencap’s Holiday Home (1968 – 1991) at Bridlington, arranging breaks for families and the upkeep of the house.

Joyce’s unstinting service was recognised in 2013 when she was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for service to people with learning disabilities. In the same year she became Honorary President of Leeds Mencap as she retired (aged 83) from more active involvement in the day to day running of the charity.

Supportive throughout, Joyce was pleased to join Anneka Rice on a trip down memory lane in 2015 when Anneka, who had transformed the burnt-out shell of Leeds Mencap’s ‘new’ building in East End Park in 1992, came to help us launch the last leg of our fundraising campaign for our current home, The Vinery Centre.

Without Joyce and others who had the vision, commitment and determination to found Leeds Mencap 68 years ago we would not be the organisation we are today. Joyce has touched the lives of so many people who have benefited from her dedication and hard work over the years. We have always been proud to be associated with Joyce and will be forever grateful to her for all she has done. We offer her family our condolences and hope they can draw comfort from knowing the high regard in which Joyce will be remembered.

Cath Lee, CEO, on behalf of everyone past and present at Leeds Mencap.

Winter Well-being Accessible Walks

6th December 2021

Following from our well-being weekend messages on social media- we want to continue to provide some tips on how you can look after your well-being this winter.

If the weather isn't too miserable then we encourage you to try and spend some time outdoors this week. Surrounding yourself with nature and getting some fresh air is a great way to boost your feel-good endorphins. We've curated a list below of walks around Leeds that are inclusive and easily accessible by wheelchair or pushchair:

• Chevin Forest 'Suprise View' (North Leeds)- wheelchair accessible. Accessible changing places and toilet
• Golden Acre Park (North Leeds, Bramhope)- Disabled parking available. Motorised scooters are available to hire for free.
• Roundhay Park (North-East Leeds)- Disabled parking. Wheelchair accessible paths.
• Temple Newsam (south-East Leeds)- A circular walk by the ponds which is all accessible by wheelchair or pushchair. Motorized scooters available to hire.

When on a walk why not take some time to be mindful and ask yourselves these questions:

• What can you hear?
• What can you see?
• What can you smell?
• What can you feel?

We hope you find this information useful. remember to check back on our social medias everyday this month for our family services advent calendar which will include more well-being tips and activities.

"No one day is the same"

22nd November 2021

Here at Leeds Mencap we run play schemes, for children aged 4-18 years old during the school holidays. Our play schemes are all about having fun, trying new experiences and spending quality time with friends. Importantly, they also help children to maintain social skills and confidence that can both be negatively affected by the holiday breaks.

Our play schemes would not be able to run successfully without the support of our amazing staff. We recently sat down with two of our play scheme workers to give them the opportunity to chat about why they love play schemes so much!

Stacey

Stacey has previous experience of supporting children with special educational needs in a mainstream school setting. When we chatted with her, she noted that she really enjoys working with the children outside of a school setting at our playschemes. This is because play schemes are much more focused on enjoyment and playing and the children get to give their input into what activities they do. “Take today for example, the activity was Halloween biscuit making, but if a child didn’t feel like making biscuits then they could sit out or do another activity. You don’t always get that kind of freedom in schools, as the activities are much more rigid” she said. When asked about her favourite moments from this October’s play schemes, she recalled really enjoying watching the children take part in sensory play with a jelly slime “brain” as part of their Halloween activities. “The children were mesmerized by the slime and it was so nice to see.”

Angelica

Angelica began as a play scheme volunteer back in 2017 when she was just 16 years old, before becoming a paid play scheme worker in 2021. Initially, Angelica volunteered for play schemes due to her keen interests in studying child psychotherapy and in gaining experience working with children with additional needs. She said that supporting our play schemes was even more rewarding than she ever imagined it to be. She told us “My favourite thing about play schemes is that no one day is ever the same, it’s always different and you never know what to expect”. She also explained how she enjoys seeing the gentle and kind side of children who may previously have been labelled as having challenging behavior due to their additional needs- “We had a new little girl start today and It was so nice to see one of the children immediately greet her with a hug and welcome her into the group.”

How you can help

If you want to support our play schemes, a donation of £15 could pay for some arts and crafts equipment for a session. You can donate by calling us on 0113 235 1331 or you can simply text LEEDSMENCAP followed by your donation amount to 70085, to give that amount.

Merry Quizmas!

8th November 2021

We are so excited to announce that we are hosting our first Christmas quiz in partnership with the wonderful Headrow House this December. It will be a great evening for people to come together and kick off their Christmas celebrations, all whilst raising money for a great cause! See the poster below for full details. Please note that this event is inclusive and open to everyone. This means that it is open to our service users and families, the general public and students from the local universities. Tickets are available to purchase here: https://dice.fm/event/2v6pp-leeds-mencap-christmas-quiz-1st-dec-headrow-house-leeds-tickets

If you cannot attend the quiz in person then why not host your very own Christmas quiz to raise money for Leeds Mencap?

Before the Quiz

• Before you can get quizzing you need to have a suitable venue, whether you meet your friends at a local pub or do the quiz from the comfort of your own home, having a cosy spot to do the quiz will make all the difference!
• Make sure to pick a suitable time- you don’t want your quiz to clash with any of your peers’ regular commitments or any major sporting or entertainment events. You want to make sure you have their full attention.
• Questions- when drafting the questions make sure to make them a suitable standard. You want them to be challenging but remember the quiz is all for fun so don’t make it impossible. Read your questions and answers through ahead of time to make sure they all make sense. Nothing will ruin a quiz more than rubbish questions.
• Equipment- if you are doing a good old fashioned paper quiz then make sure you have enough paper, answer sheets and pens for everyone, with spares just in case. If you are running your quiz as a computer presentation make sure it is set up and runs smoothly ahead of time to avoid any technical issues.
• Promotion- Make sure to promote your quiz among you peers, family and friends, the more the merrier!

During the quiz

• In addition to your usual general knowledge questions why not add in some special rounds? A round or a few questions on learning disabilities is an interesting way to mix things up and raise awareness for the work that we do. You could also include a challenge round such as building the tallest tower out of household items or the quickest to solve a puzzle or mini game.
• Offer refreshments. Whether you just want to buy crisps or nibbles or you fancy yourself as a bit of a baker or chef, providing snacks and refreshments for your guests will ensure everyone has a great night- after all nobody is fun to be around when they’re hangry!

After the quiz

• Count up and keep note of the amount of money raised straight after the quiz and send the money into us as soon as possible. If you are storing the money somewhere before donating it then make sure it is stored in a safe place it’s always good to assign more than one person to this job to check the totals and make sure that the money is safe.
• Thanking- make sure to thank everyone who attended your quiz and let them know how much they raised. You can also contact us to receive a personalised thank you certificates for all those that took part.

Happy quizzing! 🙂

Christmas Raffle

5th November 2021

We are excited to host a raffle this Christmas, with all proceeds supporting children and young people with learning disabilities in Leeds. Check out the fantastic prizes:

1st- A family activity bundle (£60 Vue Cinema Voucher, 4 lazerzone passes and Bowling for 4)

2nd-A Makaton Training voucher worth £150

3rd- A luxury Hotel Chocolat Christmas Hamper

4th- Jump Inc Trampoline Park Voucher

5th and 6th -Two fun family hampers

7th Axe Throwing Voucher

8th- Go Karting for 1

Tickets are £1 each. Available to purchase at: The Vinery Centre, 20 Vinery Terrace, Leeds LS9 9LU

Or tickets are available to buy over the phone in bundles of 5 by calling: 0113 235 1331

· Marshall Wooldridge

· Lazerzone

· Tenpin Leeds

· Andy McMakaton

· Irwin Mitchell

· Jump Inc

· Whistlepunks

· Team Sport

Our prizes have been generously donated by local companies. Please note if prizes are unable to be redeemed with the venue the charity will not be able to replace

Leeds Mencap, charity number 1091809. Registered with Leeds City Council.

Digital Fundraising

28th October 2021

Digital fundraising has become one of the most popular and effective ways for people to support the causes they care about most. With Covid-19 keeping us all stuck indoors and unable to fundraise in the traditional ways, such as by hosting bake sales or running marathons, the importance of digital fundraising has exploded. It can all seem a bit overwhelming at first, with such a variety of online giving platforms out there. So we’ve collated some of the easiest to use digital fundraising platforms below, to make supporting us simpler than ever!

Text to donate

Text to donate codes are brilliant because they are so quick and easy and allow you to donate from anywhere. I’m sure you’re used to seeing these on TV shows such as Children in Need or Stand up to Cancer Great British Bake Off but now we have our own.

Simply text LEEDSMENCAP followed by your donation amount to 70085, to give that amount. It’s as simple as that!

It is worth noting that any texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message.

Easy Fundraising

Easy fundraising allows you to donate to your chosen cause whilst you do your everyday shopping. Easy fundraising has hundreds of your favourite retailers to choose from such as Argos, Tesco and John Lewis. Just start your online shopping through easy fundraising and the site makes a donation when you shop, at no extra cost to you.

Easy Fundraising also allows you to set up a handy reminder for when you shop online- with a pop up letting you know that Easy Fundraising is active.

Simply visit Easy Fundraising to get started or see the handy video below for more information on how it works!

Amazon smile

Amazon Smile Works the same way as Amazon.co.uk. However, it has the added benefit of allowing you to nominate a charity when you purchase items. Amazon then donates 0.5% of the purchase cost (excluding VAT and shipping) to your nominated charity at no extra cost to you, so your shopping experience stays the same but you get to raise money for your chosen cause.

To get started Go to Amazon Smile , log into your amazon account, chose Leeds Mencap and start shopping!

Amazon wish list

Another great way to give through Amazon is by purchasing an item directly from our Amazon Wish List. This is a list of products we have curated that will benefit our youth clubs, play schemes, specialist nursery and The Vinery Centre as a whole.

This is a great option if you want to see exactly what your money is going towards. It is also super easy as anything you purchase from the list can be delivered directly to us.

Visit our amazon wish list here

Just Giving

Perhaps one of the most well-known online donation platforms is Just Giving. Just giving allows you to give a one off donation or set up a regular donation.

Simply visit our just giving page here to donate.

Brandon's Story

15th October 2021

One of the most important things that we offer at Leeds Mencap are our youth clubs. We offer our youth clubs to a range of ages and they provide the children with the important opportunity to socialise with their peers, who also understand what it is like to live with a learning disability. Not only do our youth clubs support the children, they also allow their families to have some much needed downtime.

Here is Brandon's story which perfectly illustrates the value of our youth clubs.

"Brandon has attended Leeds Mencap for approximately five years and has absolutely thrived there. He attends every week at the youth club and also attends the playscheme in the school holidays. He originally started in the Tuesday Club (for ages 9-13yrs) and has just transitioned into the Thursday Club (14-18yrs). he has really loved meeting new friends, socialising and taking part in different activities. He has built great relationships with both the staff and the other children and he looks forward to going every week.

From a parents point of view, it has been excellent for us as it has allowed us to do activities we wouldn't normally have been able to do with our younger child. Not only that, but we know we are allowing him to access a service where we know he is safe and well looked after. We can't thank Leeds Mencap enough for what they have done for us as a family so thank you!"

Meet our new staff members!

1st October 2021

It has been a busy few months here at Leeds Mencap. We are well and truly back up and running after Covid-19 and are delighted to have expanded our team. Here are our brilliant new team members:

Ruth Watson- Family Services Case Worker

Ruth joined Leeds Mencap in June 2021. She has previously worked as an early years teacher in primary schools and nursery settings across the city. Her role as the Family Services Caseworker is to provide support and advice for families with children aged 0-5 years old with learning disabilities and additional needs. In her spare time Ruth enjoys outdoor swimming and taking part in triathlons, as well as spending time with her family.

Abi Hart- Fundraising and Communications Officer

Abi joined Leeds Mencap in July 2021 having graduated from the University of Leeds with a first class degree in psychology which included a year in industry as a researcher and fundraiser for a local community interest company. Her role as the Fundraising and Communications Officer is to build and nurture relationships with individuals, community groups and corporate contacts in order to raise vital funds for the charity. In her spare time Abi enjoys going to the gym and spending time with her friends.

Sophie Baddeley- Family Engagement and Support Worker

Sophie joined Leeds Mencap in September 2021. Sophie moved from Lincolnshire to Leeds to pursue a degree in Maths and Philosophy. In her role as a Family Engagement and Support Worker she is involved with setting up and organising the SEND toy and learning library. In addition to working for Leeds Mencap, she assists another local charity on the weekends, running physiotherapy sessions for children with learning disabilities. In her spare time she loves to embroider, sew and crochet and can often be found wearing her own homemade clothes.

Summer Fair 2021 Thank You!

17th September 2021

Recently we had our Leeds Mencap 2021 Summer Fair. As we are sure is the same for many of you, Covid-19 unfortunately put a stop to a lot of our plans and prevented us from being able to engage with our community in the ways we would have liked.

Once restrictions eased, and it felt safe enough to do so, we knew we wanted to put on a big event for our community, to kick-start a new six months of fundraising and, more importantly, to provide the vital opportunity for children with learning disabilities and their families to get involved with their wider community once again.

Thanks to a wonderful donation from the Co-op Foundation to run the event and the generosity of local businesses and organisations (see the end of the post for a full list) we were able to put on an amazing day.

We had a climbing wall, which was kindly provided to us by Willmott Dixon Interiors, a bouncy castle, circus skills workshops, carnival games such as hook a duck and lolly lottery, a raffle, a tombola and of course food and refreshments provided by Killingbeck Asda.

It was amazing to see all the smiling faces of the children and families enjoying a much needed fun day out to mark the end of the summer holidays and a return to a sense of normality.

We had around 300 people attend in total, and thanks to everyone’s kind donations we managed to raise an amazing £784.95. This money will help us to continue to provide vital services to support children with learning disabilities and their families all across Leeds.

We want to extend a big thank you to all of the donors, volunteers and attendees of the summer fair that made it such a special and memorable day. We hope to be able to put on more events like this in the future and to see you all soon.

Once again a massive thank you to the following people for their support:

• The Co-op Foundation
• Willmott Dixon Interiors
• All About Party Bags
• Experience days
• Greggs
• Go Ape
• Andy Mc Makaton Tutor
• Tenpin Leeds
• Asda
• Warburtons
• The Body Shop
• The Little Bookshoop
• Arcade Club Leeds
• The Entertainer
• Nandos
• Splats

Kind regards, The fundraising team.

Summer Fair 2021

16th August 2021

As COVID-19 restrictions are easing up we are hosting an inclusive, family friendly summer fair. We would love to see you there!

When? -Wednesday 1st September from 11:30-3:00

Where?– The Vinery Centre, 20 Vinery Terrace, LS9 9LU

Activities may include:

• Carnival stalls
• Raffle and Tombola
• Arts and Crafts
• Bouncy Castle
• Glitter tattoos
• Food and refreshments
• Climbing Frame
• Circus skills
• DJ

Entry is free and there will be a mix of free activities and activities that require a small donation. All proceeds from the event will go towards Leeds Mencap and will allow us to support children with learning disabilities and their families.

We have strived to ensure that this event is as inclusive as possible. All activities will be fun and accessible. An additional room will be available for chill out time if needed. We have accessible facilities including disabled toilets, a changing room, and disabled access throughout. Staff and volunteers will be present at this event however, we must stress that children must be accompanied by parents/carers throughout and will remain their responsibility.

A huge thank you to the following companies for their support:

• The Co-op Foundation
• Willmott Dixon Interiors
• All about party bags

And the following companies who have generously provided raffle and tombola prizes:

• Experience Days https://www.experiencedays.co.uk/charity-scheme
• Greggs
• Go Ape
• Arcade Club, Kirkstall
• The Little Bookshop, Chapel Allerton
• Forbidden Planet
• Entertainer
• Nandos
• Tenpin Leeds
• Body Shop
• Andy McMakaton Tutor
• FareShare

Generous support from West Riding Masonic Charities

4th August 2021

Recently we received a generous grant of £4,960 from the the Provincial Grand Master’s Fund, part of West Riding Masonic Charities Ltd, supported by the Lodge of Dawn.

This grant will go towards purchasing specialist and sensory equipment for our new lending library which is part of our early years support offer. Our families will be able to borrow a variety of items and equipment and will also be provided with support and videos on how to best use the equipment to support their child's development.

A spokesman for The Lodge of Dawn said: "We are delighted to be able to support a charity right in the heart of our community. Charitable giving and supporting the community are key parts of what makes Freemasonry the force for good that it is. The four guiding principles in Freemasonry are integrity, friendship, respect and charity, and we believe that the fantastic work that Mencap are doing in Leeds with this library project embodies that too”.

Cath Lee, CEO of Leeds Mencap said “On behalf of everyone at Leeds Mencap, I would like to thank the The Lodge of Dawn, West Riding Masonic Charities Ltd and all of the Freemasons of Yorkshire, for the grant recently awarded to us. This grant is the vital last piece in the jigsaw of funding for our new SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) toy and resources library. 

The donation will help us buy some particularly expensive and specialist items for the library that families would never be able to afford by themselves. Families will be able to borrow specialist toys and equipment to support their child to develop their abilities and learn and play at home.

The idea of the library came out of the pandemic when children with learning disabilities were even more isolated than most and their opportunities for intensive developmental  play restricted resulting in their learning falling behind. We realised with the right equipment and support at home families would be able to continue to support their child’s development.  We can’t thank you enough for making this possible.”

Thank you so much for the support.

You can find out more about the Lodge of Dawn here

Important notice to our service users and visitors to the Vinery Centre regarding Covid-19 restrictions

16th July 2021

On Monday 12^th July the government announced that from July 19^th 2021 we would move to Step 4 of the roadmap which includes the removal of a number of restrictions as legal requirements. 

We have reviewed the guidance and, whilst wearing face coverings and social distancing are no longer legal requirements, we have decided that we will continue to keep these measures in place until at least 16^th August when we will review the situation.   In line with government guidance, we will also continue with enhanced cleaning and encouraging frequent hand washing/sanitising.  We will be sending more specific information about particular services and groups using the centre by email.  We hope you will understand and support us in our efforts to continue to prevent the transmission of the virus, keep everyone safe and keep services running.

If you have questions please contact us on info@leedsmencap.org.uk or on 0113 235 1331

For all the up to date guidance from the Government please go to https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Take care

Cath Lee, Chief Executive

Stowe Family Law supports Leeds Mencap’s Business Club

16th April 2021

Willmott Dixon Interiors show eggscellent support for Leeds Mencap this Easter

31st March 2021

Leeds Mencap have received a delicious donation this Easter, as their partners at local construction company Willmott Dixon Interiors, specialists in interior fit out and refurbishment, have worked with their suppliers to deliver over 400 Easter eggs to support the charity’s causes and children in the area.

In the run up to Easter the charity have been distributing eggs to children and young people with learning disabilities who attend their youth clubs and play schemes, alongside children from Jimbo’s Community Nursery. They have also given some families in the local area, Burmantofts and Richmond Hill, a chocolate egg as part of their weekly food parcel, as a special surprise for the children to enjoy.

Charlotte Stone, Leeds Mencap Fundraising Manager, said: “We are so grateful for this support from Willmott Dixon Interiors and their partners. Many families in the Leeds area have faced real struggles during the Covid-19 pandemic. Providing them with an Easter egg will hopefully give children a little Easter treat that they may not otherwise have got.”

Brian Cole, Willmott Dixon Interiors Senior Build Manager, added: “Willmott Dixon Interiors feel privileged to be able to help such a worthy charity, and are proud of the support we have received from our supply chain partners, in enabling us to achieve the target set by Leeds Mencap. We look forward to being able to assist Leeds Mencap in any way we can during 2021 and beyond”.

If you are a company or individual who would like support Leeds Mencap, please get in touch with the fundraising team on 0113 235 1331 or email fundraising@leedsmencap.org.uk. To donate, please visit our website www.leedsmencap.org.uk/donate.

It has never been so important to be there for our children and their families

11th February 2021

I am Becky, the Deputy Manager of Jimbo’s community nursery which is based in the Vinery Centre. On a day to day basis I support the nursery manager with the general running of the nursery and also oversee our Preschool Playroom.

In Jimbo’s we can take children from aged 6 months up until they leave us to go to school. We also run an after school club and holiday club for primary school aged children. We are a mainstream setting; however we provide care for vulnerable children and a high number of children with additional needs. It is a great honour to be part of such an inclusive setting.

Whilst in nursery, the children explore and experience lots of planned activities which help their development, this can range from maths, reading or simply communicating with their friends. We also work with outside agencies to support children the best we possibly can, including the inclusion team and speech and language to name just a few.

I have worked in childcare for around 10 years now and I absolutely love seeing how much of a difference nursery makes to the children’s development and confidence at such an important time of their lives.. Whether it is seeing them take their first steps in the baby room or watching them grow into confident children when they leave us to go to “big school”. It is absolutely magical.

My support doesn’t just stop with the children, I support their families too. As we are in a deprived area, a number of our families can have daily struggles, especially during recent times as we go through the pandemic, it has never been so important to be there for our children and their families.

It has been really sad to see how the pandemic has affected our families. People have lost their jobs and some have sadly lost loved ones. We receive weekly food to distribute to our parents and at Christmas all of our families got a lovely big hamper which had lots of food for them to enjoy over the Christmas period. Just seeing the reactions’ on our parent’s faces when we gave them the food parcels was priceless! One family said “This hamper will help feed my children in the run up to Christmas. This is a huge help for us as we are a low income family.” Another said “It was indeed a great surprise to receive such a perfect gift from the school. This demonstrates the true love and care they receive from school, even when on a break. We are grateful”

It was a brilliant feeling knowing our children and families had foods in their cupboards. Through the pandemic we regularly contact and update parents, sending work packs home to help occupy children or sometime they might just need another adult to talk to for 10 minutes. Little things like this can make a huge difference.      

I started working in childcare as an apprentice when I left high school and went on to complete my level 2 and 3 in Children’s Care and Development. I then worked as a nursery nurse in a number of settings, before joining Leeds Mencap in 2016 in my first managerial role, which was a proud moment for me.  I have worked in a number of nurseries, but nothing comes close to what we do in Jimbo’s to support our children and their families. It’s lovely to hear the feedback from parents and the difference we are making. I am so proud to tell people that I work at Jimbo’s Community Nursery and Leeds Mencap.

One parent of a child with additional needs who I helped to secure a school place in a specialist provision said “Thank you so much Becky for all your help and support I really don’t know what I would have done without you and where my child would be without you.” 

That is the reason why I come to work every day to make a difference to these children.

There is no such thing as a ‘typical day’ at our clubs and playschemes!

28th January 2021

Leeds Mencap Will Week - 15th to the 19th March 2021

27th January 2021

Update on the centre

15th January 2021

Due to the freezing temperatures overnight and forecast for the rest of today, we have taken the decision to close our centre today.  We are sorry for any inconvenience caused.  Please take care if you do have to make a journey anywhere.  

‘Oliver felt safe and as a parent that’s the main thing you want’

6th January 2021

Nicola tells us about Oliver’s Leeds Mencap journey

To say that the Hawthorn playroom at Leeds Mencap was beneficial for Oliver in his first few years is a huge understatement.  I’m so grateful to the two Mums who recommended Leeds Mencap to me, after having attended with their own children.  It has been invaluable for both me and Oliver. 

We started going when Oliver was just 5 months old and went weekly, every Friday for almost 3 years.  We attended other groups too, some for children with additional needs, some not, but this was the first place Oliver was alone in a setting without me.  This took a while for him to get used to and to settle in, but he soon got used to the staff and became familiar with the other children and loved spending time there.  I equally enjoyed spending a few hours in the parents’ room; a chance to relax, moan, laugh, talk, listen, and enjoy a coffee with other parents who understood the ups and downs, without the need for any explanations.  It also gave me a chance to get valuable information and advice from experienced staff and other parents, which I genuinely don’t think I would’ve got anywhere else.

During his time at Hawthorn, Oliver achieved lots of fantastic milestones, gross motor skills like crawling and walking, fine motor skills through various activities and we saw his communication skills improve. Time there also gave him some independence from me and gradually built his confidence around other children and making friends.

In the early days, I remember Oliver spent a lot of time in the Sensory Room when things became a bit noisy for him.  He was encouraged to have a go at everything, whilst also working towards his next steps and targets, which were always discussed and agreed with me, ensuring I felt included and heard.  Everything is broken down into smaller, easier to achieve steps. I found this particularly helpful for working on things with Oliver at home, as well as the many tips (and encouragement) I got on things where I felt we were making slow progress.  The team at Leeds Mencap were able to offer advice on things, which I either wasn’t aware of or wouldn’t have come across on my own. They were also able to offer resources from the playroom to help Oliver, things that we could keep practising with Oliver at home or during the holidays.

There are often such a wide range of abilities in the room on any given day, some children with additional health issues, but nothing is too difficult for the specialist staff to deal with and nothing stops them including all the children in everything.  The staff would always take the time to ask how Oliver’s week had been and were genuinely interested to hear the good and bad, whether he had been ill or had achieved something new.  The room at Leeds Mencap has a great positive energy that comes from the staff and that’s reflected in how happy the children are too, and how much trust parents like me have in leaving their children in the playroom.  Oliver felt safe and as a parent that’s the main thing you want, but at the same time, I knew that he was valued individually and was being pushed to do the best that he could.

I still miss that feeling, of knowing that no matter how exhausting or bad the week had been, there was still Hawthorn to look forward to on a Friday!

Nicola, Mum of Oliver

'Seeing the small changes in the children is absolutely amazing!'

16th December 2020

I’m the Team Leader at Hawthorn, a specialist playroom at Leeds Mencap which is for very young children with learning disabilities aged between 0-3 years. We usually care for nine children a day, but at the moment due to COVID restrictions, we are only able to see three children.

The children have a range of learning disabilities – this could be Down’s Syndrome, autism or in some cases, there might not be a diagnosis but the child may be showing delays. Many of them have additional health conditions too.

In the playroom, we work with each child doing their individual next steps so we can help them to sit up, walk, build up their confidence or support early language skills.

A typical day is quite varied, but at the start of each session, we always have a chat with the parents to catch up and to see what they have been doing at home, to learn if there are any issues with the children and overall how their week has been. We will then encourage the parents to take their child into the playroom, where we will work on developing different skills with the child.

This week, we have been putting baubles on the Christmas tree, adding stickers onto felt trees, painting, posting and playing with reindeer food – oats!

Everything we do is tailored to the child. With some of the children, we might start with getting them to look in the mirror and find themselves and watching movements. For typical developing children, you can take things for granted and steps are consolidated more quickly. For children with learning disabilities, learning new skills takes much longer and they need much more time to practice each step before they can move onto the next.

We might focus on developing confidence in the children or if they can walk already, we might focus on one small next step. Some of the children when they first learn to walk, walk with their arms up so we will spend time working with that child on walking with their arms down to help their balance.

It’s sometimes really minor things that we spend time working on, but by breaking down each step, the child can achieve their goal.

Many of the children have never been left with anyone before, so we deal with a lot of separation anxiety. For some parents, it might be the first time away from their child since they were born. When a child finally settles – it’s a massive achievement and the parent can have a bit of a break and know that their child is being looked after in a safe space.

Everything we do is geared towards getting the children ready for nursery and then school. The job is incredibly rewarding. I love seeing the changes in the children – whether it’s big or small. We celebrate every new skill learnt as for these children, the small steps are huge. Every week, we can see changes in the children and it’s amazing to see.

One boy was non-verbal when he started at the playroom, we were so happy when he said his first word ‘hiya’. Now he chats all day every day when he is with us.

It’s hugely satisfying knowing that at the end of the day, the children are gaining essential skills needed for school.

Here are some of the things that parents have told us about how the playroom has helped them:

Jess Reed

Why Makaton is so fantastic

3rd December 2020

If you’ve not come across Makaton before it’s fantastic. And this is why…

Makaton is a form of sign language that uses symbols, signs and speech to enable children, young people and adults to communicate.

Makaton is similar to British Sign Language however it is a more efficient language programme to use with children as the signs are easy to copy and only focus on key words. It is designed to support spoken language and the signs and symbols are used with speech, in spoken word order.

Over 100,000 people use Makaton. It’s also used by children and adults with communication and learning difficulties and the community around them so people like teachers and health professionals,

Makaton has been shown to be useful to anyone who struggles with understanding concepts, those who have poor literacy skills, and those with English as an Additional Language.

By using Makaton, children and adults can take a more active part in life, because communication and language are the key to everything we do and learn.

Here are a couple of examples:

The Makaton website contains lots of useful resources and information about Makaton and there is also a free resource section. This Christmas, they are running a daily advent calendar so check it out.

This Christmas, we’re encouraging as many businesses, families, schools and individuals to all learn ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’ using Makaton signs. This unique fundraising event is part of our Imagine If campaign. An awareness and fundraising campaign aiming to highlight what it is like to have a learning disability and show what’s important to young people with learning disabilities and their families.

The Great Big Leeds Mencap Singalong is a fundraising event for EVERYONE! With a step-by-step video teaching you all the signs you need and how to put them together, learn this well known Christmas song. For more information about the campaign and how to get involved in this fun and unique initiative, visit the Leeds Mencap website: https://www.leedsmencap.org.uk/events/the-great-big-leeds-mencap-singalong/

Here’s some of the team showing us how it’s done using Makaton:

The Great Big Leeds Mencap Singalong

2nd December 2020

Leeds Mencap are appealing to businesses, families, schools and individuals to all learn ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’ using Makaton signs to raise funds for Leeds Mencap this Christmas as part of their Imagine If campaign. An awareness and fundraising campaign aiming to highlight what it is like to have a learning disability and show what’s important to young people with learning disabilities and their families. 

15,000 people in Leeds have a learning disability in Leeds: this is growing number and Leeds Mencap are determined to get people in the city talking about the issues that families and people with learning disabilities face.

Cath Lee, CEO of Leeds Mencap, explains: “With our Imagine If campaign, we want to highlight some of the issues that have affected children with learning disabilities during this time such as them not being able to see friends and family and not understanding why and not being able to take part in their usual activities – like our youth clubs. Without public support, keeping our services going is going to be difficult’.

The Imagine If campaign features families and children as well as staff, volunteers and supporters talking about having a learning disability and this Christmas, they want to continue to raise awareness of the issues they face and raise money to keep supporting children and their families in Leeds and surrounding areas.

The Great Big Leeds Mencap Singalong is a fundraising event for EVERYONE! With a step-by-step video teaching you all the signs you need and how to put them together, learn this well known Christmas song.

For more information contact: Caitlin Hazell, Leeds Mencap, on 0113 2351331 or caitlin.hazell@leedsmencap.org.uk  or donate at www.leedsmencap.org.uk/donate

Building friendships

13th November 2020

It’s been a real pleasure filming our recent videos for the Imagine if campaign and we hope that you enjoyed the latest one ‘Nothing like you Imagine’. Our Friday club members were absolutely brilliant and it was great to see Ella, Emily and Tom talk about what they like to do and lovely to see their friendship.

For children, parents and carers Leeds Mencap offer the opportunity to build friendships. We know that as well as helping children and young people with learning disability develop their communication skills and build confidence, we can offer lots of ways to socialise with their peers and make great friendships.

During Covid we have had to adapt how we bring children and young people and their families together. But what we do know is how much families value the opportunities for their children to get together whatever age they are.

Becky, Mum of Hannah describes Leeds Mencap as a safe and supportive place for Hannah to come and play with other children and make friends. She says “For Hannah having the chance to meet with other children and being able to socialise. She doesn’t have any brothers or sisters yet, so being able to do that in an environment that is safe for her, where the staff know how to look after her well and how to help her develop more, but to do that with other children, to be able to watch other children playing and eating and to learn from them as well has been really good for her.”

Paul, explains the difference it means for his son Joe to come to Leeds Mencap “When you have a child with a disability, you can often be in a situation where your child doesn’t have a lot of friends or a very wide friendship group, especially out of school. I think it is really important that he can come to clubs like this to make new friends. It’s really key in that respect.

Joe has got a sister and she does all sorts of activities and we are very conscious that it can be a bit of a one way street, that Joe doesn’t get much of a look in, so I think it is really important that he has other activities that he does as well, so we try and foster those where we can.

We just see how much pleasure he gets out of coming to Leeds Mencap, it’s just really nice that he can access to these activities as well.”

He continues “Leeds Mencap is a fantastic organisation, always so positive and doing lots of creative and different activities for the young people. Joe really has a spring in his step when he comes here during the holidays or after school during term time.

They did a Zoom session for them during lockdown in the early part of the summer, he really got a lot out of that. I wasn’t sure whether he would, but he absolutely loved it, it was really nice to see and we all appreciated the effort and the time that they had put into working with the young people.

Sometimes there aren’t a lot of opportunities for young people with disabilities, so anything that there is out there for young people, and Leeds Mencap does offer that tailor service for people with learning disabilities, is really important. We want to develop young people and to help them grow as individuals, and this is a fantastic way of allowing that to happen.”

We do recognise the importance of friendships for children and young people with learning disabilities and we will continue to adapt our services over the next few weeks for our young people

Cath Lee, Chief Executive Officer

Kate's Story

11th November 2020

We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has been really tough on families with children with learning disabilities, read Kate’s story where she talks more about how her family have been coping. Kate’s two sons go to Leeds Mencap’s Youth Clubs, her daughter attends the Sibling Group and Kate goes to our PACES group, a group where parents can get together and share concerns.

Kate says:

The COVID lockdown has been really hard on our family. At first, it was difficult to explain the situation to the kids and hard to work out what we were going to do without school and without our usual routine. My husband Dave also lost his job so it was very worrying. As time went on, we found fun things to do together as a family and we had great support from Leeds Mencap.

The kids really enjoyed playing with the activity packs and we made play dough monsters, crafts and colouring in and also had lots of fun playing ping pong! I also did the online PACES group and the kids did the Zoom sessions with their clubs. They loved seeing the other kids on screen.

During lockdown and after a bit of time, the experience brought us all together as a family and we had lots of fun together, we all became closer. Overall though, lockdown has been difficult, particularly as we can’t see my mum.

Going back to school was a bit daunting for my boys, but my daughter was excited.

Over the last few weeks, the kids really enjoyed dressing up at the Halloween party at Leeds Mencap.

Leeds Mencap is a remarkable service both to my children and to us as a whole family. The support during lockdown has been amazing. It’s so good to know that there is a place where you can reach out if you are stuck.

We hugely appreciate the help and support that we get from Leeds Mencap  - without it, we’d be lost.

To support Leeds Mencap, click here.

94% of Leeds Mencap families said that they have felt more isolated during Covid-19

11th November 2020

We know that COVID 19 has been challenging for many families across the country. The current pandemic has put them under incredible strain with many feeling overwhelmed, isolated and alone as much of the usual support around them disappeared overnight.

We supported families from the start of the crisis in March to the end of summer with a range of support from weekly phone calls to keep in touch to online activities like zoom bingo and activities for parents like mindfulness. Our youth clubs particularly enjoyed the talent show! We also sent out a range of activity packs to the children – from sensory packs including home made playdough to gardening and craft kits. We wanted to see how our families and young people had been coping during the pandemic so we sent out a short survey in September for parents to complete. What the results revealed was how extreme the impact of the pandemic has been on  families who have children and young people with learning disabilities and how it has put both parents and their children under incredible strain.

For the children and young people Leeds Mencap supports, COVID-19 and the lockdown has had a huge negative impact on their lives with parents telling us that 65% of children experienced a worsening in their mood and 53% did less activity.

Worryingly 94% of parents said that they have felt more isolated than usual during the COVID-19 pandemic.  And many parents (76%) reported that their mental and emotional health had worsened with 77% saying that they have experienced increased anxiety.

What the survey also confirmed was what we have been told anecdotally over the past 6 months by the families that use Leeds Mencap; how important our activities and support have been during COVID-19.

With more local lockdowns and tighter restrictions on the horizon it’s unlikely that family’s feelings of isolation and being overwhelmed will ease significantly. That’s why at Leeds Mencap, we’ll now be looking at continuing to adapt what we do so our families and children continue to get the help they need. This might be looking at more online support for parents like training courses and information provision as well as more online group activities for children like singing and exercise.  What we do know from this snapshot survey is that families and young people with learning disabilities need us now more than ever.

Cath Lee

Chief Executive Officer, Leeds Mencap