Donate a prize for our Christmas raffle
19th January 2023
Latest News and Info
Take on the Tough Mudder!
19th January 2023
Donate the price of an easter egg
19th January 2023
Collection Tin
19th January 2023
Support Leeds Mencap by getting a collection tin to display in your workplace!
Leeds Half Marathon 2023
17th May 2022
The Leeds Half Marathon is one of Yorkshire’s biggest racing events.
About this event
The Leeds half marathon is a 13.1 mile route through Leeds. It’s a great way to see the sights of the city and with crowds of supporters cheering you on, how else would you want to spend a Sunday!
The much-loved run raises hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity every year and often attracts more than 7,500 runners. But what makes it special is the atmosphere. Crowds gather to support runners all along the route so whatever the weather, every participant will get a boost from the words of encouragement they receive.
The run also attracts people of all abilities and ages (17 and over), with a fantastically vibrant atmosphere guaranteed, this run could be right up your street.
How to get involved and fundraise for Leeds Mencap
- Register your interest or book your place for the Leeds Half Marathon on the Run For All website.
- If you’re raising funds for Leeds Mencap, you can set up a Just Giving page to collect donations and advertise your run.
- Social media is a great way to tell your story, promote your fundraising efforts and raise awareness. Make sure to tag us in any posts you share! @LeedsMencap
Get in touch with us to request a Leeds Mencap running vest for the big day, email fundraising@leedsmencap.org.uk
Our fundraising team are here to support you, we have a dedicated member of staff on hand to help you! Contact Abi on 0113 235 1331 or email fundraising@leedsmencap.org.uk
How your support helps
£30 could pay for an experienced adviser to provide practical support and a listening ear to a parent who doesn’t know where to turn.
£100 could pay for a Makaton tutor to teach parents attending our coffee mornings some basic signs so they can understand and communicate with their non verbal child.
£200 could pay for a group of young adults to go bowling together, giving them an opportunity for independence and socialising.
£500 could pay for the skilled staff needed to help children develop their early years skills during two sensory play sessions in our specialist play room.
Download our information packs
View current and previous years’ information packs for the Leeds Half Marathon below.
Mencap’s Big Tea Party
17th May 2022
Throw a tea party to raise money for Leeds Mencap!
About this event
Holding a tea party is a great way to raise money for Leeds Mencap and to support people with learning disabilities and their families. Plus you and your guests will enjoy a fun day filled with catching up, playing games and, of course, drinking tea!
Plan your tea party
We’ve put together a list of questions to help you plan your party:
- What kind of party will it be? A small intimate gathering? A children’s party? A large outdoor event? A work party?
- Where will you hold it? At home? The town hall? At school? The office? Your church hall or social club?
- When? Try to find a time when plenty of people will be available. Will there be a theme? 1920’s? Fancy dress? A garden party? A Mad Hatter’s tea party?
- How many people will you invite? Consider your venue and what you need to provide for each guest.
Once you have decided on the details, you can send out your invites (see our resources) and start arranging the day!
Tips for your tea party
- Think of as many ways as you can to raise money for Leeds Mencap at your party – for example ask your guests to pay for their refreshments or charge them to take part in any fun activities!
- Make sure you have enough crockery and seats for your guests. Borrow from friends and family and ask them to help out on the day!
- Provide some party food and perhaps some alternatives to tea.
- Think about some games or activities to break the ice and get everyone talking and in the party mood!
- Share your tea party on Facebook or tweet about it.
Health and safety
Look after your guests and put some thought into health and safety. Leeds Mencap cannot be held responsible for accidents or illness from the Big Tea Party. The safety of you and your guests at the venue is down to you, so please take great care and take out any insurance you might need.
Borrow our resources
We have a number of different party items and decorations that we’d be happy for you to use:
- Leeds Mencap bunting
- Party invitations
- Posters
- Cake labels
- Cake Bingo
Contact us if you’d like to borrow any of these.
Raising money for Leeds Mencap
There are lots of different ways to raise money for Leeds Mencap during your tea party. Here are a few ideas:
- Ask guests to donate a small amount towards their tea party treats – it could be per cup or cake slice, or a set amount when they arrive.
- Arrange some entertainment (like face-painting, cake decorating or quiz) and ask for a donation.
- Ask local businesses to donate food or prizes for a raffle, then you can sell raffle tickets (ask us about any legal requirements).
How to pay in your fundraising
You can pay in your fundraising to us in a number of ways:
- Online: set up a Just Giving page to collect your donations or donate on our website directly.
- By phone: call our friendly team on 0113 235 1331 to pay by card.
- Bank transfer: contact us on 0113 235 1331 to pay via bank transfer.
- By post: you can post cheques to: Leeds Mencap, The Vinery Centre, 20 Vinery Terrace, Leeds, LS9 9LU.
Social media is a great way to tell your story, promote your fundraising efforts and raise more awareness. Make sure to tag us in any posts you share! @LeedsMencap
Our fundraising team are here to support you, we have a dedicated member of staff on hand to help you! Contact Abi on 0113 235 1331 or email fundraising@leedsmencap.org.uk
How your support helps
£30 could pay for an experienced adviser to provide practical support and a listening ear to a parent who doesn’t know where to turn.
£100 could pay for a Makaton tutor to teach parents attending our coffee mornings some basic signs so they can understand and communicate with their non verbal child.
£200 could pay for a group of young adults to go bowling together, giving them an opportunity for independence and socialising.
£500 could pay for the skilled staff needed to help children develop their early years skills during two sensory play sessions in our specialist play room.
Download our information pack
Office Bingo
17th May 2022
Stuck at your desk all day? Break up the day with some office bingo!
Set up your bingo fundraiser
Here are some tips to set up your fundraising event:
- Charge a donation to enter.
- Nominate a member of your team to be the bingo caller and use printable bingo cards.
- Classic or Modern? Either have the caller announce numbers aloud, or if it’s a quieter office get the caller to email numbers to staff every 30 minutes!
- The first person to get a full house either shouts out or replies to all to confirm they have won.
Resources
There are lots of free resources available that can help to make your office bingo as easy as possible.
Visit the Free Bingo Cards website to download your bingo caller card and participant cards. Along with the printable cards, the page also has help and tips for if you struggle to print your cards or want to edit them to make them more personal to your office!
How to pay in your fundraising
You can pay in your fundraising to us in a number of ways:
- Online: set up a Just Giving page to collect your donations or donate on our website directly.
- By phone: call our friendly team on 0113 235 1331 to pay by card.
- Bank transfer: contact us on 0113 235 1331 to pay via bank transfer.
- By post: you can post cheques to: Leeds Mencap, The Vinery Centre, 20 Vinery Terrace, Leeds, LS9 9LU.
Social media is a great way to tell your story, promote your fundraising efforts and raise more awareness. Make sure to tag us @LeedsMencap in to any posts you share!
Our fundraising team are here to support you, we have a dedicated member of staff on hand to help you! Contact Abi on 0113 235 1331 or email fundraising@leedsmencap.org.uk
How your support helps
£30 could pay for an experienced adviser to provide practical support and a listening ear to a parent who doesn’t know where to turn.
£100 could pay for a Makaton tutor to teach parents attending our coffee mornings some basic signs so they can understand and communicate with their non verbal child.
£200 could pay for a group of young adults to go bowling together, giving them an opportunity for independence and socialising.
£500 could pay for the skilled staff needed to help children develop their early years skills during two sensory play sessions in our specialist play room.
Download our information pack
Christmas Raffle
3rd May 2022
Take part in our annual Christmas Raffle to support our charity this year!
About this event
Our Christmas Raffle takes place in December and each year we have a great selection of donated prizes to be won.
Raffle tickets will be available in the run up and during this event, please get in touch with us for more information on 0113 235 1331 or email fundraising@leedsmencap.org.uk to get involved.
More information about the raffle will be shared closer to the event.
Mencap’s Mountain Challenge
3rd May 2022
Tackle a mountain or skyscraper from the comfort of your own home in our mountain challenge.
About this event
Always wanted to climb Kilimanjaro or scale Snowdon? Then we have the challenge for you!
Climb any mountain of your choice from the comfort of your own home. The goal of the challenge is to climb the equivalent number of flights of stairs as a well-known mountain or building of your choice. The money you raise will help support our work to improve the lives of children and young people with learning disabilities.
Simply pick a mountain or landmark, and pledge to complete the equivalent amount of steps that it would take to climb it. Get your friends and family to sponsor you.
Our top tips
- Set up a Just Giving page to easily collect your donations and advertise your challenge.
- Work out your target – count and record how many steps you or your team climb each day for a week. Make your highest step day your daily target!
- Challenge yourself – aim to climb a mountain or building that has the same number of flights as your weekly flight goal, or more if you’re feeling ambitious!
- Keep going – keep a record of your steps so you know how close you are to completing your challenge. If you surpass your target then aim for a taller mountain or building!
How to pay in your fundraising
You can pay in your fundraising to us in a number of ways:
- Online: set up a Just Giving page to collect your donations or donate on our website directly.
- By phone: call our friendly team on 0113 235 1331 to pay by card.
- Bank transfer: contact us on 0113 235 1331 to pay via bank transfer.
- By post: you can post cheques to: Leeds Mencap, The Vinery Centre, 20 Vinery Terrace, Leeds, LS9 9LU.
Social media is a great way to tell your story, promote your fundraising efforts and raise more awareness. Make sure to tag us @LeedsMencap in to any posts you share!
Our fundraising team are here to support you, we have a dedicated member of staff on hand to help you! Contact Abi on 0113 235 1331 or email fundraising@leedsmencap.org.uk
How your support helps
Leeds Mencap is a charity in Leeds that helps provide support for children with learning disabilities and their families. We’re an important part of the community and greatly benefit from donations of any size.
£30 could pay for an experienced adviser to provide practical support and a listening ear to a parent who doesn’t know where to turn.
£100 could pay for a Makaton tutor to teach parents attending our coffee mornings some basic signs so they can understand and communicate with their non verbal child.
£200 could pay for a group of young adults to go bowling together, giving them an opportunity for independence and socialising.
£500 could pay for the skilled staff needed to help children develop their early years skills during two sensory play sessions in our specialist play room.
Download our information pack and resources
Skydive
3rd May 2022
This one’s for the adrenaline junkies! Take on a daring skydive to raise money for us this September.
What is skydiving
Technically the jump is called a ‘Tandem Skydive’. It’s a Skydive because you will be freefalling through the air (without the parachute deployed) for several thousand feet; it is in Tandem because you will be harnessed to a professional parachute instructor at all times throughout the descent. This is the only way you can jump from such an altitude without spending thousands of pounds becoming a freefall parachutist and is literally the chance of a lifetime!
This jump is also much less demanding than the traditional ‘static line’ jump as the jump and training are completed in one day and your instructor will be in control of your landing.
We are in desperate need of funds in order to continue our work and we really hope that you decide to give Skydiving a go. It’s a great challenge to raise money for our charity. But don’t take our word for it. Sarah Varley, Project Manager at Lloyds Banking Group, told us about her Skydiving experience:
“I wanted to do a skydive as I was 40 this year and wanted to do something special that I would remember. My team at work had voted for Leeds Mencap to be our charity of the year so that is who I wanted to raise money for. I was very excited on the day of the skydive. Our plane was the first one to go up that day. The skydive itself was an amazing experience and one I will never forget. The feeling when you are in freefall is unforgettable and then once the parachute opens it is completely silent, like nothing I have ever experienced before. I loved every minute and will definitely do it again. It was a pleasure to raise money for such a deserving charity.”
Important information about the jump
- The jump and training are completed in one day.
- You are harnessed to an experienced parachute instructor at all times.
- You jump from at least 10,000 feet- just like professional skydivers do!
- You freefall down to 5,000 feet- falling through the air at 120mph. You ride the parachute down to the ground – you will be taught how to steer into the drop zone!
- The landing is controlled by your instructor.
- You receive a certificate to prove that you have completed a two mile high tandem jump!
We run our skydives through Skyline so if after reading this you have any questions, please contact them directly on 0207 424 5522 or email myskydive@skylineevents.co.uk
How to take part
- To take part, we ask that you raise a minimum of £395 sponsorship money to cover the cost of the jump. Every extra pound raised over this amount goes straight to the charity.
- Many people find that setting up an online giving page is a quick and easy way to fundraise the minimum amount and more. You can set up a Just Giving page for your jump.
- Use social media to spread the word about your jump and to maximise your reach!
- Once you have raised the minimum amount you can book online at Skyline events. Let us know once you’ve booked. Please note you must also provide a £70 booking deposit which should be made payable to ‘Skyline’ (if you wish you can take this out of any offline sponsorship money raised and secured prior to your booking you can).
Social media is a great way to tell your story, promote your fundraising efforts and raise more awareness. Make sure to tag us @LeedsMencap in to any posts you share!
Our fundraising team are here to support you, we have a dedicated member of staff on hand to help you! Contact Abi on 0113 235 1331 or email fundraising@leedsmencap.org.uk
How your support helps
Leeds Mencap is a charity in Leeds that helps provide support for children with learning disabilities and their families. We’re an important part of the community and greatly benefits from donations of any size.
£30 could pay for an experienced adviser to provide practical support and a listening ear to a parent who doesn’t know where to turn.
£100 could pay for a Makaton tutor to teach parents attending our coffee mornings some basic signs so they can understand and communicate with their non verbal child.
£200 could pay for a group of young adults to go bowling together, giving them an opportunity for independence and socialising.
£500 could pay for the skilled staff needed to help children develop their early years skills during two sensory play sessions in our specialist play room.
Download our information pack
We know this challenge can be a daunting process so we’ve put together a pack with everything you need to know to undertake your skydive including FAQs and important information.
Early Years Stay and Play Coffee Morning (Every Friday)
12th January 2022
Our stay and play coffee mornings are open to parents of children aged between 0 and 5 years old with additional needs. Join us to meet other parents, share experiences and chat to our caseworker for advice, information and support.
Coffee mornings run every Friday during term time from 9:30 to 11am at The Vinery Centre, LS9 9LU. It’s free to attend and there’s no need to book – just come along!
Our soft play and sensory room will be open for any children who attend, so feel free to bring them along or come alone.
Session details and updates are shared on our Facebook page.
If you’d like to talk to us about these sessions, please call our Family Support team on 0113 235 1331.
Leeds Mencap x Headrow House Christmas Quiz
11th January 2022
Returning for the third year in a row, join us at the brilliant Headrow House to test your knowledge and kick off your festive celebrations!
Our Christmas quiz
Our festive quiz is taking place on the 7th December 2023 at 6:30pm at Headrow House, Leeds, LS1 6PU.
Tickets are available here
Host your own quiz
If you cannot attend our quiz then why not run your own?
Plan your quiz:
- Come up with the questions. You can either do this yourselves or use our question pack. Try to make your questions 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 ruins a quiz more than rubbish questions.
- Decide 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.
- 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’re quiz attendees can give you their full attention.
- Advertise your quiz on social media!
How to pay in your fundraising
You can pay in your fundraising to us in a number of ways:
- Online: set up a Just Giving page to collect your donations or donate on our website directly.
- By phone: call our friendly team on 0113 235 1331 to pay by card.
- Bank transfer: contact us on 0113 235 1331 to pay via bank transfer.
- By post: you can post cheques to: Leeds Mencap, The Vinery Centre, 20 Vinery Terrace, Leeds, LS9 9LU.
Social media is a great way to tell your story, promote your fundraising efforts and raise more awareness. Make sure to tag us @LeedsMencap in to any posts you share!
Our fundraising team are here to support you, we have a dedicated member of staff on hand to help you! Contact Abi on 0113 235 1331 or email fundraising@leedsmencap.org.uk
How your support helps
Leeds Mencap is a charity in Leeds that helps provide support for children with learning disabilities and their families. It is an important part of the community and greatly benefits from donations of any size.
£30 could pay for an experienced adviser to provide practical support and a listening ear to a parent who doesn’t know where to turn.
£100 could pay for a Makaton tutor to teach parents attending our coffee mornings some basic signs so they can understand and communicate with their non verbal child.
£200 could pay for a group of young adults to go bowling together, giving them an opportunity for independence and socialising.
£500 could pay for the skilled staff needed to help children develop their early years skills during two sensory play sessions in our specialist play room.
Download our information pack
Say No November
11th January 2022
Say no to something this November to raise vital funds for Leeds Mencap.
What is say no November
Say NO November is a challenge where you say no to something throughout the entire 30 days of November. Help raise money for Leeds Mencap by getting friends, family and coworkers to sponsor you in giving up something.
Here are some ideas of what you could say no to:
- Chocolate
- Sweets
- Swearing
- Fast food
- Beer
- Social media
How to get involved
- Get in touch with our office to get a sponsorship form once you have decided what you want to give up for a month.
- Set up a just giving page to collection your donations and advertise your Say NO November.
- Advertise your fundraising efforts across your social media.
- Contact us using the details below so that we can help spread your message.
How to pay in your fundraising
You can pay in your fundraising to us in a number of ways:
- Online: set up a Just Giving page to collect your donations or donate on our website directly.
- By phone: call our friendly team on 0113 235 1331 to pay by card.
- Bank transfer: contact us on 0113 235 1331 to pay via bank transfer.
- By post: you can post cheques to: Leeds Mencap, The Vinery Centre, 20 Vinery Terrace, Leeds, LS9 9LU.
Social media is a great way to tell your story, promote your fundraising efforts and raise more awareness. Make sure to tag us @LeedsMencap in to any posts you share!
Our fundraising team are here to support you, our dedicated member of staff on hand to help! Contact Abi on 0113 235 1331 or email fundraising@leedsmencap.org.uk
How your support helps
Leeds Mencap is a charity in Leeds that helps provide support for children with learning disabilities and their families. We’re an important part of the community and greatly benefit from donations of any size.
£30 could pay for an experienced adviser to provide practical support and a listening ear to a parent who doesn’t know where to turn.
£100 could pay for a Makaton tutor to teach parents attending our coffee mornings some basic signs so they can understand and communicate with their non verbal child.
£200 could pay for a group of young adults to go bowling together, giving them an opportunity for independence and socialising.
£500 could pay for the skilled staff needed to help children develop their early years skills during two sensory play sessions in our specialist play room.
Download our information pack
Learning Disability Week 2023
11th January 2022
Join us to celebrate Learning Disability Week- Theme TBC!
To raise awareness for Learning Disability Week we are running our annual “Wear a cap for Leeds Mencap” campaign. It’s a super simple way for you to get involved. Simply wear a cap or hat and pay a donation.
Download our activity pack below for full information about our wear a cap campaign. We’ve also created a pack for schools to help them get involved in Learning Disability Week. Both packs are full of information, resources and fundraising ideas.
