Seventy-five years ago in 1951, a group of concerned parents met in Sheffield. Their children, all of whom had learning disabilities, had no support services, were not entitled to an education and were often excluded from society, writes Saba Salman.
The group founded a charity to give their and other people’s children a fairer, fuller life; it eventually became Sheffield Mencap. Now with more than 700 members, it is the city’s largest learning disability charity and is gearing up for its birthday celebrations this summer.
The charity, which works with national Mencap but receives no funding from it, runs services from an inclusive playgroup to art, creative and cooking sessions and lunch clubs for elderly carers.
All this will be celebrated at its 75th birthday event at its Norfolk Lodge centre, with speeches from My Mencap members – the charity’s forum made up of people with a learning disability – and music from DJs.
