Monday 21 November 2011

Mencap

Mencap charity trade garden shed for a new home to teach adults with learning disabilities.
Sam Barnett, 42, of Shelley Road,Chelmsford, offered her shed as a work base when she joined the Mencap team in 2006 as charity manager.
Mrs Barnett’s aim was to help teach adults with learning difficulties valuable life skills, even if it meant doing it from her back garden.
“Once they’ve left school there’s nothing for them to do,” said Mrs Barnett.
“There are adults in their 30’s with learning disabilities just sitting around watching TV and we want to try getting people back into the community.”
Mencap who run an Academy called ‘Outreach’ five days a week, will now continue to do so from their new premises on Midmay Road, hoping to expand and encourage more people to attend in the meantime.
“We were really looking forward to having all our activities under one roof,” said Mrs Barnett.
“We feel very passionate about our charity and we help a lot of people from the age of three upwards.”
The Outreach Academy which is managed by Mrs Barnett and four other workers is run specifically for adults over the age of 19 but other events carried out by the charity involve people of all ages with learning disabilities.
The Academy helps to engage its members in activities ranging from yoga to recycling for the community whilst continuing to learn core subjects like Maths, English and IT.
There are currently around 20-25 adults who attend the classes and Mencap want to see this number increase now they have more appropriate accommodation and space in the hall.
Jackie Ralph, 43, Springfield, is a support worker who lives with three girls who have learning disabilities, Jennifer, 23, Faye 22 and Rebecca, 22.
Mrs Ralph has been a support worker for the girls for the past three years.
The girls have all completed college and are encouraged by Mrs Ralph to attend the Outreach Academy weekly so that they can interact with other people who share similar learning problems.
“It’s a way of getting everyone together each week and every day you can see just how much effort everyone puts in at Outreach,” said Mrs Ralph.
“People really benefit from going to Outreach as they can interact as groups and they all enjoy carrying out different activities like bowling and they can be taught Macaton sign language.”
“Outreach helps to stimulate the girls and moving to a larger space is only going to improve this.”
For more information on the charity, please visit: www.chelmsfordmencap.org.uk/the-outreach-academy

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