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Fifty Golden Years for Worthing MENCAP

When it comes to quality of life, local people with learning disabilities and their carers and families need all the support they can get. They may feel trapped and lonely or become too reliant on others in everyday tasks. And that’s where Worthing Mencap comes in. This brilliant charity has been providing information and a helping hand to learning disadvantaged people for the past 50 years, encouraging them to lead fuller lives as well as raising public awareness of the value they can offer the community.

Worthing Mencap celebrates its half century this year with a special programme of Golden Events, and is looking forward to your support in all kinds of ways.

So - what is Worthing Mencap, and what have they been up to for the past 50 years?

It all started way back in 1958, when group of parents of learning disabled children met to tackle the lack of education, facilities and support in Worthing. Plans were laid for various fundraising activities, and they purchased a small house in Littlehampton Road. This became a base for the Mencap office downstairs and a respite flat upstairs.

A few years later, a riding school and some land were purchased with the sale of the house, and this was to later become Ferring Country Centre. Worthing Mencap also bought the Gospel Hall in Tarring High Street and used it for four years as a centre for meetings and functions.

“We were continually on the lookout for premises to open a café and information centre but everything was too expensive and way beyond our financial means,” says Worthing Mencap Chairperson Liz Crockett. “Then, at last in 2004 we found the ideal premises in South Farm Road -  and this is now Buddys Café, which opened in June last year, after lots of hard work and planning.”

Worthing Mencap Society supports parents and carers in an advisory capacity and works as an advocate when necessary. It maintains links with Mencap at national, county and district level.

Local training centres, like Coastal Enterprises, The Pines and the former Abbotswood Centre have all received support with financial help for small projects. And there’s plenty of support for local homes, too, where members live in community-based accommodation.

In conjunction with Worthing Borough Council, Worthing Mencap set up the Sussex Seals Sports Club, which runs on Tuesday evenings at a local leisure centre. And they’ve just purchased a 15-seater mini bus to help with transport to leisure activities for local affiliated groups.

And now two managers have been appointed on a part-time basis – Rona Deniese to supervise the café, volunteers and work placement students, and Janet Williamson as Development Officer to promote the work and ethos of Buddys within the community, maintaining links with National Mencap.

“We rely heavily on volunteers for all our activities,” says Janet. “People support us in all kinds of different ways, and any contribution of time, enthusiasm and generosity is always greatly appreciated.”

If you’re able to lend a hand in any way, call Janet at Buddys on 01903 202030 for a chat.

GOLDEN DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Look out for more details in Essentially Worthing soon.
Thursday March 27 – AGM at Buddys, 7.30pm for 8pm. Cheese and wine – new members welcome
Saturday March 29 – Race Night
Saturday May 17 – Mencap Flag Day, Montague Street. Collectors needed from 8.30am. Can you spare an hour to help?
Tuesday June 10 – Sport and Fun Day
Sunday July 20 – Hog Roast
Saturday November 29 – Christmas Fayre, Assembly Hall

AND DID YOU KNOW? Buddys will be celebrating its first birthday in June, so look out for some exciting events then.

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