History

Newbury Mencap started at an office upstairs in Brook House, Northbrook Street. Over the years we have grown, offered more services and developed across different sites in the Newbury area to become the Charity we are today, offering services to families, adults and children with complex learning needs.

ROYAL VISITORS TO MENCAP OVER THE YEARS

We offer a full range of services for children and adults with a learning disability plus support and advice for families and carers locally

West Berkshire Mencap started off as Newbury Mencap in 1954 at a time when people with learning disabilities had few rights or resources. As a result of the scheme set up in a church hall locally by the founder members Social Services established a Day Centre for people with learning disabilities in Newbury. The first office for Newbury Mencap was in Northbrook Street and in 1996 we moved to our purpose built Centre at Enborne Gate as a result of a Section 106 agreement with the local authority. The Centre was opened by Her Majesty the Queen in October 1996. A couple of years later we changed our name to West Berkshire Mencap when the local authority became West Berkshire.

Having the Mencap centre enabled us to deliver and centralise many more services in our building. We were able to bring Bubble club* (now Little Mulberries), our mother and toddler group, back in house and start leisure activities for adults as well as run playschemes and eventually our after school club, all based at this purpose built Centre. Over the years it has had two major extensions today we run all our Children’s services from the Mencap Centre as well as our Family Advisory Service.

Some of the office space is given over to our finance department and Mulberry garden have office space and space for other activities.

As well as housing the Mulberry Garden our outdoor facilities include a fully equipped playground for Children and will soon be the site of our Shepherds Hut offering respite care to two Children per night and space for two carers -a much needed facility in West Berkshire.

The charity was instrumental in founding a number of homes for adults with learning disabilities, the first of which opened in Lambourn in 1986, followed by another five, these were all managed by Royal Mencap. In 2010 Greenham Common Trust renovated a building in St Johns Road which became Heffernan House, named after our Presidents Arthur and Jean Heffernan. This is now a supported living unit providing high quality flats to seven tenants who all receive care from Supported Living Services.

In 2013 Link Up, our supported work skills service, moved from Greenham Common to Bone Lane and took with it the name Slater Centre. This is a very popular service that works with about 25 people daily to work on mail shots, light assembly and learn new skills. This move has released a lot of space at the Mencap Centre as Leisure Plus has now moved to the Slater Centre and has its own dedicated space.

Our newly built horticultural and social inclusion facility, adjacent to the main Mencap Centre, currently provides opportunities for members to enjoy growing flowers and vegetables as well as learning woodworking skills.  Over the summer of 2023 the site will complete the pottery unit and crafting facilities.  This brand new site will offer so much more than our previous horticultural project at Cottesmore, we continue to fundraise to reach completion and to further develop these exciting opportunities for our members.

Our re named and re located (Growing4All at Cottismore) became The Mulberry Therapeutic Garden and is located adjacent to the Mencap Centre building and provides daily work skills opportunities for our members who grow plants and vegetables. The hanging baskets and bedding plants grown here are sold to the public and help fund the project.

Summer 2025 will see the addition of a pottery and woodwork workshop. Watch this space for pottery developments.