Why this Yorkshire Mencap urgently needs your help

Mencap needs the public’s help to protect a special service for children with special needs Catherine Scott reports.
The Mencap play sessions in Leeds have proved invaluable for parents of children with special needs.The Mencap play sessions in Leeds have proved invaluable for parents of children with special needs.
The Mencap play sessions in Leeds have proved invaluable for parents of children with special needs.

Leeds Mencap has launched an urgent appeal to raise £20,000 to provide specialist play sessions for young children with learning disabilities.

Based in Leeds this independent charity has been providing a specialist playroom for more than 50 years in the city. However, during the Covid-19 pandemic, funding for this service has been reduced and now the charity needs urgent financial support to continue to keep it going.

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“Our playroom is an incredibly valuable service that has been running for years,” says Cath Lee, CEO of Leeds Mencap. “Families tell us when they find it that they ‘no longer feel alone’.

“The first three years of a child’s life are vitally important as their brains develop quickly at this stage. We work with very young children with learning disabilities and focus on early communication and play skills so they have a strong foundation ahead of school and can fulfil their potential in life. We are calling out to the local community of Leeds to support us – we urgently need to raise £20,000 so we can continue to develop specialist play sessions in the future and make sure that very young children with learning disabilities get the best start in life.”

Zoe, who attends the playroom with her son Thomas, says: “Thomas was born with global development delay and we started at Leeds Mencap two years ago. Since then, he has learnt to walk and communicate using single words and socialise with other children. This early support is hugely important and is a lifeline.”

Whilst the charity has had support over the years from a number of trusts, foundations and individual fundraisers, more recently it has become increasingly difficult to raise the funds. The Covid-19 pandemic has also made funding more competitive and more recently some of its key funders could not continue to support this service.

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Cath explains: “This appeal is part of our recently launched Imagine if… campaign which features families and children as well as staff, volunteers, businesses and supporters talking about having a learning disability and their relationship with Leeds Mencap.

“Some 15,000 people in Leeds have a learning disability and we are determined to get people in the city talking about the issues that families and people with learning disabilities face.”

There are currently 15,000 people with a learning disability in Leeds. This is a growing number and more support is needed.

Leeds Mencap is a local, independent charity and they need to raise all their own funds each year. They are affiliated to but do not receive any money from Royal Mencap Society (RMS).

To find out more about Leeds Mencap and the appeal visit www.leedsmencap.org.uk/imagine-if

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