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@mencapliverpool

Tuesday 1st April 2025



Today was the first day of our members receiving training to become Experts by Experience Trainers for Oliver McGowan Training with @mencap - or 'Big' Mencap as we like to say! We met with Loren who will be training members for the next 3 days and preparing us to be trainers. Our first day has been jam packed. We watched the film clips of Paula McGowan from the Level 1 Oliver McGowan training so that we are clear on the training people have had so far.  We will be co-delivering the in-person Level 2 Oliver McGowan training when we have been trained and passed as being proficient in delivering this training. The films are extremely hard to watch and provoked lots of discussions around the table, people shared thoughts and personal experiences.   We covered a lot on our first day - as well as watching the film clips of Olivers Story - we talked about  🔹️what having a learning disability means 🔹️unconscious bias 🔹️learning from lives and deaths and the LeDeR Report 🔹️Diagnostic Overshadowing 🔹️Important Laws 🔹️Reasonable adjustments and communications Everyone worked really hard and we had a fantastic first day - great job team - can't wait for tomorrow! #mencapliverpool #mencap #mencapliverpoolandsefton #olivermcgowantraining #healthinequalities #makingadifference Read More

@mencapliverpool

Tuesday 1st April 2025



On Monday our Learning Disability Awareness Trainers Lewis, Kyle and Adam co-delivered Learning Disability Awareness Training to 4th Year Student Doctors at the @livuni l with Dr Fiona Greeley and Learning Disability Health Care Facilitators from @merseycarenhsft Vivien Mansfield and Suzanne Robinson.  We were also joined by Dr Niranjani Gadgil Phychiatry Specialist Trainee and 2nd Year Student Nurse Glenda Trimble of @edgehilluniversity Our members raise awareness of learning disabilities - often being the first people with learning disabilities that the students have met.   Part of the session our members work in small groups with students. The students are tasked with finding out as much as possible about each of our advocates and to feed this back to the main group  This part of the training shows students we are the same as everyone else and have lots of shared hobbies, interests, pets, holidays etc.   Some of our trainers have been working on this for 10 years and it is always interesting for Fiona to find out a new fact that the students have discovered! The 2nd time we break out in to small groups the students find out about the reasonable adjustments that help our members and how best to help people with learning disabilities.   Our members also deliver some of the presentation and the statistics our members share with students e.g. that our male members are more likely to die 22 years before the other men in the room is quite sobering.  The messages our members deliver are very powerful. The training also talks about other things the Mental Capacity Act, how best to communicate with me, receptive and expressive language and much more. The final message of the day is that behaviour equals communication. Great work Lewis, Kyle and Adam and thank you to Fiona and Vivien, Suzanne and the other Learning Disability Health Care Facilitators for working in partnership with us to deliver these important facts to our future doctors. Our voices are important and we want to be heard and help others have a voice too. Read More

@mencapliverpool

Tuesday 1st April 2025



On Friday member Sue Wignall was recording her show about the work she had been involved with for the Be Breast Savvy Campaign. @be_breast_savvy Last year Sue worked with Chloe Hughes and Vivien Mansfield - Learning Disability Healthcare Facilitators from @merseycarenhsft and appeared in a short film where she talked about the importance of going for your breast screening appointments.   The Be Breast Savvy Campaign targeted women in the North of Liverpool to encourage them to go to their screening appointments and worked in a really creative and collaborative way with lots of different organisations.  The Be Breast Savvy Campaign also won and was nominated for a number of awards and we are really proud to be involved in such important and inspiring work! For Sue's show she interviewed Dr Simon Abrams Chair of the Anfield and Everton Primary Care Network and the lead of the Be Breast Savvy campaign and he talked about the Campaign.  Sue also interviewed Chloe Hughes - Learning Disability Healthcare Facilitator who worked with Sue on the film and we were also joined by Dr Eman Trainee GP. Sue has been working really hard on preparing her questions and talking about he involvement ready for this show and she did an amazing job! Well done Sue and watch this space for when this show will be broadcast on LCR 106.7fm A big thank you to everyone at LCR 106.7fm for your continuing support of our members to create a show where our members can speak up and show everyone that we are the same as everyone else - with the same hopes and dreams. Read More

@mencapliverpool

Tuesday 1st April 2025



On Friday Rachel and Lewis came along to @thecroissantl7 to give Sue moral support and have a final practise of her questions before she recorded her show on @lcr_106.7fm - our team on the Radio are so supportive of one another - go team! #mencapliverpool #mencapliverpoolandsefton #LCR106m7fm #inclusion Read More

@mencapliverpool

Tuesday 1st April 2025



This week was our final evening working with Mary from @solaart Mary has been working with a group of our Thursday Club members every fortnight since January on an art project that shows how our members skills can help our communities. Each person has created thr most fabulous dioramas.   Each one is a work of art and really represents the individual.  People have used a variety of media and they look amazing - well done everyone.  Mary gave everyone certificates for taking part - great job everyone and THANK YOU Mary for facilitating such a superb project. #mencapliverpool #mencapliverpoolandsefton #solaarts #thursdayclub #artforall #inclusive Read More

@mencapliverpool

Friday 28th March 2025



After Thursday Club yesterday our Liverpool based volunteers made an impromptu stop at the Hartley Docks to see the Borealis exhibition - it was such a tranquil and relaxing half hour for everyone. Thank you everyonr for everything you do to support Mencap Liverpool and Sefton. Created by artist Dan Acher, Borealis combines technology and the elements using beams of light to travel through cloud particles, creating a magical illusion of the Northern Lights. With nature having the final say of the effects of the artwork depending on the wind variations, humidity and temperature, the installation is completely unique yet consistently mesmerising every time, inviting visitors to slow down and look up together at the incredible illusion. Read More

@mencapliverpool

Friday 28th March 2025



Thursday Club is the best attended, most lively and fun time of the week in Mencap Community Cottage! With our members, volunteers, facilitators and support staff there are over 40 people in the building and it positively buzzes! This week we welcomed back a firm favourite of our members Annalise a singer who really gets everyone up and dancing!  Our volunteer Tony is the leader of the Love Train that laps our big room and it is great when all of our members, support staff and volunteers jump on board and join in!!! There was loads of top tunes and it was great to see everyone singing, dancing and smiling the evening through! Whilst the singing was happening in the main room there was a mean game of boccia in the sunroom  - primarily between Mike and Mark who not only have great aim - but there was some excellent tactical play happening and it was exciting to watch - great skills there guys! In the midst of the art, the singing, the boccia our team of volunteers weave through the building, helping where they are needed, dancing, singing, chatting, refereeing, cutting, sticking, gluing, sweeping, feeding and watering and are essential for the success of Thursday Club each week and for whom we are really grateful.  Thank you all. The biggest thank you this week goes to our member volunteer Amanda who ensures that the Tuck Shop is available for everyone and helps everyone to choose what they want each evening.  This week was Amanda's birthday and she kindly bought a cake in to share with everyone and we all sang her Happy Birthday - we hope you had a great day Amanda! Thank you to everyone who comes along and gets involved and makes Thursday Club the truly wonderful evening that it is! Read More