• Beveridge Report

    It was drafted by William Beveridge, who proposed widespread reforms to the system of social welfare to address what he identified as five ‘Giant Evils’ in society: squalor, ignorance, want, idleness, and disease. Overwhelmingly popular with the public, it formed the basis for the post-war reforms known as the Welfare State.

  • Judy Fryd

    mother of a child with a learning disability, formed the ‘National Association of Parents of Backwards Children’ – which would later become Mencap. She wrote to Nursery World magazine inviting other parents to contact her. Many wrote back to Judy expressing their anger and sorrow at the lack of services for their children. Presumably, it was from this that parents of children with learning disabilities in Birmingham heard about the work of Judy Fryd, and decided to start their own association.

  • Mental Health Research Fund

    Mental Health Research Fund established. This would later become the Mental Health Foundation that incorporated the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities. The aim of the foundation is to promote the rights, quality of life and opportunities of people with learning disabilities and their families.

  • Mrs. Gertrude Eleanor

    In response to Judy Fryd establishing National Society for Backward Children, Birmingham mother Mrs. Gertrude Eleanor placed an ad in the Birmingham Mail asking parents to come to a meeting at Bull Street. Birmingham became part of Judy Fryd’s ‘National Association of Parents of Backwards Children’.

  • Parent’s Voice

    Parent’s Voice, Mencap’s magazine. Edited by Judy Fryd. Parents’ Voice provided a forum in which parents could raise the problems they experienced in bringing up children with learning disorders. There was special concern for the difficulties such children would face after the death of their parents.

  • Change of name

    The association changed its name to’The National Society for MentallyHandicapped Children’.

  • Brooklands Experiment

    The National Society launched a ground-breaking project called the Brooklands Experiment.

  • Gateway Clubs

    Mencap began Gateway Clubs that offered sports and leisure opportunities for people with learning disabilities.

  • Kennedy House

    Birmingham Society opened Kennedy House.

  • Another change of name

    Society changed its name to ‘Mencap.’

  • Education (handicapped children) act, 1970.

    An Act to make provision, as respects England and Wales, for discontinuing the classification of handicapped children as unsuitable for education at school, and for purposes connected therewith.

  • Birmingham Mencap’s 25th anniversary.

    Mencap’s Pathway employment servicealso began.

  • The Mencap Trust

    The Mencap Trust Company set up to provide a discretionary trust service for families.

  • Elizabeth House

    Birmingham Mencap’s Elizabeth House opens.

  • First homes

    Mencap set up the first homes and community-based accommodation for people with a learning disability in the UK. For example, Elizabeth House and Rowlstone House.

  • Rowlstone House

    Birmingham Mencap’s Rowlstone House opens. Also, Mencap’s services for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities were founded. These were among the first in the UK.

  • Queen Mother

    Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s 25th anniversary of being royal patron of Mencap.

  • Community Care Act

    The Community Care Act supported new housing choices for people with a learning disability to live in the local community.

  • Mencap Election

    People with a learning disability were elected as Mencap national assembly members and became fully involved in decisions about how Mencap is run.

  • Disability Discrimination Act

    The Disability Discrimination Act was passed. It aimed to end the discrimination faced by many disabled people and to guarantee their civil rights.

  • White Paper

    Valuing People was a government White Paper published by the Department of Health. The proposals in the White Paper were based on four key principles: civil rights, independence, choice and inclusion.

  • Equal Chances Strategy

    Mencap launched ‘Equal Chances’,five-year strategy

  • Government Report

    Government published a report called ‘Improving the Life Chances of Disabled people’ which set to improve the quality of life of disabled people by 2025.

  • Housing, Care & Support

    On the 1st of February 2006 we started to provide housing, care and support to citizens in the community. This coincided with the organisation providing high quality housing for people with a learning disability in Birmingham for the first time.

  • Midland Merge

    Walsall Mencap and Birmingham Mencap merge to create Midland Mencap.

  • Human Rights

    UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities- reaffirmed that disabled people have the same human rights asnon-disabled people.

  • Reaching Out

    Midland Mencap Reaching Out, an ongoing process of re-engaging the relevance to BAME communities.

  • Forward Carers

    Forward Carers, a catalyst organisation who could bring together partners to deliver a new offer to family carers in Birmingham.

  • Enterprise Hub

    Re-development of the Enterprise Hub, re-energising the original vision and legacyof the pioneer carers.

  • Anniversary

    Mencap’s 70th Anniversary.

  • Save Our Support

    Save Our Support, campaigning and lobbyingto protect vital services.

  • Anniversary

    Midland Mencap’s 70th Anniversary.

  • Pandemic Response

    During the Covid-19 pandemic, we moved all of our community activities online. We used this platform to engage with over 150,000 individuals across the West Midlands, the wider UK, and even the world. Midland Mencap’s online communities have been crucial in helping people with a learning disability and their families feel more connected in a time when they might otherwise of been isolated.