Hi, my name is Tom Kirby and welcome to the first monthly blog for Midland Mencap! I live in Birmingham and have been with Midland Mencap for 3 years now and have been part of their Flyerz Hockey Team for 2 years you can read about my thoughts on our recent trip to Barcelona here.

In my upcoming blogs I hope to cover some topics that our close to me these include sport about what I love about being part of a team and how this helps me learn something new all the time. That it’s not about being the best it’s about being with your mates and doing sport you enjoy. As well as having an understanding coach who will always support and guide you (Thanks Steve!)

Another topic I hope to cover is living independently on how it can be quite a rewarding but also a nerve racking experience. As having the freedom to do what you want when you want is good but there are also the responsibilities that come with it like paying rent and bills. Plus my experience of feeling lonely at times and getting the right support I want and not being afraid to ask for it when I need it.

These are just a few topics I want to talk about and I can’t wait to share my journey with you all! Thank you for taking your time reading my first monthly blog and be sure to look out for next month’s blog where I’ll go through my experience of running my first 5k race!

We’ve had an amazing 1st summer at the parkride project from endless days of sunshine to endless numbers of families taking part in this amazing offer of fun free and flexible accessible cycling that everyone can get involved in regardless of need.

Its not just families who are benefiting either Lara who works as a support worker for Midland Mencap and has recently started to help out with the family project! Here she is piloting Ellie with Alfie cycling the circuit together.

Since joining the #parkride team Lara has brought a calm and caring presence to the sessions and really engages with the families, the smiles on Ellie’s face really show the impact that she is having!

Alfie on the other hand is growing in both confidence and competence with every session that he attends He is SO enthusiastic, and his determination and increasing independence are truly inspiring!

Another unsung hero of parkride is Chris, here he is with Dade playing ‘follow my leader’ to help develop his ability to control his speed and awareness of others whilst cycling.

Dade is SO energetic and independent! He fears nothing, and has a great sense of fun! His ‘have a go’ attitude and ability to bounce back even after the odd bump mean that he is developing his skills quickly… watch this space!

And finally this! Whilst having a bit of ‘time out’ with Dade on the Fun2Go double pedal cycle, Dade decided to ‘borrow’ Chris’ hat!

There’s a real sense of fun and freedom at our weekly sessions; it’s lovely to start building relationships with the families that are starting to attend once (or even twice!) a week… and to see them more comfortable and relaxed whilst they enjoy the opportunity to discover (or rediscover in some cases!) the joys and freedoms of cycling at their own level and at their own pace.

Want to learn more about parkride? Click here.

Powering into Queen Alexandra College on ‘Superhero Day,’ I was impressed to see an assembly of young marvels engrossed in a variety of activities. Monitoring the scene from mid-point was Big Robot Head, an immense technological skull brought to life by staff and superkids in a display of fearless innovation. AbdAllah was getting busy with the Hulk and looking forward to some serious gym-time. Also on the menu was the development of some out-of-this-world ice cream.

“It’s nice for the young people to get used to different surroundings, beyond the Hub and Clifton Road,” said facilitator Shereen. “We can bring beanbags in from other venues and have a bit of a chillout room.” Shereen is a full-time primary school teacher who finds wonderment in her Midland Mencap role. “It’s an amazing job, meeting so many different young people, watching them explore new activities and try new things.”

The sun splashes golden light onto Harborne, and Emillie walks into the college grounds with her computer tablet. She sits on a bench and scrolls through her photos. Happy and animated, her dark hair shines. “Emillie has come on a bundle,” says supporter Claire. “She didn’t want anybody to be around her, or near her. She’s alright with the other young people now.” Not even notorious party pooper The Joker could steal the delight from Emillie’s heart. She’s found fun and she ain’t about to let go.

George walks through the college grounds for no better reason than to meet the heat and ensure the safety of the local populace. Half-term activity days at Mencap are always super fun. The options are vast. The young people can get active or they can relax and enjoy their colourful surroundings. All things considered, I’m mighty glad I flew in for today’s session.

-Tim Wright, Volunteer Reporter-

The Trustee Boards of both Midland Mencap and Birmingham Multi-Care are delighted to announce that the two organisations have agreed to work together with the acquisition of Birmingham Multi-Care Services by Midland Mencap.

Going forward, and prior to a full merger Birmingham Multi-Care Services will continue to operate as a subsidiary of Midland Mencap.

Chief Executive of Midland Mencap, Dave Rogers said “Ahead of the future merger of the two organisations we’re looking forward to working with colleagues at Birmingham Multi-Care to ensure the citizens and their families currently using Multi-Care support services benefit from the two organisations working together”.

For more information about Midland Mencap please visit our website home page.

On Saturday 23rd June the members of Coventry Mencap held a celebration party to reflect on decades of family carer activism in the city as they marked their merger with Midland Mencap. It was fitting that so many of the family carers were present who had campaigned and fought for theirs and their children’s rights in education, inclusion, and equality. Coventry Mencap will leave a lasting legacy, wonderfully captured in photographs, of a group of families who worked tirelessly for the inclusion of people with a learning disability in the wider community life of the city.

Martin Gallagher, Chair of Midland Mencap, took the opportunity in welcoming Coventry Mencap to Midland Mencap by saying “Coventry Mencap were one of the more active local groups in the West Midlands region, their work in providing leisure opportunities for people with a learning disability at the time”. One example of this is the long association with the Scouting movement and the opportunity every year to take part in the now legendary camps, packed with fun activities come rain or shine!

Martin went on to say “Though the world has changed the activities of Coventry Mencap provided the base for those changes, getting people with a learning disability out into the community, mixing with the community and been seen as part of the community”. These were sentiments echoed by Councillor Faye Abbott, Cabinet Lead for Social Care at Coventry Council, and by Tina Costello, CEO of Heart of England Community Foundation, both of whom have a long and very supportive relationship with Coventry Mencap. They both shared memories of working with Coventry Mencap to broaden opportunities for learning disabled citizens in the city and how they now look forward to working with Midland Mencap to do the same.

Brian Hinde, outgoing Chair of Coventry Mencap, delivered a very emotional and reflective speech charting the many successes of Coventry Mencap over the years, reasons for the merger with Midland Mencap and his hopes and aspirations for the future. Picking up on Brian’s evocative words Martin Gallagher added “This may seem as a moment of sadness for some people but I hope you won’t harbour that view for long as I like to see this as a rebirth and I hope that Coventry Mencap as is will want to work with us in the future to develop services and community activities that will extend the influence of the organisation throughout the city”.

In deciding to merge with Midland Mencap the Trustees at Coventry recognised that the world was changing rapidly and to ensure people with a learning disability in the city continued to have their voice heard merging with a larger organisation with paid staff who could work with all stakeholders in extending co-produced opportunities for people with a learning disability.

Martin picked this theme up in his closing comments “We need the members too, because parent carers and people with a learning disability who use services are the best people to consult when you’re developing services. Nobody is better placed to ask as to what they want than the person who’s receiving it, co-produced with the people and giving them something they want, it’s their life”.

The party was a wonderful occasion, perfectly bringing to a close the chapter written by the members of Coventry Mencap and turning the page to a very optimistic future as part of Midland Mencap. Martin’s final words applauded the work they did over 60 years of activism in Coventry, “It’s been a privilege to work with and support Coventry Mencap, with Brian, Jill and Clare. We had good fun and achieved some great work together”.

Congratulations to everyone involved with Coventry Mencap, lets now go forward together.

Midland Mencap took the England Flyerz Hockey team to take part in the FC Barcelona Para Hockey Festival last week. I was one on the lucky players where we competed against Holland, Spain, Italy, Belgium and Ireland. From the moment we landed no one could have predicted how hot it was going to be!

Compared to Amsterdam where we had one team this time we were able to have 2 teams in Intermediate and Beginners levels. As a player to experience playing in both teams has helped me to grow as a player, Ross as a captain was always there to help guide me and my team mates, which I really appreciated. As well Steve and Laura gave me the confidence I needed in the Beginners to push myself to the next level and help guide my teammates to victory.

Off the pitch compared to Amsterdam last year we were brought closer together as a team with walking round the FC Barcelona Stadium and cooling down having fun in the pool.

We also welcomed Tunbridge Wells Flyerz hockey players and coaches to our team and they made it possible for us to win Bronze at intermediate level and Silver at the beginners level but really it wasn’t about what we achieved it was about having fun and playing hockey together!

It was a remarkable experience and one that I’ll never forget and I can’t wait to get back to training. Your Number Nine player Tom Kirby.

Check out all the photos from the FC Barcelona Para Hockey Festival here

-Tom Kirby, Flyerz Hockey Player-

We all woke up very sleepily on our last morning at the centre and worked together to pack our bags and strip our beds before breakfast. We had our normal breakfast of cereals, toast and fruit and then made sure that all our belongings were in the common room ready for collection later.

When the activity bell rang, we headed to the horseshoe for our last activity of orienteering. We were split into teams and then listened to Chris as we learnt how to orientate our maps and use them to find the orienteering points. We initially started using the top site which we were all familiar with as this was also our free time area. When we had proven that we could use the map effectively, we headed to some orienteering points in the woods.

Lunchtime was upon us before we knew it and we headed inside for our awards ceremony. Gemma gave out the awards for best dormitory which was won by the Yellow Room (the older girls), bravery awards, teamwork awards and also the ‘yes’ awards. Gemma had also bought thank you cards and flowers for all the staff and volunteers.

After the awards ceremony we had burgers for lunch and homemade cornflake flapjack for dessert which was very tasty! We then had our last free time as we waited for our parents/carers to come and collect us.

We’ve all had a fantastic time on the residential and many of us didn’t want to go home. The staff and volunteers are very proud of how much we have learnt and how our independence throughout the week has grown. They are also happy with the improvement in our teamwork and with the friends we have made that we would like to keep in touch with.

That’s all from us…until next time!

After a bit of a longer sleep (for most anyway!) we woke up early to get ready for another day packed with activities. We had our breakfast of toast, cereals and fruit and then prepared for our morning. Today, Grace and Lucy joined us as volunteers to help out until Friday and we all gave them a big welcome. The weather was misty and damp this morning with potential thunderstorms in the afternoon, but we dressed accordingly and didn’t let it affect our fun!

Thursday was the second day off our round robin of activities including bushcraft, climbing, high ropes and archery. Everyone enjoyed their activities of making dens and fire, shooting arrows at targets, the reached new heights on the climbing and showed great teamwork on the high ropes.

For lunch we all made our own sandwiches again and then had some free time. We’ve all settled in really well now and love our free time together. We have even been asking for it on session!

This afternoon we were back out for our last round robin activity and the sun even came out for us! We then had some free time before it was time to eat; this evening we had a choice of pasta bolognaise or baked potatoes with toppings. We ate strawberry mousse for dessert.

After dinner, we all got dressed up for ready for the disco tonight! At 7pm the tunes started blaring and we all got our groove on! With our DJ Alex for the evening, we enjoyed old dance tunes like the Cha Cha slide and Macarena as well as the latest chart songs.

We were very lucky and the rain and storms held off and we ended the evening outside with the sun setting, having chilled conversations on the picnic benches and playing in the field.

It was then time for hot chocolate, packing and bed. We’re very sad that this is our last night here but looking forward to seeing our families tomorrow.

Stay tuned for our last blog post tomorrow!

The young people woke up after a fairly late night for most and got ready for breakfast. We fuelled up on cereals, toast, fruit and yoghurt ready for a jam packed day of activities. After breakfast they were split into their teams and told what they would be doing for the day.

The activities for Wednesday and Thursday are on a round robin basis comprising of climbing, archery, bushcraft and high ropes. After getting ready and putting on our waterproofs and outdoor shoes we were ready to get going and we weren’t going to let the very light rain dampen our spirits!The morning was a success and most of the young people were really excited to go on everything but everyone had a go and conquered some fears!

After working up an appetite the young people went in for lunch and this involved them all making their own sandwiches from a variety of fillings and salad. They all did really well and some even ended their lunch with some cheese and crackers!

After lunch and a short period of free time, we were right back into our activities. This time group 1 did archery, group 2 bushcraft and group 3 did climbing. Not much rain this afternoon. Gemma, the Children’s Operation Manager, was visiting us today and was very proud of her bullseye on the archery! The young people all did really well and many got very wet when their shelters were tested out in Bushcraft.

Dinner was a choice of chicken nuggets, chips and spaghetti hoops or a jacket potato with beans and cheese. I’m sure you can guess which one was the favourite! This was followed by a delicious apple sponge and custard. We then had some free time before our evening activity where chilled outside. We said goodbye to two of our volunteers, Becky and Christian, as they finished their time we us. We are looking forward to welcoming two new volunteers tomorrow!

Our evening activity was a campfire down in the woods. We enjoyed playing around in the woods whilst Tom got the campfire up and roaring so we could make our hot chocolate over it. We then all sat around, drank hot chocolate and had some supper. We finished the camp fire by attempting to sing some campfire songs with varying success!

We finished off the night by some of us watching a film and some of us just chilling whilst getting ready for bed. A very tiring but fun day with even more to come tomorrow!

Day 1 of the residential is over so catch up below with everything we got up to!

24 young people arrived very excited to the Frank Chapman Centre, wanting to see their dorms and the centre straight away. After settling into their dorms, making their beds and getting to know the other young people, it was time for a lunch of various filled rolls, fruit and homemade cake.

After lunch, we had a tour of the outside areas and then set off on our first activity in our groups. This was a teambuilding exercise so we could learn to communicate with others in our group and work well together. This involved crawling on hands and knees through the mine, taking part in the low ropes course, and working our way around the blind line.

After working up a healthy appetite, we tucked into a delicious dinner of chicken tikka or jacket potatoes, with jelly and arctic roll for dessert. With some much anticipated free time, we headed out into the sunny evening and enjoyed exploring around, playing on the swings and spending time with each other. Some of us enjoyed a quiet game in the common room.

It was then time for our evening activity; huge games of hide and seek! Some hid so well we couldn’t be found by all the staff! We were getting pretty tired after a few games so heading back in to the centre for some hot chocolate and supper then up to the dorms to get ready for bed.

Lights out on a busy day ready for even more fun tomorrow!