Following a successful bid for National Lottery funding, local charity Wirral Mencap has secured a sum of £397,709. Payable over four years, the money will enable the organisation to develop its services much further, reaching many more people in the communities it serves than ever before.
As well as massively increasing Wirral Mencap’s capacity for service delivery, the money from National Lottery will also fund two full-time posts at the charity; the current Information and Advice Manager Tina Phelan and a new case worker, both of whom will work alongside volunteers, who will reach out into the community to help make services more accessible for people with a learning disability.
Commenting on the National Lottery funding, Sharon Nicholson, Chief Executive at Wirral Mencap, said,
“In common with many other smaller charities, the pandemic has presented us with many challenges, not least calling a halt to our usual fundraising activities. This National Lottery funding will now let us make a real gear change, boosting the number of people we can help and transforming the way we can help them.
The money will enable us to engage in longer term collaborative work with service providers across Wirral, from council and employment services to housing and car providers, making a whole range of services more accessible and inclusive for people with a learning disability and their families.”
Tina Phelan from Wirral Mencap said,
“As Information and Advice Manager I am thrilled that we now have increased opportunity to work with other self-advocacy organisations and the people we support to co-produce better services and processes on the Wirral. Alongside being able to provide more casework support to
families, this will make a real difference to the people we support.”
Based in Birkenhead, Wirral Mencap’s services are open to people with a learning disability and their families from across Wirral. Raising all its own funds, the charity provides a wide range of services for local people, from help and support with paperwork and access to services, to drop-in clubs and accessible courses. Throughout the pandemic, supported by a team of volunteers, Wirral Mencap has continued to support people across the region with a full timetable of online activities.
If you want to find out more about the services that are available, or about volunteering for Wirral Mencap, visit the website or call the office on 0151 666 1829.
