About

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Southampton Mencap Day Service Programme for people with learning disabilities. Our Day Services are held at the Mencap Centre in Portswood each Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9.30am - 4.30pm.       

                                                                                                       

Established over 60 years ago Southampton Mencap has grown from small, sturdy roots to an organisation keenly aware of the present and changing needs of local people with learning disabilities and their family carers.  All services take place at the Mencap Centre in Portswood which is located a few miles from the City Centre. There is free on-site parking and Portswood is well served by public transport links.  The Mencap Centre is purpose built and fully accessible.  The organisation is passionate about providing a wide and varied spectrum of services and in recent years has introduced a successful Day Services programme for adults with learning disabilities.  Our current programme operates over 5 days each week from 9.30 am – 4.30 pm as follows:-

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Mondays: Handycrafts for crafty people who enjoy participating in a range of fun, creative and practical activities, e.g. creative arts, designing/making things, music, drama and cooking. An Upcycle Group is also available in the afternoon to those day service users specifically interested in this skill.

Tuesdays: Gardening & Maintenance Group for those who enjoy being outside and fixing things.

Wednesdays: Makers & Bakers, producing delicious baked goods to sell to the public.

Tuesdays & Thursdays: Own2Feet programme helping young adults develop and learn through numeracy, literacy, IT and community involvement projects. Bakery Down The Lane is also an option as part of the Thursday group, giving day service users the chance to participate in the running of a functioning, open-to-the-public bakery.

Fridays: Home Kitchen, Healthy Living is a delicious day service with a fresh, healthy approach to cooking and healthy lifestyle choices and hosting regular community catering events.

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All activities are well staffed by an experienced team and organised in small groups enabling participants to access the whole range of opportunities available.  A person-centred approach is crucial in designing a bespoke programme of activities that the individual will enjoy and help them to:-

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• Meet others and develop friendships

• Learn practical skills which can be used around the home and garden

• Learn about things that are important to them, like staying safe and being healthy

• Keep active by getting out and about and accessing community facilities

• Gain more independence

• Improve communication

• Take up opportunities for continued learning

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Activities each day include:-

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• Cooking, Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyles

• Drama and Communication

• Music and Movement

• Getting Around and Exploring the City

• Education, e.g. literacy, numeracy and IT

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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​For more information and to arrange a free taster session call 023 80 584088.

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The History of our Day Services

 

With the advent of personal budgets, we felt that there was an opportunity to launch a new era of choice and quality in this field. We listened and consulted – and took action!

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In September 2012: the Own2Feet group was established, an internally certificated course which proved extremely successful. This service has provided a gateway to interesting learning and greater independence, offering an alternative to traditional day services to 12 young people aged 18-30. Since then it has evolved to a wider range of age groups aged 18+ but the core elements remain the same.

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In March 2013: we added Home Kitchen, Healthy Living to our day service programme. This runs on a Friday from 9.30am-4.30pm and we now have an enterprising group of chefs in the making!

 

In September 2015: we launched Handy Crafts, running on a Monday from 9.30am-4.30pm with a strong focus on developing practical handywork and crafting skills. We also set up the Longdown Activity Farm programme. This ran on a Tuesday from 9.30am-4.30pm and gave animal lovers and budding farmers the chance to work and contribute to the running of a real farm. Following feedback from users, we eventually transitioned this service to become a general gardening and maintenance group based at the Mencap Centre, and which now has an active list of clients around Southampton!

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What our Members Say

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We think our Day Services are fantastic – but don’t just take our word for it! One of our Day Service users recently left some brilliant feedback on the ups and downs of attending Own2Feet.

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How to Apply​

 

​If you are interested in finding out more about any of our Day Services then please contact us, or alternatively complete and send back the Expression of Interest form.

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Relevant Downloads:
Own2Feet Flyer | Own2Feet Leaflet
Home Kitchen, Healthy Living Leaflet
Handy Crafts Leaflet

Please note some of the information on these leaflets may be outdated. Up to date information can always be found on the website or by contacting the office.

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Further Details

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Own2Feet (and Bakery Down The Lane)

Own2Feet offers a gateway to interesting learning opportunities leading to greater independence skills. This can involve social and community enterprise work, literacy and numeracy skills and general work like skills. On a Thursday, we open up our Bakery Down The Lane where day service users can interact with the public while learning what it takes to a run a functioning bakery!  

What? Learn independence skills and understand the world in which we live in through a unique combination of daytime activities

When? Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30am to 4:30pm -  you can choose one or both of these days!

Where? The Mencap Centre, 187a Portswood Road, Southampton, SO17 2NF

Cost? £70.46 per session when funded personally or by Southampton City Council, £71.82 when funded by Hampshire County Council.

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Home Kitchen, Healthy Living

In March 2013 we added another Day Service to our programme: Home Kitchen, Healthy Living. We now have an enterprising group of chefs in the making!

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What? Learn about healthy living, food shopping, kitchen hygiene, how to cook and bake and more!

When? Fridays from 9.30am-4.30pm

Where? The Mencap Centre, 187a Portswood Road, Southampton, SO17 2NF

Cost? £70.46 per session when funded personally or by Southampton City Council, £71.82 when funded by Hampshire County Council.

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HandyCrafts (and Upcyling Group)

​​​​​HandyCrafts is a Day Service for crafty people who enjoy participating in a range of fun, creative and practical activities. For day service users specifically interested in the skill of Upcycling, we offer a focused group in the afternoon. Products from both HandyCrafts and the Upcycling Group are then sold to the public at events and open days.

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When? Mondays from 9:30am to 4:30pm

Where? The Mencap Centre, 187a Portswood Road, Southampton, SO172NF. Members may enjoy some day trips out, for example, to Southampton City Art Gallery

Cost? £70.46 per session when funded personally or by Southampton City Council, £71.82 when funded by Hampshire County Council.

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MG&M (Mencap Gardening & Maintenance Group)

Southampton Mencap is delighted to offer its very own Gardening & Maintenance Group, providing a brilliant vocational-based opportunity for adults with a learning disability. It’s an ideal choice for anyone who loves to be outside or for those who enjoy practical activities with achievable outcomes.

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When: Tuesdays from 9:30am to 4:30pm

Where: The Mencap Centre, 187a Portswood Road, Southampton, SO172NF. Members will often travel to different venues and households in order to provide a community-based service. 

Cost: £70.46 per session when funded personally or by Southampton City Council, £71.82 when funded by Hampshire County Council.

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Click on the box to play a video about MG&M now!

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Makers & Bakers

Our newest Day Service enterprise, Makers & Bakers has quickly grown into an amazing opportunity for those wanting to enage in focused, high quality baking in a supportive envrionment. The Makers & Bakers work hard each session to produce delicious cakes, breads and other treats which are then sold in our Bakery on a Thursday as well as to the local community. They even have an ongoing contract with a local Indian restraurant to provide birthday cakes!

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When: Wednesdays from 9:30am to 4:30pm

Where: The Mencap Centre, 187a Portswood Road, Southampton, SO172NF. 

Cost: £70.46 per session when funded personally or by Southampton City Council, £71.82 when funded by Hampshire County Council.

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