Latest News & Events
#SpeakUp My Health Report
In summer 2019 we received a #SpeakUp Grant to explore the awareness of and experiences of people with learning disabilities regarding annual health checks (AHCs). We carried out research with more than 70 people, including our members and their carers, and produced a report of our findings and recommendations, called My Health. This work was part of a larger programme, funded by Healthwatch Sheffield to carry out engagement work with communities about their experience of health and social care services in the City. Our findings told us that there is good awareness of AHCs, what happens at them and why [...]
Run for us in the Sheffield 10K!
Are you looking for a challenge? Would you like to raise funds for Sheffield Mencap & Gateway, making a big difference to the lives of people with learning disabilities in Sheffield? We would love you to join us in the Sheffield 10k, running as part of a friendly and supportive team. There is no entry fee to pay, we are just asking our runners to raise a minimum of £50 each in sponsorship. In return, you’ll get a Sheffield Mencap & Gateway running vest, a fundraising and training pack, and most importantly, you’ll have a great time! Last year our [...]
The Summer Fair – thank you for your support!
Our Summer Fair was a big success last month, we raised more than £500 and welcomed lots of new faces as well as old friends to Norfolk lodge. As well as the brilliant efforts of our volunteers and staff that helped to make the day such a success, we want to say a big thank you to the local businesses that supported our event by donating raffle prizes. A special thanks to Bawtry Paintball who donated £600 of paintball tickets and to Experience Days for the £50 voucher which one very lucky visitor went home with. Winners will be enjoying [...]
Why we are celebrating sport and inclusivity this Learning Disability Week
Our Chief Executive, Janet Sullivan, has blogged about the theme for this year's Learning Disability Week, which is Sport and Inclusivity. She writes about why it is so important to make sport and physical activities inclusive for all, how we are doing this, and some advice for other organisations looking to make their activities more inclusive for people with learning disabilities. A Royal Mencap Society (Mencap) survey of people with a learning disability between the ages of 18 and 35, found that 49% would like to spend more time outside of their home. It also found that 18% feel alone [...]
Celebrating sport and inclusion at our Boccia Tournament!
Sheffield Mencap & Gateway is holding an inclusive Boccia tournament during Learning Disability Week, welcoming teams from local businesses, sports clubs and disability groups. The tournament will take place on Wednesday 19 June and will bring together people with and without a learning disability for a fun and competitive day of sport. Teams include two local Boccia clubs, the Sheffield Smashers and Mavericks Boccia Club both with members with a range of disabilities, including autism, hearing, visual and physical impairments. They will join competitors from Irwin Mitchell, Switalskis Solicitors and the Sheffield Steel Kings para ice hockey club, to compete [...]
Question time with our Volunteer Coordinator
To mark Volunteers’ Week 2019, we caught up with Sheffield Mencap & Gateway’s Volunteer Coordinator, Jonathan Raimondi to ask a few questions about his role, and what you can expect from a volunteering role with us. Can you describe what a ‘typical’ day in your role as Volunteer Coordinator involves? Not sure there is such a thing! A mixture of chatting to and interviewing potential new volunteers, answering lots of phone calls and email enquiries, processing DBS checks and references etc ready to start new volunteers and mainly, nattering to our existing volunteers and checking how everyone’s doing. On top [...]