Mencap Liverpool & Sefton is a local learning disability charity that is affiliated to and shares the vision and values of National Mencap. We are a group of members, volunteers, paid staff, trustees and supporters.

We receive guidance and support from National Mencap but are financially independent of them. Our HQ is at Mencap Community Cottage, located on Mariners Road in Crosby. The cottage is an important part of our heritage as South Sefton Mencap was based at the cottage since 1967.

We believe that people with a learning disability have the same rights and responsibilities as anyone else. We provide ‘stepping stones’ to our members in the form of outreach support, crisis support, social groups, workshops, physical activities, employment training and volunteering opportunities.

We normally have around 80-150 active members at any one time, all of whom have a mild-moderate learning disability. We also deliver a weekly Thursday Social Club to those who have more moderate to severe disabilities. Thursday club was established by South Sefton Mencap in 1963 and has been running for almost 60 years!

The cottage is also home to Mencap Coffee - a community coffee shop that is staffed by members and volunteers. The coffee shop is a real asset to the charity as it has raised the visibility of people with a learning disability within the local community and reframed them as peers and colleagues. The cottage has now evolved into an open and inclusive community space that brings people together, breaks down barriers and builds a sense of community and belonging. It epitomises the pulsing heart of the charity whose vision is to make the world around us a more inclusive space.

By becoming involved with the charity as a volunteer you can take us one step closer to making that vision a reality.