New Forest Mencap Shop

General information

We are a local registered Charity based in New Milton, at the Nedderman Centre (our community building and head office) established since 1969. We run three weekly social and leisure clubs during term time for young people and adults with learning disabilities. Our clubs are run by trained leaders and volunteers for age 16+ on a Tuesday evening at the Nedderman Centre, New Milton, 7-9pm ( New Forest Gateway Club) and at Brockenhurst College on a Thursday evening 7-9pm Brockenhurst Gateway Club). We also run a Saturday Club for age 13+ at the Nedderman Centre, from 2.30-5pm.
The club leaders provide a fun and varied programme and are always aspiring to come up with new ideas and projects for the clubs which we fundraise for.
We also run the New Forest Gateway Award (similar to Duke of Edinburgh) which launched on April 5th 2016. This enables students to achieve challenges that they set for themselves, but can progress at their own pace. The Key areas to enable the students to improve their own life experience in the areas, confidence, independence, choices, health, skills, friends and safety and achieve a Bronze, Silver & Gold levels.

We also have a Charity Shop in New Milton, which provides retail work experience opportunities for adults with learning disabilities. We are not for profit and raise all our funds from community fundraising events, donations and grant funding. The ethos for our Charity is to always provide new and fun opportunities for vulnerable adults with learning difficulties to enjoy an outlet of social and leisure activities at our clubs such as art, craft, drama, music and photography and in turn learn new skills, develop friendships and have fun, regardless of a physical or learning difficulty.