Carlisle Mencap History

Carlisle Mencap was founded in June 1968 by local parents and carers.

Although we work closely with the national Royal Mencap Society charity, we are not a branch of the national Mencap organisation or funded by them but a locally managed charity, providing support and services for more than 500 adults and children with learning disabilities and their families.

We now manage 5 supported living homes and provide an adult respite service at California House. Our children’s services are centred on the Grace Little Centre in Carlisle. In 2009 we received a bequest of £200,000 from Grace Little, one of our members, money which was used to build a dedicated centre on land gifted to the charity on a 150-year lease by Kingmoor Park Properties.  

A grant of £160,000 in 2010 from Cumbria County Council in 2010 and a 2011 donation of £175,000 from local couple Anne and Ray MacDowall enabled us to complete the construction of the centre from where we now deliver a range of activities and services for children and young people.

After almost 60 years, we remain a forward-thinking organisation with a dedicated team delivering person-centred support to all of our clients. We continue to believe that everyone with a learning disability has a right to choice, opportunity and respect, and these beliefs continue to guide our work.

If you have any queries or questions, please contact us.