About Us
Taunton Mencap was established in 1956 and became a registered charity in 1962. For over 40 years we used the Six Acres centre as a meeting point but this centre was sadly closed due to lack of funding shortly before the pandemic.
We are a small charity but are made up of extremely dedicated individuals. We are committed to continuing the excellent work that has taken place over the years to provide learning disabled adults in Taunton and the surrounding area with activities, socialising opportunities, trips and holidays to help them participate fully in life.
We have two paid staff along with a committee currently made up of 10 individuals and we rely on grants, fundraising activities and donations in order to keep being able to do what we do. In recent years we have been lucky to work with some talented local individuals to provide a range of activities including musician Luis Martelo, artists Becky Shaw and Peter Blaker, the wonderful Enigma Border Morris chef Catherine Maxwell and a number of others. A huge thank you as well to DJ Andy Preston, who has supported many of our parties and Taunton Mencap's Got Talent event over the years.
We would like to acknowledge the fantastic contributions of many paid staff and volunteers who have made a great contribution to Taunton Mencap over the years. There are way too many to thank individually. Some highlights over the years as well as the Six Acres Phoenix event have included three editions of Taunton Mencap's Got Talent, a popular annual holiday to Torquay (we are taking a break from this in 2024 with a view to a new holiday in 2025), the acquisition of a caravan near Golden Cap in Dorset (which many have enjoyed staying in and was recently replaced with a new second-hand caravan) and several previous events where various local Mencap organisations met together in Barnstaple and other locations. There is plenty to come in the future. If you want to be a part of that please get in touch.
Meet the Team
Charlie Farrand - Chairman
"I'm Charlie and I have been a member of Taunton Mencap for over 10 years . I joined for my son Thomas to be able to meet his friends in a safe environment. I am glad that we became members because we have made many other friends. We have been able to learn about how other families cope sometimes in difficult times. Getting out for the day helps a lot."
Katrina Cox - Assistant Development Officer
"Hi, I'm Katrina Cox and prior to my role with Taunton Mencap I’ve worked as a teaching assistant in a
Primary School, care work both with the elderly and people with disabilities as well as in pasty shops, newsagents and a chip shop. My most recent jobs have been as an administration assistant for a Credit Union and for South West Co-Operative Development, so I have a good range of experience. I enjoy walking and making new friends, and I hope to get to know you all soon.”
David Brooks-Daw - Treasurer
"I have been a keen supporter of Taunton Mencap for twenty years. For most of that time I was also acting as treasurer, but in recent years I have been more involved in volunteering at some of our activities. I've thoroughly enjoyed supporting Taunton Mencap and have made many friends over that time. We are a small charity, completely self-supporting, and benefit enormously from an enthusiastic and go-ahead committee."
Dave Urwin - Development Officer
"My name is Dave, I have been the Development Officer for Taunton Mencap since 2019. In that time I have been able to use my previous experience of fundraising to help secure a number of grants to cover our running costs each year as well as a new second-hand caravan in 2021. I have also been able to use my experience of organising running events to help organise a few events for the charity. Lyn and I put together a calendar of activities for each year and it is also part of my role to produce the newsletters and set up local fundraising collections. I love working for Taunton Mencap and seeing the joy the activities bring to our members as well as being part of a team who genuinely care about what we are trying to achieve as a charity. You can contact me at tauntonmencap@gmail.com if you want to help with fundraising, events or newsletter contributions."
Chris Poole - Finance Officer
"Back in 2015 as a new runner I was looking for a local charity to raise funds for by taking part in the
London Marathon and getting sponsorship etc. The then development officer Judith noticed my
Facebook post and said Taunton Mencap would love to have me on-board. Marathon completed and
quite a few pounds raised, the following year my wife Denise and I raised more funds by jointly
completing a run- every day for a year challenge. During this year I replied to an appeal for a new
treasurer due to David stepping back. As I had so much time on my hands I accepted! That’s was a
fun conversation that evening with my wife, at the time I was an owner of a SMS construction
company working 24/7 as a lot of folks do. However I took on the role of treasurer which hopefully
I’ve added some slightly different thought processes coming from a business background. My role
has changed slightly as I am now the finance officer but still counting the pennies, pounds and still
running."
Estelle Dawe - Trustee
"Hi, my name is Estelle and I am a member of Taunton Mencap and on the committee. I have learning disabilities and would like to thank Taunton Mencap, who have got me involved in different things. It does lift us up and it's such good fun. The activities especially are great fun! I would strongly recommend that you come along and bring your friends as it's an amazing atmosphere and we are all friendly with each other."