News Archive

A huge thank you to Worthing and District Society of Model Engineers who recently held a charity day and kindly chose us as their chosen charity
We were lucky enough to dodge the rain and much fun was had by all with lots of happy faces, young and old.
We can’t wait to come and visit again soon!

Applications are invited for the position of Community Connector.

Hours: 7.5 hours per week (from home and in the community)
Annual Salary: £12.24 per hour
Contract Type: Fixed Term until 31st March 2027.

This job role is for someone with a learning disability, working on a project called Our Active Community in Worthing, helping to make Worthing a better place for people who have a learning disability to get physically active. The successful candidate will know about the local area of Worthing, enjoy physical activity and making the community more physically active and be happy to talk to new people.

The role holder will:
- Help to plan the Our Active Community project
- Talk to people in the community and listen to their ideas
- Attend and promote local events, meetings and activities
- Share their own and others lived experiences
- Help to make other peoples lives better and include everyone in activities.

Please see attached Job Description for more information.

If you would like to have a conversation about the role, you can call Sarah or Richard:
- Sarah: 07929 739668
- Richard: 07503 177100

To request an application form please contact buddys@worthingmencap.org

Closing Date: 5pm on Friday 23rd August 2024
Provisional Interview Date: Thursday 5th September 2024 at Ferring Country Centre

Community Connector (Worthing) Job Description - August 2024

We’re excited to launch our new Energy Advice Service (in partnership with SGN), for people with a learning disability and/or autism.

Tuesday 25th June saw the launch of our new energy advice service in West Sussex at an event at Buddys. The service is offering free advice on lowering energy usage and spend, supporting people to access various benefits and grants from energy providers, signing up to the priority services register and raising awareness of the dangers of Carbon Monoxide.

The service aims to reach households across West Sussex with people with a learning disability or autism.

At the event Richard DeNiese, Charity Director said “People with a learning disability, autism and other additional needs often require extra time and help to access the energy related support available to them. Worthing Mencap’s partnership with SGN will allow us to reach those across West Sussex in vital need of this support, in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis.”

Kerry Potter, Group Social Impact and Vulnerability Manager from SGN, said “We’re committed to keeping our communities safe and warm and we know people with a learning disability or autism are uniquely impacted by higher-than-average energy costs. By working in a joined-up way with Worthing Mencap, we’re able to reach those who are really struggling and provide much needed energy advice. Through building strong connections, we can help vulnerable households get much needed help.”

For more information or to access this service, please contact Sue Townsend, Energy Advice Co-ordinator via sue.townsend@worthingmencap.org or 07736 045532.

When photos speak a thousand words!

On 11 June we held our much-loved annual Sport and Fun Day, a free event funded by Worthing Mencap, welcoming individuals, schools, community groups, day centres and care homes supporting people with a learning disability or other additional needs.

Over 900 local people of all ages came along for a fun packed day of activities including Cycall Adapted Cycling, trampolining, arts & crafts, kurling, football, live magic, zumba, soft play, a disco and so much more. And let’s not forget the free ice cream.

It gets better every year and don’t the smiles say it all!?

Lastly, a massive thank you to all the session leaders, our community partners and volunteers who supported the event, we couldn’t do it without you.

Check out our Facebook Page for more pictures of the fabulous day.

Congratulations and a round of applause to Team Worthing Mencap who completed Worthing RunFest 10km in aid of Worthing Mencap.

The Team was made up of members, volunteers, staff and friends and we’re so proud of them. They all smashed it!

Also a big thank you to the cheer squad who braved the elements to get them across the finish line.

There is still time to sponsor the team if you would kindly like to donate. The links to the JustGiving pages are:

Matthew: https://www.justgiving.com/page/matthew-wassell-1712324981685

Philippa: https://www.justgiving.com/page/philippa-challis

Lorna & Craig: https://www.justgiving.com/page/lorna-smith-1709633380063

As the year draws to a close, we would like to take the opportunity to express a heartfelt thank you to the organisations, groups and people who have supported us this year.

As we are a small local charity, their kind grants, donations and fundraising really make a difference to the people we support with a learning disability or autism in the local community, as the money goes directly to supporting them.

On behalf of all of us at Worthing Mencap and Buddys, thank you to:
Broadwater C of E School
East Preston Festival
The David Hunt Trust
Davison High School For Girls
Durrington Community Cycle Project cic
Enzo’s Italian Restaurant
Janet Adby Now Williamson
The Social Media Rocket
Thomas a Beckett first school
Worthing Lions
Worthing Borough Council
The National Lottery Community Fund
SGN
Sport England
Adversane Road, Worthing
Co-Op Ham Road
Fiona Linfield
Gerald Micklem Charitable Trust
Lux Barbers, Broadwater

We had a ball at our BIG Christmas Party!

It was great to see so many members, volunteers, supporters and staff come together and celebrate 2023.

We hope you had a fab time.

If you would like to give a charitable gift in support of Worthing Mencap & Buddys this festive season, we’re currently taking part in the #ChristmasChallenge23

Any donations made by midday on Tuesday 5 December will be matched by Big Give.

Please see the below YouTube video for more info and the link to our giving page is now live here

We are so grateful for all donations which really do make a big difference to the people we support in the local community.

YouTube Christmas Challenge 2023

On Wednesday 22 November we were delighted to attend The David Hunt Trust inaugural awards ceremony where we were presented with a hugely generous grant of £10,000.

As a small local charity, these kinds of donations make a huge difference to the local people that we support as the money goes directly to supporting them.

This incredible award will be dedicated to supporting our work-based training programme where we have adults with a learning disability or autism working in Buddys. The trainees learn aspects of the workplace and working in a cafe setting, leading towards gaining paid employment or better independence skills for their day to day life.

On behalf of all of us here at Worthing Mencap, we say a huge thank you to The David Hunt Trust. Their generosity to ourselves and so many other causes is inspiring!

What a fabulously festive morning at our annual Christmas Fayre.

There was something for everyone, from gifts & crafts, homemade cakes, refreshments & snacks plus games and the annual raffle and tombola.

We also enjoyed live music from the fab Jenna Hall (there aren’t many Christmas Fayres where you can have a dance and a sing-along) and we even welcomed a special guest….Mrs Claus.

Over £2,500 was raised, which is superb. Thank you for your support!

The festive season is now truly underway.

Please see our Facebook Page for more photos and videos from the day.

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our team at Worthing Mencap and Buddys as a Social Hub Co-ordinator.

The successful candidate will support current staff to maximise the potential of the social hub and build on the excellent opportunities available to people with a learning disability or autism in the area.

The role holder will be expected to work independently to plan, organise and deliver group social activity from Buddys and in the community. Group activities will be led by the role holder, potentially with support from volunteers (if available), but lone working with groups of people with a learning disability or autism will be required within this role.

The role holder will run groups throughout the week to fit in around activity that are already taking place in the weekly programme. The role holder will take full responsibility for a weekly Saturday club that will be based from Buddys, whilst also making use of things available in the community. Activity choices will be led by our members. The role holder will work as part of a wider team that will help with advertising groups and signposting new attendees.

The desired working pattern (negotiable) is:
Monday: 12pm – 2pm (2 hrs)
Tuesday 10am – 2pm (4 hrs)
Wednesday: 12pm – 2pm (2 hrs)
Saturday: 9.30am – 2.30pm (5 hrs)
Total Hours per week: 14 hours

Salary: £9,967 PA (£25,900 pro rata)

For more information, please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification.

To apply, please contact the office for an application form via phone 01903 202030 or email: buddys@worthingmencap.org

Social Hub Co-ordinator Job Description and Person Specification

We had a great time taking part in the Worthing Carnival Parade, with our good friends from CYCALL.
Thank you to everyone that came along to wave and cheer us on along the route.

We saw the return of our popular Blue Starfish club night and what a brilliant night it was, as always!

Our DJs were fantastic at getting everyone up on the dance floor. There was lots of dancing, singing and fun with friends, old and new.

We’re already looking forward to the next Blue Starfish club night on Thursday 26th October, a Halloween special. Please see our Events Page for more information.

We had a fantastic morning on Saturday for our Summer Fayre.

For some it was a little soggy! Check out our Facebook page for some videos of the human dart board :)

£1600 was raised which is brilliant and will help us to continue the important work we do for the community we support.

Many thanks to all our volunteers who helped make our the Fayre so successful. And, of course, to all of you who came along on the day.

Wow, what an absolutely fantastic day!

On Tuesday 13 June we held our much-loved annual Sport and Fun Day, a free event funded by Worthing Mencap, welcoming individuals, schools, community groups and care homes supporting people with a learning disability or other additional needs.

Nearly 900 people of all ages attended this year for a fun filled day of activities including trampolining, table tennis, football, live magic, zumba, disco, soft play and much more.

It gets better and better each year and when the weather is so beautiful, who could resist the free ice cream.

Lastly, a huge thank you to all the session leaders and volunteers who supported the event, we certainly couldn’t do it without you.

For more photos, please head to our Facebook Page

On Sunday 14 May, a group of Worthing Mencap Heroes, made up of members, volunteers, supporters and staff, came together for a Sponsored Walk along Worthing Seafront.

Starting from the Pier and finishing at Sea Lane Cafe (4k), the sun shone and we turned Worthing Seafront into a sea of pink and green. The ice cream at the end was very much deserved.

Over £1700 in sponsorship was raised which is just fantastic.

Thank you to all that took part, it was lovely to see so many people at the event.

A wonderful team effort by our members to celebrate the King’s coronation and brighten up Buddys.

On Sunday 30th April, 4 runners, made up of staff, volunteers and supporters, took on the challenge of Worthing Run Fest 2023 in support of Worthing Mencap.

After weeks of training, our runners pounded the pavements of Worthing Seafront completing either a 10K or half marathon.

They have raised over £1800 in sponsorship which is brilliant and will help us to continue the important work we do for our members and people in the local community.

Well done and thank you Philippa, Matt, Mark and Lorna for taking on the challenge.

If you would be interested in taking part in Worthing Run Fest 2024 in support of Worthing Mencap, please do get in touch via buddys@worthingmencap.org

Happy Easter from all of us at Worthing Mencap and Buddys.

A big thank you to Mel Peters, The Social Media Rocket and Enzo’s Italian Restaurant, Worthing, for the delicious Easter Eggs. They went down a treat.

Keep up to date with more news, upcoming events and all things Worthing Mencap and Buddys on our Facebook Page

Rock Your Socks with us on World Down Syndrome Day

Join us in rocking your odd socks to raise awareness of Down syndrome for World Down Syndrome Day on Tuesday 21st March 2023.

We’d love to see your odd socks so why not share a picture on our Facebook Page.

Love was in the air today when our Buddys Friendship Group welcomed Henna Chowdhury, Mayor of Worthing, to Buddys for a Valentine’s Afternoon Tea <3
It was a fabulous afternoon where we enjoyed lots of delicious sandwiches, cakes and treats, all homemade in Buddys.

Are you thinking about your 2023 New Year’s Resolution?

Why not dust off those running shoes and sign up to run the Worthing Run-Fest 10k or half marathon in aid of Worthing Mencap on Sunday 30 April 2023?

By taking part, we ask that you agree to raise a minimum of £200 in sponsorship for Worthing Mencap and in return, we will cover your Run-Fest entry fee.

In addition, each race finisher will receive a Run-Fest tech tee, bespoke medal and accurate chip timed finish result.

Get fit and raise money for a fantastic cause! What’s not to love :)

For more information, please contact buddys@worthingmencap.org

Run-Fest 2023 in aid of Worthing Mencap

A fantastically festive time was had by all at the Worthing Mencap and Buddys BIG Christmas Party.
It was a great night of celebration, bringing together our members, volunteers and staff and it certainly got us in the Christmas spirit.
A big thank you to our DJ, Lee, for getting us up on the dance floor.
For more pictures from the night, head over to our Facebook Page

Our Aviva Community Fund to raise money to provide specialist information, advice & support and social opportunities to people with learning disabilities and autism is NOW LIVE until 2 FEBRUARY 2023.

Anyone can donate to the Community Fund and Aviva match every donation up to the value of £250 so support via the Community Fund can really make a huge difference.

Furthermore, if you work for Aviva, we would be extremely grateful if you could show your support for Worthing Mencap and Buddys by donating your Community Fund donation voucher to our Community Fund Page

If you have any friends or family who work for Aviva, please help us spread the word about this fantastic opportunity to raise funds to provide our vital services in the local community.

To find out more about our Aviva Community Fund cause, please click here

Thank you to the Mayor of Worthing, Ferdousi Henna Chowdhury, for choosing us as one of her charities of the year.

At our annual Christmas Fayre on Saturday, we were presented with a cheque for £5000 from an anonymous donation, secured by Melanie Peters, The Social Media Rocket.

This extremely generous donation will support us to continue to provide much needed opportunities for people with learning disabilities and autism to access advice and support as well as a range of social, leisure and sporting activities.

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who came along and made our annual Christmas Fayre such a fantastic morning!

It was lovely to see so many happy, smiling faces and what a way to kick off the festive season!

To see more pictures from the Fayre, head over to our Facebook page

In December 2022, as part of their Movement for Good programme, Benefact Group will be sharing £120,000 across 120 charities, in 12 days.

We would be really grateful for your support for our chance to receive £1000.

You can nominate Worthing Mencap HERE

Thank you for your support.

The Blue Starfish Halloween Club night took place on Thursday 27th October 2022 at The Factory Live in Worthing.

A fang-tastic night of music, dancing and meeting with friends, both old and new, was had by all.

The Blue Starfish Club celebrates the artistic achievements of people with learning disabilities as artists and participants. The club is for people with learning disabilities and their friends, aged 16+.

The next Blue Starfish Club night will be taking place on Thursday 9th February 2023, at The Factory Live, Worthing.

Please keep an eye on the website and our Facebook page for more information about the next Blue Starfish Club night and our other upcoming events.

Last week we welcomed 6 new work experience students to Buddys.

The three-month training programme supports people with a range of learning disabilities to gain new skills and qualifications. Our students will learn about food hygiene and develop their skills in customer service, team working, food preparation and much more, helping them to progress into paid employment or further education.

They have gotten off to a fantastic start, preparing food and refreshments from our brand-new menu and baking some delicious homemade cakes.

Please do come and visit us in Buddys to try a slice.

You can find out more about the training programme here

Buddys has a new menu and the great news is, it’s available now!
The new menu offers a variety of food and drink options and is great value for money.
Served Monday – Saturday from 10am – 2pm.
The new menu is available to view and download below.
We hope to see you in Buddys soon.

Buddys Menu

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for our Autumn Fayre on Saturday. Although this is a sad time for us all, it was lovely to come together and to see so many of you there.
Please keep an eye on our ‘Event’s page for future events.

From Saturday 17th September, breakfast will be available in Buddys.
Available every Saturday morning, served from 10am – 12pm.
The menu is available to download below.
We hope to see you soon!

Breakfast Menu (Saturdays)

We had a fantastic time on Friday afternoon at another great Cycall Adapted Cycling session. It was a wonderful way to end the week.

What a great 6 months we have had with our latest Buddys Training Programme candidates, supporting people with a range of disabilities to gain new skills and qualifications to help them to progress into paid employment or further education. This is our 4th group of candidates and they have all passed with flying colours. Congratulations!!

O U R N E W M E N U
Come and sample our new menu, super delicious and super affordable. Grab a delicious lunch to takeaway, or sit outside at our coffee shop in the sunshine.
Buddys is open Monday – Saturday, 10am – 2pm.
We hope to see you soon.

Join our weekly lottery and be in with a chance to win an incredible £25,000!
By entering you will also be helping us to support people with learning disabilities in the local area to live more independently.
For more information on how to join please click here.

Worthing Mencap have now opened the doors to a new Work-based training programme at Buddys. We have received funding from the European Social Fund in order to deliver work-based training for people with learning disabilities or autism who are unemployed or economically inactive in the Worthing Area.

Working with the Job Centre and the Work Aid project we have received referrals to fill our first intake of trainees. We are offering two programs, one in Food Preparation and the other in Customer Service. The programs will run for 6 months and our trainees will be learning the ropes and helping to run the Coffee Shop at Buddys. The aim of the training is to to get more people with learning disabilities or autism closer to employment and into paid work or further education. The individual training programmes are designed to meet the individual needs of our trainees, whilst providing a live environment to practice their work skills at a pace that suits them.

Worthing Mencap has also been building links with local businesses and has established a Business Network to support this training, giving our trainees an opportunity to get to know various local organisations and get a feel for what the workplace can be like across different industries. The Business Network will also assist in building the pathway to employment for our trainees following their training with Worthing Mencap.

The Coffee Shop at Buddys on South Farm Road, Worthing underwent a major refurbishment last year to ensure that it is an up-to-date workplace and learning environment.

As of 7th January, we are open 4 days a week Tuesday through to Friday from 10am – 2pm. With reasonable prices, free wi-fi and a friendly environment for everyone, why not pop in for a coffee or some lunch!

Support Worthing Mencap at no cost to you!*

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favourite charity every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.co.uk, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as amazon.co.uk, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to Worthing Mencap.

To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.co.uk from the web browser on your computer or mobile device. Millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations. You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their product detail pages.

You can use your existing Amazon.com account on AmazonSmile. On your first visit to AmazonSmile, you need to select Worthing Mencap as your charity to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping.

To support Worthing Mencap by shopping at AmazonSmile paste this link into your browser https://smile.amazon.co.uk/ch/214369-0

Worthing Mencap has been chosen to benefit from the Co-op Local Community Fund.

We are incredibly grateful for this opportunity to raise funds and hope that you will help us by becoming a Co-op member and choosing Worthing Mencap as your charity to support.

Every time you buy Co-op own brand products you will get 5% reward for yourself and 1% goes to local causes. To choose Worthing Mencap as your local cause go online to www.coop.co.uk/membership.

If you are not a member and would like to support us, you can join at your local Co-op store or online at www.coop.co.uk. It costs just £1 to register.

When a community comes together we can achieve great things and we hope that you will support us.

Support Worthing Mencap at no cost to you!

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favourite charity every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.co.uk, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as amazon.co.uk, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to Worthing Mencap.

To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.co.uk from the web browser on your computer or mobile device. Millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations. You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their product detail pages.

You can use your existing Amazon.com account on AmazonSmile. On your first visit to AmazonSmile, you need to select Worthing Mencap as your charity to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping.

For more information please go to https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/chpf/about/

Thank you very much to everyone who was able to join us for our Diamond Jubilee picnic yesterday & despite the very windy weather, we were still able to have our aerial photograph taken!

This will be a significant part of Worthing Mencap’s history and the photograph and an article will hopefully appear in the August edition of the Worthing Journal.

Special thanks must go to Debbie and Janet for all their time and work to ensure that yesterday afternoon was such a special occasion for everyone. Thank you too, to Daniel for kindly providing us with some delightful and very melodic music which really added to the atmosphere.

A gentle reminder about the Diamond Anniversary Party on Saturday, June 30th at St Paul’s Centre at 7.30 pm.
There are still some tickets available, so do pop in or phone Buddys 01903 202030 to buy yours. We look forward to seeing you all for what we know is going to be a very special and enjoyable evening!

Some of us were lucky enough to have tea with the Mayor.

Before we had our tea he showed us around what looked like a courtroom with loads of chairs and he showed us where he sat when there was a meeting. There was a blue badge symbol up on the wall next to his chair. There was a balcony with chairs and a lower balcony for people in wheelchairs.

Then we got up from the chairs and went to another part of the building next door. There was a plaque with the names of the other Mayors He mentioned the First Lady Mayor Ellen Chapman. He showed us another plaque with the names of Mayors on it.

He showed us a big room with a big desk and he showed us the outfit that he wears and the big pole with a ball on the top which he only touches for good luck but we weren’t allowed to touch it

The room where we had tea had a big table with hot water boilers and cake and biscuits. Mencap had brought a big cake with a 60 on it. I asked if I could have a glass of water and the Mayor personally went and got me one and I had a piece of cake.

After tea we did questions and answers. I asked a funny question. I asked if he had ever worn the big chunky necklace when he was in his pyjamas? Everyone laughed and he was quite honest and said he did once by accident

When it was home time one of the volunteers gave me a piece of cake to take home and it was delicious I said “ goodbye” to the Mayor and everybody and went home
It was great fun and educational

Buddys Badgers is our club for older people with learning disabilities that meets every Thursday afternoon at Buddys café. During the better weather we have trips to local places of interest

The club gives members opportunities for socialising and friendship that help prevent isolation and improve mental and physical wellbeing.

Due to a number of our existing members moving away from the Worthing area we now have an opportunity to welcome some new members.

If you are interested or know someone who might be interested in joining Buddys Badgers then either speak to a member of staff or telephone Pauline Heryet on 07798 888941 or 01903 202030

Twenty one members of Buddys Friendship Group along with one staff member and three volunteers had a great afternoon at Gaston Farm. The weather was not on top form, but the sheep, lambs, chicks and baby ducks made up for that. Highlight of the afternoon was to see a lamb being born. Sheep dog puppies also attracted a lot of attention from members. A tractor and trailer ride also proved to be a popular activity.
It was great to welcome Patsy as a guest volunteer. She came along to obtain a better understanding of what we do in our groups and thoroughly enjoyed her interaction with members.
If any other volunteers would like to spend an afternoon with one of our groups please speak to Emma for BFG or Pauline for Badgers.

‘Buddys Bowling Group met at AMF Bowling Worthing last Monday for the first of what is hoped to become a monthly event.
It was nice to see some new faces amongst the 18 bowlers and as we occupied three lanes we were please to present an Easter egg to the highest scorer on each lane. The date of the next Bowling will be published on our Facebook page shortly’

We are delighted to announce that Worthing Mencap was nominated in the Voluntary Group/Charity of the Worthing Herald Community Awards alongside 5 other charities and WE WON!

Pauline, Sue, Terry and Marc went along to the Award Ceremony at the Connaught Theatre on Thursday 19th October to represent our charity and were thrilled to accept the award which was presented by Fred Dineage.

This magnificent result reflects our amazing charity and all the wonderful, inspirational people who contribute so much of their time, skills and talents in so many different ways, to help our members, their families and carers.

Earlier this year we were delighted to find out that Worthing Mencap had been chosen as one of the nominated charities to benefit from money raised by the Broadwater Carnival & Fire Station Open Day. On Tuesday 17th October a group of members and volunteers went along to the Fire Station where they were presented with a cheque for £1250. This money will be used to support local people with learning disabilities, their families and carers. We are extremely thankful to all of those involved for their support.

Nicola and Robert represented Worthing Mencap at the Seafront Garden Prize Giving Ceremony and afternoon tea at Food Restaurant on Friday 22nd September.

They were surprised and delighted when it was announced that Worthing Mencap had been awarded 1st Prize and went up to receive the prize of £500, a certificate and trophy. Nicola and Robert and other members of Worthing Mencap have been involved with the garden project from the beginning. In the Spring they went to clear out the plot and a few weeks later were back to plant it up.

It has been a real team effort to keep the garden watered over the summer but it has been well worth it!

More than 20 members of Buddys Friendship Group met on Tuesday 27 June to enjoy an afternoon of bowling at Worthing AMF. This is one of the most popular activities and has become a regular activity, with the next visit planned for the 8th August. The first picture shows the last winner Stephen presenting the winners’ cup to Craig. In the other picture Craig is with runner up Harrison and equal third placed Hanna and Ellis. Once again our thanks to the staff at Worthing AMF for looking after us so well.

Catch up on the latest news from Worthing Mencap with our Winter 2017 Newsletter

Winter 2017 Newsletter

We have had an exciting summer. You will be pleased to know that Buddys and our Charity Shop continue to flourish under the committed and enthusiastic staff and volunteers, so may I offer our very grateful thanks to them all. Read our latest news in the Autumn Newsletter.

Click to download our Autumn 2016 Newsletter