Grove Cottage Bishops Stortford Mencap
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Grove Cottage Bishops Stortford Mencap
Grove Cottage began in 1966 when a forward looking group of parents found that there was a gap in services for children who had additional needs. The local society started with capital of 35, 25 from Hertfordshire County society and 10 from a parent and with this bank balance arose the valiant band of dedicated people who decided they would unite in their efforts to provide a future for their young people.

In the early days the committee meetings were held in church halls or homes and gardens as the group did not have a permanent place to call home. A car service was introduced to assist families who had to travel long distances and a fortnightly youth club was started. The local society has 3000 in the bank and an appeal was launched to the people of Bishop's Stortford toward buying and renovating their own premises.

The response from the community was overwhelming many individuals and groups held fundraisers to buy 151 London Road and convert it into a social and recreational centre.
Services
Grove Cottage is the home of Mencap in Bishop's Stortford and provides social and educational activities for people of all ages with a learning disability.
Our Mission: Grove Cottage provides social and educational activities for people of all ages with a learning disability to develop their potential, help them to avoid social isolation by supporting lifelong friendships and to provide respite to their families and carers.
Our Vision: A world in which every individual with a learning disability has the opportunity to learn, and develop, integrate into society and exercise choices and where their families can have a regular family life.
Grove Cottage's Trustees are the people who are ultimately responsible for governing Grove Cottage.
The group between them has a wealth of experience covering a wide range of areas.
The trustees meet bi-monthly and all major decisions are covered at these meetings.
I was introduced to Grove Cottage in 2009 and became Chair of the Board in 2016.
My instinct was to become involved with fundraising as I had experience in other charities.
However, as time progressed and I gained a greater understanding of learning disability I have become more involved in helping deliver the aims and objectives of the charity.
It costs approximately 400,000 to run Grove Cottage for one year and although we are affiliated with The Royal Mencap Society we receive no funding from the national charity.
We therefore rely heavily on donations and support from the local community and charitable trusts and foundations to continue.
At Grove Cottage we can signpost to other useful organisations that provide support locally.
Bentfield Primary School is a mainstream primary school where pupils with additional needs learn alongside their peers in an environment where inclusion and diversity are key.
Thriftwood School & College is a purpose built provision for pupils with moderate learning difficulties and additional complex needs based in Chelmsford, Essex.
Harlow Fields is a school and college supporting ages 3 to 19 who have moderate to severe learning disabilities.
If you would like to find out more about our evening, weekend and holiday clubs, please contact our Operations Manager, Jocelin Warren by telephoning 01279 656085 or emailing om@mencapgrovecottage.org.
To access our Speech and Language Therapy Service please contact Esme Willcocks by emailing esme@mencapgrovecottage.org.
More detailed information about all our services and the fees charged can be found on our Club pages.
Grove Cottage aims to be a fully inclusive organisation and is committed to supporting people through financial hardship.
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