West Berkshire Mencap to open a supported living centre for young adults

West Berkshire Mencap is working with Greenham Common Trust to develop its first supported living centre for young people with learning disabilities.

The Trust has purchased Herbert Potter House, a former residential home for the elderly adjacent to St John's Church in Newbury and is in the process of converting it into good quality accommodation for seven vulnerable people.

The building is being leased to West Berkshire Mencap which will then manage individual occupancy arrangements for young adults with learning disabilities.

The project will provide a long-term home for six people with special needs and a training suite for one person with a mild learning disability for a period of two years. The training suite will then be let to another person with a mild learning disability for the next two years.

Each of the living quarters will have a bedroom, en-suite shower room and a living room with some kitchen facilities.

The remaining common areas of the building will also form the base for West Berkshire Mencap's new Domiciliary Care Agency which is in the process of being set up.

Once the Agency is established and is providing support to the tenants in the house, it is expected that the service will be further developed to provide outreach support to other people with a learning disability in West Berkshire and the surrounding areas.

West Berkshire Mencap's chief executive, Leila Ferguson, said: "West Berkshire Mencap was recently rated excellent by Ofsted and both the building and the care will be of an extremely high standard. West Berkshire Mencap already provides many excellent day and evening services for children and adults with learning disabilities and this project enables them to provide a much needed service we have not been able been to offer until now. Greenham Common Trust has enabled this to happen and the home will be a wonderful example of partnership working, which will benefit people with learning disabilities in this area."

Preference will be given to people who have been through West Berkshire Mencap's Children's Services because the young people already know each other and their needs are familiar to the service. However, this will not be exclusive as in-depth assessments will be carried out with other potential occupiers to ensure they fit in with existing occupiers and gain the most benefit.

Parents and carers who already use West Berkshire Mencap services are very excited about the project.

Gabrielle Rae, parent of one the young people that Mencap helps, said: "By designing the house to cater for a group of young people with special needs, West Berkshire Mencap will ensure that not only will they get the care that they require but also develop their independence and ensure they maximise their potential, living life to the fullest."

Harry McAuley will be the first tenant to move into the new centre. His mother Maria McAuley added: "We are looking forward, as parents, to this facility being offered to our son. We hope this will be a flagship for West Berkshire Mencap, providing modern living accommodation for young adults with special needs in this very exciting new project."

West Berkshire Mencap wants to recognise the dedicated support of its president Aurthur Herffernan and his wife Jean and intends to name the centre after them.

Greenham Common Trust chief executive Stuart Tagg said: "The Trust is pleased to be able to provide West Berkshire Mencap with the opportunity to provide this valuable service for young people which will enable them to live more independent lives."

When completed, the Trust's investment in the project will be over £500,000.

Anyone interested in more information about the project can contact West Berkshire Mencap on 01635 41464 or visit www.westberkshiremencap.org