Spalding charity fears for its future and makes plea for new volunteers to come forward

A local charity that’s helped people in South Holland over the last 60 years faces closure if new volunteers don’t come forward.

The Spalding Mencap Society is particularly worried about the impact on a social group for people with learning difficulties along with the bus it loans out to groups such as The Chapel Centre and The Garth School.

Wendy and David Houghton are two of the only three volunteers left at the charity which is linked but operates separately to the national organisation Mencap.

They’ve been involved for around 50 years when David helped set up The Gateway Club.

It met every Friday for those with learning difficulties up until the pandemic in March 2020.

Back then a team of eight volunteers ran the sessions attended by around 20 to 30 people with various learning difficulties each week.

But now Wendy and David (73) only have one other volunteer to bring the club back and not enough to meet the requirements to run a charity.

“The Gateway Club has always been a special place to come for those over 16 to meet up and socialise,” said Wendy. “This year would be the 50th it has run and it’s been a staple at the Broad Street Methodist Church.

“It’s provided some of the more vulnerable a special place to socialise.

“They can come together and play games or do jigsaws, but we try and prioritise putting on team games and activities.

“People have been asking for us to bring it back, but we just don’t have the volunteers to do that.

“The volunteers we had are all much older now and can’t help.

“There’s certain rules we have to keep up to be a charity and at the minute we don’t have enough to carry on.

“If we don’t get more trustees and members on the management committee then it won’t be viable to carry it on.

“That’s why we’re trying to spread the word and encourage people to come on board.”

As well as its work for people with learning disabilities, the Mencap bus continues to prove vital to a host of local groups that need it.

“Without further support there will be no Gateway Club and no Mencap mini-bus which is well used by local groups,” Wendy said.

The Spalding Mencap Society is holding its AGM at Broad Street Methodist Church at 1.45pm on Saturday, July 16.

Anyone can attend and there’s no obligation to join. For more information you can also contact Wendy on 01775 640296 for any other information, or email wendy.houghton@btconnect.com