Our History
Brent Mencap has a long history of providing support to people with a learning disability and others with long term health conditions.
Brent Mencap has been passionate about a healthier and fairer Brent for 45+ years. We’ve developed and run successful housing, employment, health, advice, wellbeing and self-advocacy services. During austerity and Covid we diversified. We took on NHS work with people with long-term health conditions.
We provide social prescribing support and health and wellbeing coaching to patients for Brent GPs. In 2023-4 we helped over 15000 people. We’re a leading partner on the Brent Health Educators Programme. That’s funded by Brent Council’s Brent Health Matters.
As a Charity, we are required by law to write an Annual Report about what we have achieved each year. If you want to find out what we did in previous years you can go to the Charities Commission website and read all our reports HERE.
Our Building's History
Brent Mencap has been based in a Victorian building in Willesden since 1979. Brent Council let us and Brent Mind have office space free.(the good old days!) This changed from 2006 onwards where they wanted to charge us rent. Brent Mind moved out. After long discussions with Brent Council, Brent Mencap took the whole building lease in 2013. Since then we have created a diverse working space and now share the building with four other dynamic characters: Shawtrust, BIAS (Brent Irish Advisory Service), WoRC (Work rights Centre) and BBS (Brent Bereavement Service).
The 379-381 building has a long and interesting history. Different visitors told us about coming to the dentist here. Others said the garden had been used to store OT equipment in the past. There used to be a pensioners’ group on the ground floor still in 2000. We used Heritage Lottery funding to find out more about the building. It has been a community centre since 1918.The first Maternal and Child Health service was set up here by Willesden Council. You can see some reports from the Hidden History project too.
Want to find out more about the history of Willesden and other places in Brent?
Have a look HERE!
Brent Mencap
379-381 High Rd, London NW10 2JR Tel: 020 8451 5278
Registered Charity Number: 1077038