East Kent Mencap Christmas Sing-a-long 2020

Happy Christmas to everyone from East Kent Mencap!

Though our Christmas events have had to be cancelled this year due to Covid, we can still be together through song!

A huge thank you to everyone who took part in this video, and we hope it brings a bundle of Christmas joy to you all this festive season.

The video features East Kent Mencap members who have a learning disability, our staff including our amazing frontline support workers, and our directors. Everyone filmed themselves separately, whether on a break at work, in a socially distanced office, or at home.

Our Communications and Fundraising team worked hard to gather the footage and edit it together so that everyone is singing together in the only way that they can, for now.

60 people from East Kent Mencap took part in this film project from 31 locations.

The film is very much of the moment, with support staff wearing masks, service users wearing visors, social distancing, and virtual sessions shown.

If you'd like to give people with a learning disability in East Kent a Happy New Year, please consider donating to our Christmas Appeal. You can find out more about our work and the Christmas appeal on our website here: https://www.eastkentmencap.co.uk/news...

During the pandemic, East Kent Mencap have been directly supporting 200 adults and children with a learning disability in East Kent, through food parcels, activity packs and regular phone calls. Day Resources Services are operating with limited numbers, having completed risk assessments to ensure the charity can provide a safe place for people to attend in ‘bubbles’.

To be able to continue supporting all its service users during lockdown, we created virtual content including activity videos created by support workers specially for people with a learning disability. Our content reached over 50,000 people online every month during lockdown.

East Kent Mencap’s CEO, Jason Gerlack, says: “Throughout the first lockdown and in the months since, as a charity we have been dedicated to keeping people with a learning disability safe, making sure they do not feel alone, and providing the information and support they need. I am so proud of how our staff and service users have adapted and dealt with the last year with so much kindness and optimism.”

East Kent Mencap provides opportunities for adults & children with a learning disability in East Kent. The charity has Day Resources in Sheerness, Herne Bay, Margate and Thanet, and supported housing throughout East Kent.

We wish everyone a happy, healthy and peaceful new year!