Apologies for the lack of blogging recently, work at Mencap Liverpool has been so busy, especially in the weeks leading up to the Big Cuts Event! The day finally came last Wednesday and it was a great success! We had brilliant feedback from those who attended and everyone seemed to find the day extremely useful. One attendee commented on how the event had re-charged his batteries; he had felt quite defeated and helpless before, but our event encouraged him to campaign to stop the proposed cuts to learning disability services, and get his voice heard.

This seemed to be the general feeling amongst everyone there, and another lady echoed this:

“In the past, we would have accepted whatever we were told by the authorities but, since coming here today, I’ve changed my attitude. I won’t sit back and accept what I am told – and I feel much more positive.”

I spent most of the day facilitating the campaigning workshop that we ran alongside the main event for people with a learning disability. It went really well; the group were very vocal and passionate about campaigning! Everyone I spoke to from the workshop seemed to learn a lot and gain a better understanding of what the proposed cuts to social services might mean for them. It’s great that we were able to make such a positive impact on so many different people… I couldn’t be more chuffed with how everything went!

The last few days have been spent sorting through all the equipment from the event, typing up feedback reports and making plans for the future of Mencap Liverpool’s campaigns. Were in the process of sorting through all the photos from the Big Cuts Event as well, so look out for those on the Mencap Liverpool facebook page!