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Community News
Saffron Walden Mencap Society has a vibrant community of more than 120. This is made up of young people and adults with learning difficulties, carers, trustees, staff and volunteers. Members of the community have a vast array of interests and talents. Read on to find out what some of them have been getting up to!
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Side by Side Club: Wednesday 16th September 2026
Tonight our members enjoyed a game of bowls! The skill lies in judging distance, direction, weight and the curve of the bowl, while sometimes using your bowl to knock an opponent’s bowl away from the jack. Everyone encouraged each other and we had a great evening of fun and laughter! #wednesdayvibes #competitive #MakeADifferenceTogether #lovewhatwedo
diannecarter0908
2 days ago1 min read


Our Choice Adventures: Friday 11th September 2026
Enjoying lovely evening at Pizza Express in Bishops Stortford - we highly recommend the food and family atmosphere We used practical skills downloading app with a £1 deal and maths to calculate our bill. We managed to save ourselves a £10 each which covered the yummy pudding . Great result and fantastic Friday evening out Supported by Saffron Walden Golf Club #FridayFeeling #outandabout #startoftheweekend #lovewhatwedo
diannecarter0908
7 days ago1 min read


GrowAbility: Wednesday 9th September 2026
Another incredibly busy and brilliant week at GrowAbility! The plot was full of activity today, with lots of lovely visitors joining us and plenty going on throughout the session. It was a real team effort when it came to our composting this week. We carefully added layers of greens, browns and chicken manure to our existing Toby compost, making sure everything was well balanced and ready to decompose. Every member played their own part in this. Tristan was our very own weedi
diannecarter0908
7 days ago2 min read


GWOF Friday Nights: Friday 4th September 2026
We love to learn new skills at GWOF on a Friday night! So tonight we went fishing with Jack Culpin from Angling Trust, at Bordeaux Pit in Little Chesterford. Wow! What an amazing evening! The GWOFers loved every minute of the experience. Jack showed us how to use red maggots to bait the hook, how to cast and retrieve the catch! Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the evening! We were all so excited when one of the last catches was a massive carp! Our group is supported by The Nati
diannecarter0908
Sep 71 min read


GWOF Fridays: Friday 14th August 2026
A walk through Thetford Forest feels wonderfully peaceful today! The path slips beneath tall Scots pines, with sunlight filtering through the branches and patches of shade keeping the air noticeably cooler. Just what the GWOFers need during this hot weather! Now for a picnic lunch and some games under the trees. Supported by The National Lottery Community Fund and #lotteryplayers #FridayFeeling #highlodge #MakeADifference #lovewhatwedo #makingmemories
diannecarter0908
Aug 141 min read


Side by Side Club: Wednesday 12th August 2026
Keeping cool at Side by Side Club on a warm summer night. We enjoyed a game of Boccia outside on the grass in the fresh air We supported each other, encouraged one another, and hoped for the win! #wednesdaynight #sidebyside #socialevening #MakeADifference #lovewhatwedo
diannecarter0908
Aug 141 min read


Our Choice Adventures: Friday 7th August 2026
A nice evening out in the sunshine having a picnic, some music and playing Boccia in Bridge End Gardens. Talking and laughter all round. Supported by Saffron Walden Golf Club #FridayFeeling #fridayvibes #outandabout #lovewhatwedo #weekendvibes
diannecarter0908
Aug 81 min read


GWOF Friday Nights: Friday 7th August 2026
ABBA by Moonlight tonight for the GWOFers at Wimpole Estate! A perfect evening in sun enjoying some amazing tunes. Supported by The National Lottery Community Fund and #lotteryplayers #fridaynight #makeadifference #lovewhatwedo #musiclovers #startoftheweekend
diannecarter0908
Aug 81 min read


Our Choice: Friday 31st July 2026
Last night, we had our regular session at the Saffron Buliding Society Community Link. Karaoke Games Friendship Laughter Fun Supported by Saffron Walden Golf Club #fridayvibes #startoftheweekend #MakeADifference #lovewhatwedo
diannecarter0908
Aug 61 min read


GWOF Friday Nights 🤩
Tonight, we had a fabulous time at Squire Archery in Thriplow 🏹 Practising the skill of holding a bow to shoot arrows at the target. The basic goal is to shoot arrows as accurately as possible. In target archery, archers stand at a fixed distance from a circular target with colored scoring rings. The closer an arrow lands to the center, the more points it scores. 🎯 A fantastic night 🤩 Thank you so much to Andrew and the team ❤️ Supported by The National Lottery Community F
diannecarter0908
Aug 61 min read


GWOF Friday Nights: Friday 24th July 2026
Huge competition tonight at Tenpin. Such amazing teamwork from everyone and supporting each other. Great friendships Supported by The National Lottery Community Fund and #lotteryplayers #fridaynight #MakeADifference #lovewhatwedo #startoftheweekend #FridayFeeling
diannecarter0908
Jul 251 min read


GrowAbility Update: Wednesday 22nd July 2026
It was another wonderful GrowAbility session this week, and it was brilliant to welcome Joel back. He quickly got stuck in, working hard across both plots and making a fantastic contribution throughout the day. Back on the main plot, Claire, Charis and Esther were all incredibly helpful as they worked together to cut back some of the overgrown areas. This helped to keep everything looking neat and well cared for. And more importantly helped the tomatoes get sunlight and stopp
diannecarter0908
Jul 231 min read


Magical Music Man Mondays: Monday 20th July 2026
What a wonderfully special evening we all had! Our last Music Man session before a well deserved Summer break. Jessica’s mum, and lovely trustee, Jo, made us all some special cupcakes to eat before our end of term showcase performance, to friends and family. We sang and played our hearts out, and our super supportive audience joined in with some classic tunes Heartfelt thanks to our lovely music leader Nicky New and to our wonderful volunteers, Emma, Janice, Jo, Marian and Ma
diannecarter0908
Jul 231 min read


Our Choice Adventures: Friday 17th July 2026
Life skills: purchasing drinks and snacks, contributing to SW Mencap’s Community Matters box in Waitrose & Partners Saffron Walden, independent meal ordering and sharing food in great company enjoying fresh air and feel of summery Saffron Walden. #saffronwalden #lovewhatwedo #𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 #fridaynight #outandbout
diannecarter0908
Jul 181 min read


GWOF Friday Nights: Friday 17th July 2026
What a wonderful evening: friends together, singing, laughing, chatting, ball games and badminton Followed by birthday cake for James, whose birthday is next week! A fabulous start to the weekend Supported by The National Lottery Community Fund and #lotteryplayers #FridayFeeling #fridaynight #MakeADifference #lovewhatwedo #startoftheweekend
diannecarter0908
Jul 181 min read


Magical Music Man Mondays: Monday 13th July 2026
Oh, it was lovely to be back again this evening, with all the windows and doors open, so that the local neighbourhood could hear our wonderful singing and playing!! Nicky really kept us on our toes, by presenting us with lots of little vocal games and we rose to the challenge!! Supported by the Postcode Lottery UK awarded by the Postcode Trust. #musicismagic #musicislife #mondayvibes #MakeADifference #lovewhatwedo
diannecarter0908
Jul 181 min read


GWOF Friday Nights: Friday 10th July 2026
We had a fabulous time watching Bedazzle Accessible Performing Arts Academy Sleeping Beauty Promenade Performance. Truly beautiful, inspirational and engaging We loved every minute of it! GWOF is supported by The National Lottery Community Fund and #lotteryplayers #FridayVibes #MakeADifference #lovewhatwedo #startoftheweekend #bringingjoy
diannecarter0908
Jul 111 min read


GrowAbility Update: Wednesday 1st July 2026
It was fantastic to be back and catch up with everyone today. With all hands on deck, our team worked incredibly hard to give both plots a thorough watering after the hot weather. It was a busy session, but everyone kept busy to make sure the gardens got the water and feed they needed. The Tea Garden looks especially neat after a good old weeding. There was plenty of excitement along the way when Noah discovered a wasps' nest hidden beneath some decking! Thankfully, we gave i
diannecarter0908
Jul 11 min read


Magical Music Man Mondays: Monday 29th June 2026
Despite the disappointment of our weekend performance being postponed until September, we were back in fine spirits, continuing our quest to become the very best performers we can be. We are determined, spirited and passionate, and we want to learn. We are so lucky to have the wonderful Nicky New as our Music Leader. Nicky, you are the best!! Supported by the Postcode Lottery UK awarded by the Postcode Trust and London Stansted Airport #Communityfund #MakeADifference #love
diannecarter0908
Jul 11 min read


A day with CanalAbility: Saturday 20th June 2026
Our members are very excited this morning: looking forward to a day on the canal boats with CanalAbility We met at the Lord Butler Fitness & Leisure Centre and travelled by minibus to our destination. The boats are making their way upstream today, towards Harlow Mill. Each member will have the opportunity to steer the boat (with guidance) and help operating the numerous locks during the journey. A huge thank you to Eddie from Uttlesford Community Travel for your time and
diannecarter0908
Jun 211 min read
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