“We are like any other family with four kids, but we need to leave extra time as sometimes things happen without our control,” explains Sarah.
“In this household there are also a lot of anxieties, so we do try and keep things roughly the same.
“We try to factor in everything which might happen so we don’t end up running late.”
Sheffield Mencap and Gateway began in 1951 after a meeting of parents at Queens Street Congregational Church.
Their children had learning disabilities and there was little support, no right to education and few opportunities to take part in community life.
The group has grown to become Sheffield’s largest independent learning disability charity, with more than 700 members.
Whilst it shares its name with the national Mencap charity, it is a separate and independent organisation “dedicated solely to supporting the local learning disability community in Sheffield”.
Sarah joined in 2006, with her family still regular attendees.
“At first it was just social clubs,” says Sarah.
“Sometimes I would leave Aidan and go and support the other three kids, but sometimes we all stayed so I had the chance to chat with other parents.
“It was good to know I wasn’t alone and that I wasn’t fighting by myself.”
She adds: “There is a lot of support out there, but – unless you have a young person with colourful needs – not everybody realises how difficult it can be sometimes.”
Aidan, who now lives in supported housing, volunteers with the British Heart Foundation, is a football coach and is a spokesman for young people with Mencap.
“Having people who understand Aidan helped him to where he is now, without that support he would be lost,” Sarah says.
“In the background there is work being done to support our young people to get to a point where things are a bit easier for them.”
