Painted panels from Bottletop add a spalsh of colour to Brent Mencap’s outdoor space

Brent Mencap is the leading learning disability charity in Brent, and does wonderful work in the community with people of all ages. Ann O’Neill is the director. The charity’s aim is to support children and adults with learning disabilities to live lives that are as independent as possible, so that they can really reach their potential.

Forward-thinking brand Bottletop comes on board

Over the summer we were thrilled to sign up a brilliant London business called Bottletop. Founded in 2002, the British social enterprise has a mission to ‘empower people and planet through sustainable design and creative culture’. It works to empower artisans through the design and creation of sustainable luxury goods, while raising funds for health education projects. 

Leah Bowen, Operations Manager at Bottletop, loved the idea of A Good Thing and was keen to get involved. She had lots of ideas straightaway about donations that her firm could make, and began by listing bamboo poles, empty aluminium cans and drawstring bags. These all generated a great amount of interest among the London charities registered with us.

A splash of colour

We were very excited when Leah from Bottletop recently used A Good Thing to donate about 50 beautiful, brightly-coloured, painted wooden panels – of all different shapes and sizes. They were in gorgeous condition, and so cheerful and attractive – we knew they would be snapped up fast.

Katy O’Neill Gutierrez, founder of the brilliant parent-and-baby walking network Blaze Trails CIC, was browsing the offers on her A Good Thing app when she spotted the panels, and got in touch:

“My mum, Ann O’Neill, runs Brent Mencap, in north-west London. The charity has just transformed its offices and garden into a beautiful community space, and they would be so grateful to have these panels. The panels would look so incredible in the covered walkway and garden room.”

Leah was thrilled that the panels had found such a wonderful new home so quickly and easily – no need for her to have to think about where to store them, or what to do with them next.

Wonderful support for the people of Brent

Brent Mencap offers various invaluable services including advice about housing and benefits; information about employment, learning and volunteering; fitness and other activities; and social clubs. These services are a lifeline for many people within this community. Mencap’s Brent building – a lovely old house – and garden area are a wonderful hub of support and positivity for many, and the painted panels will really help to transform the place. The covered walkway and shelter area will be brightened and made beautiful through the addition of these cheerful colours.

Two Mencap groups have been using the panels already: the gardening group, made up of adults facing mental health challenges, and the art group, who have been making beautiful creations out of the panels using collage techniques.

A Good Thing is just fabulous!

Katy told us:

“The interaction with Leah at Bottletop was lovely – she was so warm and easy to communicate with. It was all such an easy process – A Good Thing makes it really easy to request items.”

Katy has been a fan of A Good Thing for a while now:

“It’s such a great platform. I love getting the emails, and seeing what’s on offer. I look at the alerts and know straightaway if it’s something I’m going to be able to use or not. A Good Thing is such a brilliant idea – it’s fabulous!”

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Has this article inspired you to partner with A Good Thing and reach charities in your local community?