Get rid of any unwanted items cluttering your home and help Mainstay DRP! Why not take time out to tidy out your wardrobe, garage or that dreaded cupboard under the stairs – and donate the items to us for recycling.

There are lots of items Mainstay DRP can accept including clothes, household goods, mobile phones, ink cartridges and accessories such as shoes, handbags and belts.

If you are having a spring clean and aren’t sure what is suitable to donate, call Mainstay DRP on 028 4461 7184 or email info@mainstaydrp.org for more information.

Donations must be left at –

Mainstay DRP Head Office,

Ballydugan Industrial Estate,
Ballydugan Road,
Downpatrick,
BT30 6TE

Celebrate and give thanks for your special day by including the gift of helping others on your traditional wedding present list. ‘Celebrate with Mainstay DRP’ is the perfect alternative gift service for • weddings • wedding anniversaries • birthdays • retirement celebrations • and any other momentous occasion you have in mind!

It’s easy to organise! All you have to do is create your personal ‘wedding gift’ fundraising page online at www.justgiving.com and ask friends and family to make a donation OR replace wedding favours at each table setting with a bespoke charity donation envelope.

Call the Fundraising team on 028 4461 7184 for more information.

Letter of thanks

Many friends and family have told Mainstay DRP of how setting up a fund dedicated to the memory of their loved one allowed them to positively focus of helping others during their time of grief.

In Memory Envelopes

‘In Memory’ envelopes are an easy way to organise a special funeral collection to present to the charity. Each envelope contains information on Mainstay DRP, an option to donate by card or cheque and the opportunity to Gift Aid your donation.

Family and friends can also include a message in memory of the deceased which the charity will deliver to the family.

To order envelopes, phone 028 4461 7184 or email info@mainstaydrp.org.

While Mainstay DRP always tries to ensure your donation envelopes arrive before the day of the service, please try to order them at the earliest opportunity.

Letter of Thanks

Leave a legacy after you die by including Mainstay DRP in your will and, in turn, helping the charity assist and support adults with a learning disability in the Co Down area.

When you are making your will, naturally your first concern will be for your closest of kin. However, if you also decide to remember the ongoing work of Mainstay DRP in your will, or name the charity as one of the beneficiaries of a trust you create, your gift would be received with extreme gratitude.

The charity is one of the north’s largest providers of services which support people with a learning disability, their families and carers as they go about their daily lives.

Gifts in wills have been a crucial part of the donations received by the charity in the last two decades and, as a result, have greatly contributed to the progress made by the organisation over the years. Your gift, whatever the size, can make a difference to the lives of those with a learning disability. Your gift will help to provide them with opportunities they may not otherwise have had.

Help shape the future of people with learning disabilities by downloading the Legacy Document here

Make a Regular Donation

At Mainstay DRP, we are committed to our passionate belief that people with a learning disability should have equal rights and chances in society. Your regular donation, taken by Standing Order, means we can continue to provide the services and support for people with a learning disability that they deserve.

Make a one-off donation

By making a one-off donation to Mainstay DRP, you will help many local people who have a learning disability to live their lives the way they want. The charity helps and supports people with a learning disability every day to develop skills, gain confidence, become actively involved in the community and take part in the activities that they love.

There are a number of ways to maximise your gift at no extra cost to you. Certain tax benefits enable us to increase the value of your gift and even allow you to receive a percentage of your income tax back.

            Make Your Gift Go Further At No Extra Expense To You!

As a UK taxpayer, you can donate to Mainstay DRP under the Gift Aid scheme, allowing the organisation to reclaim the tax element of your donation - currently 25p for every £1 you donate.

For every £1 you give to Mainstay DRP, we can claim an extra 25p from the Inland Revenue. This means if you make a donation of £10, it will actually be worth £12.50 to Mainstay DRP without costing you anything more than the original £10 gift. You can help claim this extra money by ticking the Gift Aid box whenever you are making a donation.

How do you claim Gift Aid?

If you pay tax in the UK then you can donate to the charity under the Gift Aid scheme. This allows Mainstay DRP to reclaim the tax element of your donation. At least the same amount in tax the charity reclaims must have been paid to the Inland Revenue in order for this to happen.

For Mainstay DRP to claim Gift Aid you must be a UK taxpayer paying the Inland Revenue tax from either the money that you earn, your savings, the savings or the benefits or pension you receive.

To register your Gift Aid Declaration click here. 

There are several other ways to donate:

• on-line – Log onto www.mainstaydrp.org and click on the flashing ‘Donate Now’ button. This will lead you to the charity’s secure Just Giving page.

• by phone - call us on 028 4461 7184 to talk to a member of our team

• by post - please send a cheque made payable to Mainstay DRP.

Community Support

Schools, Colleges and Clubs

Mainstay DRP organises all kinds of fundraising events – whether they’re indoors, outdoors, on dry land or water…or even up in the sky?

All the money raised goes to providing care and support to adults with severe autism or a learning disability in the Co Down area.

The charity is searching for a school, college or youth club to come up with the best idea ever for a fundraising event - we want you to be our Apprentice Fundraisers!

Each year, we will award five categories between the Under 5’s, primary schools, youth clubs and secondary schools and colleges.

Imagine – the event you create could become one of our annual events!

All winners will be published on our website and Mainstay DRP’s social networking sites on facebook and Twitter.

For an Apprentice Fundraiser pack, please email info@mainstaydrp.org

From the littlest seeds…

Would you like to hear the inspirational story of how a group of concerned parents and carers in the Co Down area joined forces to create a charitable organisation with the sole aim of caring and supporting adults with a learning disability through life?

This is a story that must be heard…

Twenty years on and these once worried parents have created an organisation which provides residential care, respite services, day care and supported housing to local people with a learning disability - and are now one of the biggest employers in the Downpatrick area.

If you wish to hear more, we will send a member of staff to present Mainstay DRP’s remarkable story to your group.

Alternatively, would your group like to help us?

Our small, dedicated team of volunteers could always do with a few extra pairs of hands to help out at our fundraisers.

So why not team-build and fundraise for charity at the same time?

Contact the Mainstay DRP team on 028 4461 7184 or email info@mainstaydrp.org

Corporate Donations

Companies

There are currently 1.5 million people in the UK with a learning disability and they are among the most disadvantaged groups in society, routinely excluded from fully integrating in their communities.

Mainstay DRP works to address this in County Down.

If your company would like to help, then together we can make a significant difference to the lives of people with a learning disability while offering your staff uplifting experiences and adding value to your brand.

Whether you are looking for a strategic partnership such as integrated business involvement or staff participation in fundraising and events, Mainstay DRP can find an opportunity to meet your needs.

These include:

• charity of the year
• sponsorship
• cause related marketing
• bespoke corporate events
• volunteering packages

Together with your work colleagues, you can help to make a real difference to people living with severe autism and learning disabilities in Northern Ireland.

Corporate giving is easy to set up and in the majority of cases, gifts are subject to tax relief through approved schemes. These days the range of gifts is growing. As well as giving money, your company could give shares or donate investments that will earn dividends for Mainstay DRP in the future or securities such as bonds whereby the charity would gain from the profits.

It is not just financial donations that can help us - donating a gift in kind can showcase your company’s products or services while also raising vital funds for us. Goods and services can make fantastic prizes for fundraising raffles and auctions.

Please make a donation today!

Please note - gifts of your own company shares do not receive tax relief. For information about tax relief and corporate donations, please visit the HM Revenue and Customs website: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/businesses/giving/index.htm