Chirk, Wrexham, resident Michael Beynon announced as a Mencap Myth Buster

BUSTING MYTHS TO BREAK DOWN BARRIERS

–       Mencap announces dancer Michael Beynon from Chirk, Wrexham, as part of The Myth Busters – a group of people who are living life with a learning disability, challenging misconceptions and providing greater representation for the 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK –

Mencap, the learning disability charity, has announced it has welcomed a whopping 18 new ambassadors from the learning disability community to the charity including baker and Welsh businessman Michael Beynon from Chirk, Wrexham. This extraordinary group of people called The Myth Busters are all living life with a learning disability and through their work with Mencap will be helping to challenge wider stigmas and societal misconceptions about what living life with a learning disability looks like.

Alongside Michael, the Myth Busters, featuring some familiar and famous faces people may recognise, are a group of people that demonstrate just how unique learning disability is and how everyone in the community deserves to be equally seen and heard. They include Andrew Self – a dancer who brought Cheryl Cole to tears on BBC’s The Greatest Dancer; Sophie Potter – a self-identified ‘Party girl’ who loves Sex and the City and going dancing on nights out with her sister; and Ellie Goldstein – face of Gucci and Glamour Magazine’s ‘Gamechanging Model of the Year’, to name a few.

Alongside them are also celebrities such as George Webster who took Cbeebies by storm as their first children’s TV presenter with Down’s syndrome, BAFTA Award-winning Tommy Jessop and actor Sarah Gordy, OBE.   

When Michael was born, his mother was warned by doctors that he was likely to spend a lot of his life using a wheelchair. However, Michael has defied the odds: going on to compete in the Special Olympics and scooping up over 60 medals in events, including shot put, boccia, long jump, and track. Last year he became the first man in Wales with Down Syndrome to run a marathon. Michael also runs his own baking business called Coal Pit Welsh Cakes, and his creations have been featured on the TV show Saturday Kitchen alongside the likes of Fortnum and Mason and other leading brands.

Speaking about being a Mencap Myth Buster and a person living with a learning disability, Michael says: “I’m excited to be a Myth Buster because sometimes people think I can’t do things without asking me. I want to show people that people like me can run a successful business. I like talking to young people [with a learning disability] and inspiring them to put their passion into their own businesses too!’

To welcome the new Myth Busters to the Mencap family, India Whiley-Morton – a photographer, who herself has an aunt with a learning disability – has released unique portraits of each of them. India is the daughter of Radio DJ and Mencap ambassador Jo Whiley, who campaigned in spring 2021 to get people with a learning disability prioritised for the Covid-19 vaccine, after she was offered the vaccine before her sister Frances who has a learning disability and diabetes. The images India has taken of The Myth Busters showcase them living happy lives and busting myths at the same time, demonstrating the diverse range of ages, ethnicities, different types of learning disability and regionality each member of the group uniquely brings to the charity.

Commenting on her role in this announcement, India says: “I’ve grown up with my Auntie Frances who has a learning disability and she is the life and soul of my family. I’ve also spent my whole life helping out at the nightclub my Grandma runs for people with a learning disability – dancing with the people and generally being very involved in the community. When Mencap approached me about capturing these amazing Myth Busters on camera, I was really keen to be involved.  

“I wanted to be part of this campaign to show the amazing personalities that exist in the learning disability community.  I loved working with each and every one of the Myth Busters – hearing all their stories, learning about their passions and getting to know them while shooting. It was great fun and everyone was amazing! I also loved meeting the families and carers and seeing all the special and unique relationships unfold on set.”

Late last year, Mencap released some statistics which revealed that two thirds of people in the UK cannot correctly identify a learning disability as a reduced intellectual ability, with 40% of people thinking it’s dyslexia and 28% believing it to relate to a mental health issue. The survey also revealed two in five people (42%) had not seen someone with a learning disability in the media in the past year, with a third (33%) saying they would feel more comfortable talking to someone with a learning disability if they saw them featured more often in the media.

These statistics prove just how important representation and inclusion is. Those who were surveyed also revealed they’d be more likely to engage with people with a learning disability if they lived on their street (39%), worked on their local high street (37%) or participated in local sports activities with them (29%).

It’s Mencap and the Myth Busters’ hope that by showcasing this diverse mix of people as ambassadors and giving them all a platform to talk about what living life with a learning disability means to them, they’ll increase the visibility of people with a learning disability not only in the media but also in wider society.

Edel Harris, Chief Executive of the learning disability charity Mencap, said:

“Each and everyone of these Myth Busters are amazing and I can’t thank them enough for joining the Mencap family. To have this diverse group of unique, talented, interesting, energetic, and fun people on board to help us shatter misconceptions, reduce stigma and campaign for societal change and greater inclusion of people with a learning disability is a real pleasure and privilege. We want the UK to be the best place in the world for people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives and I’m delighted the Myth Busters are helping us to make this a reality.”

For more information on the launch of The Myth Busters, including a chance to see the portraits by India Wiley-Morton and behind-the-scenes footage from the shoot, visit: mencap.org.uk/mythbusters