Lake District disability charity says pandemic has left £1m gap in funding
Video report by Emily Reader
A Cumbrian charity says the coronavirus pandemic has left a one million pound gap in their funding.
Lockdown and social distancing rules have made for a tough financial year for the Calvert Trust, which offers outdoor adventure holidays for people with disabilities. Now, the charity is trying new ways of raising much needed funds
Justin Farnan said: "Over this year we will have around a £1m hit in terms of what would normally be school groups, charity groups, adult programmes and families coming on structured outdoor activity programmes. we've still got people but it is much reduced."
"The reality is will not get that £1 million pounds back. We've been focusing really hard on fundraising, which has made some of the difference but certainly a long way from all of it."
The Calvert Trust relies heavily on charity and school trips for their main source of revenue. Like every other business, they've had to diversify make ends meet.
There is now a blanket ban on any school, whether it's a mainstream school or special school, taking any residential trips for the rest of the year and that's obviously hit us very, very hard.
The charity's centre in Keswick is opening up as a B&B to try and raise much needed funds.
"What we've decided to do for the remainder of this year is open up some of our accessible rooms for bed, breakfast and evening meal. We've also repurposed some of our accommodation into self-contained apartments for those needing to shield.
"If by March next year we're not seeing any resemblance of normality in terms of the volumes coming through the centre we're in a different place.
"But we are hoping the activities that we do and the actions that we take, that we will be here.
The decision to diversify was welcome news for those who rely on the Calvert Trust and gave them reassurance about the charity's future.
A regular visitor to the centre said: "That was one of our biggest concerns when we found out Calvert Trust had to shut for the lockdown was whether it would reopen because it's one of the only places Megan can come.
"She gets so much pleasure out of it, we come two or three times a year."
For more than 40 years the Calvert Trust has helped people with disabilities to explore all the beauty the Lake District has to offer.
They hope their latest venture will allow them to continue for many years to come.