Calvert Lakes reopens thanks to visitor fundraising efforts
Video report by Ryan Dollard
A charity that supports people with disabilities in the Lake District has reopened after being closed since March 2020.
Calvert Lakes, run by the Calvert Trust has faced financial challenges over the past 15 months, as fundraising dried up during lockdown. After Covid-19 left a '£1m gap in their funding' and the Trust launched an 'Emergency Bounce Back Appeal' to save its 'much-loved' specialist residential centre and accessible riding centre, near Keswick.
The response was 'hugely encouraging', and several people who used the site regularly started campaigning to make sure it could reopen.
13-year-old Oliver Voysey, who regularly visited Calvert Lakes as part of his rehabilitation, suffered a brain injury when he was two days old causing catastrophic damage including sight loss, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism and learning difficulties.
To support the Appeal, he launched Oliver’s Calvert Army and took on a series of challenges, including walking on a treadmill for 13 minutes, standing independently for 13 seconds, completing a 13-minute walk and scoring 13 goals in a penalty shoot-out.
Oliver's campaign went viral after he and his parents Sarah and Gary and sister Elizabeth appeared on national television and radio.
Another Calvert regular, Charles Dean, a 46-year-old disabled dad from Wigton set himself the challenge of covering the 874-mile distance between Land’s End to John O’Groats on Cumbria’s roads by wheelchair. He started in January and completed the challenge in just eight weeks.
By April, Charles and Oliver along effort of other fundraisers had raised £730,000 for the appeal securing the charity’s 'immediate future'.
Fundraising Manager, Jennifer Scott said: “We have been overwhelmed by the public’s response to our lockdown appeal. However, like many other charities, we still have some way to go on our journey to recovery and continued fundraising is key to that.
“There are so many ways that the public can support us and every little really does help. From becoming a ‘regular giver’ by making monthly donations via our website to volunteering leg power to run in the London Marathon or the Great North Run later this year.”
Giles Mounsey-Heysham, Chair of Lake District Calvert Trust said, “We are all looking forward to welcoming guests back from Monday. What has become very clear over the past 15 months is that, once this pandemic is over, the ‘Calvert experience’ will be needed more than ever - not only by our current beneficiaries but also the many people affected by Covid-19 and the impact it has had on everyone’s lives, health and wellbeing.
“A very big thank you to everyone who has supported us financially and with their good wishes. Please do continue to support if you possibly can. This will ensure that we can continue to be there for our disabled visitors and their families through next winter into 2022 and beyond.”