13-year-old from Newcastle raises almost £70,000 to save Lake District activity centre

  • Video report by ITV Tyne Tees reporter Chris Conway

Oliver is like most 13-year-olds, he loves to be outdoors, whether that is cycling, climbing mountains or riding horses.

But suffering a brain injury when he was only two days old means he needs a little extra help.

Over the last three years, Oliver's family have spent precious time together with the help of the Calvert Trust, a charity which runs an outdoor activity centre in the Lake District.

The 13-year-old added: "It gives me a break when I'm there because mummy is such a bad cook!"

Credit: Voysey family

The centre in the Lake District has been closed since March and the chairty has lost over £1 million since the start of the pandemic.

 In the hope of saving the centre, Oliver has launched an online campaign. ‘Oliver’s Calvert Army’ has already raised over £70,000. He is aiming to raise £1 million in total.

Jennifer Scott, from the Calvert Trust, said: “We know that there is going to be a lot more people impacted by lockdown, who will benefit from Calvert in the future… we can't thank them enough.”