Accessibility

Our specialist equipment enables all people of all ages and abilities to take part in activities.  We have hoist facilities in the riding school and also on the pontoon for our water based activities.  In addition we have specialist climbing supports and adaptive equipment such as paddle grips and archer’s bow supports.

Our accommodation rooms and apartments have en-suite level entry shower rooms and accessible bathrooms are available (although not en-suite).  Throughout the building, we have widened doors and corridors, electric doors and lifts to the upper floors. All rooms are fitted with Menvicall alarms linked to reception during the day and to the duty instructor in the evenings.

In addition, we have a wide range of specialist equipment for our visitors which can be reserved prior to visiting, including:

• • Electric and manual hoists
  • Shower chairs
  • Over bed pole hoist
  • Commodes
  • Profiling beds available in some rooms
  • Bed blocks
  • Mattress elevators
  • Trembler pads (Deaf Guards)
  • Cot sides

Calvert Trust Exmoor Accessibility Statement

The aim of this access statement is to accurately describe the facilities and services that we offer to all of our guests; it is not intended to be an opinion on the suitability of our centre for those with access needs.

Introduction

Calvert Trust Exmoor is based on a beautiful 40-acre site, set on the edge of Exmoor
National Park in an area of outstanding natural beauty, next to Wistlandpound reservoir and a short distance from the North Devon Coast.

Sleeping a total of 60 people, our centre has 21 ensuite rooms, split into single, twin, triple & quad rooms, plus four apartments. The rooms feature single beds, which can be electric beds, or standard beds fitted with electric elevators, and ensuite level entry shower rooms with toilet facilities.

Some of our bedrooms are equipped with overhead tracking systems. The centre’s public areas are fitted with ramps throughout, as well as automatic doors in the most busy areas and lifts between the floors.

We look forward to welcoming you to our centre, if you have any queries before, during, or even after your stay please contact us on 01598 763221 or via exmoor@calvert-trust.org.uk.

Before you arrive

For full details of how to reach us please see the directions page of our website,
http://www.calvert-trust.org.uk/exmoor/directions

You may also find the transport direct website useful to plan your journey, http://www.transportdirect.info – simply enter your postcode and ours, which is EX31 4SJ.

Barnstaple is our nearest station, we are happy to arrange collection and drop off for our guests with a local, accessible taxi firm. Please arrange this service at the time of making your booking. We also provide this service from Tiverton Parkway station.

The nearest bus stop is at Blackmoor Gate, which is approximately 0.75 miles from Calvert Trust Exmoor. The bus stop is located in the car park at the A39/ A399 junction, with a shelter and public toilets (including an accessible toilet). It is served by the 300, 309 and 310 bus services from Lynton, Lynmouth, Ilfracombe and Barnstaple. We do not recommend walking from the bus stop as there are no pavements on the A39, the A399 or the road from the A399 to Calvert Trust Exmoor.

Car Parking and Arrival

There is a large, free, car park on our site, which is well lit at night. The car park surface is tarmac, with a paved path leading to the main building. There is a wheelchair-friendly ramped path up to the main entrance, with a dropped kerb and permanent handrails on both sides.

The main entrance is through double doors; the outer one a manual door that is latched open during the day, normally 850mm (33.5 inches) wide, but can be opened to 1650mm (65 inches) if required. The inner door is automatic and is 1350mm (53 inches) wide.

Our staff are happy to assist with your luggage on request, and we also have luggage trolleys that can be borrowed free of charge.

Fire Safety

At Calvert Trust Exmoor we take our duty of care to all guests very seriously. We have been working with Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service to ensure we make best possible provision for all guests in case of a fire. We aim to be able to evacuate the centre, without the assistance of the Fire Service, within 3 minutes.

To provide a coordinated response that reflects the varying needs and abilities of all guests staying in the centre, we expect that those guests who have care responsibility for others will act as ‘Responsible Adults’ for their charges in case of fire.

‘Responsible Adult’ includes (but is not limited to) carers, adult family members, personal assistants, support staff, group leaders, teachers, volunteers within groups, and any other person who has responsibility for others.

To find out more about what we expect of ‘Responsible Adults’ whilst they are staying on site, please read our leaflet “In Case Of Fire; Carer’s Responsibilities” here: http://www.calvert-trust.org.uk/exmoor/incaseoffire.pdf

If you have any queries about anything to do with fire safety at Calvert Trust Exmoor please speak to a member of Calvert Trust Exmoor staff, either in person while on our site, or by calling 01598 763221.

Centre Layout

Our main building is a converted Victorian model farm, originally built around 1850, and houses bedrooms and communal areas across two floors. The whole building is accessible, via a number of ramps and two lifts.

Detailed plans of both floors of the building can be provided by the Guest Services team upon request, with information on which rooms have H-track ceiling hoists, and how many beds are in each room.

The following contains accessibility information for specific areas of our centre.

Reception Area: Reception is on the first floor, directly accessed via the main entrance, and has level access throughout. The floor surface is partially wooden and partially carpeted.

Reception: There is a lowered section of the reception desk. The area is evenly and well lit, with overhead lighting and wall lights. A pen, paper, and magnifying glass are available on request.

Reception staff will show you to your room once you have checked in, and there will be a familiarisation briefing on your first night. A familiarisation tour is also available on request. There is also a seating area in reception with a choice of seating.

Bedrooms: There are 21 Bedrooms and 4 Apartments, sleeping 60 people in total. All bedrooms are accessible and can be reached via step-free access. First floor rooms are accessed via a well lit, carpeted, corridor with hand rails. Ground floor rooms and the apartments are accessed via an enclosed, paved courtyard.

Courtyard showing some of the bedrooms: All bedroom doors are at least 850mm (33.5 inches) wide, light and easy to open.

Bedrooms are bright and evenly lit, with overhead and wall lighting and good colour contrast between floor, walls and doors. All bedrooms have dimmer switches to allow our visually impaired guests to select the most comfortable lighting level. Furniture can be easily removed or rearranged in a room if requested. All bedrooms have ensuite level entry shower rooms with toilet facilities. All bedrooms have vinyl flooring.

Rooms 12, 14, 16, 18 and the single room and ground floor shower room in Heddon apartment have H-track ceiling hoists.

Electric profiling beds are in many of the rooms; if you specifically require one please request this when booking.

Many forms of specialist adaptive equipment are available for loan free of charge, on request. Please see the “Loan Equipment” section of this document for more details on the items we have available.

All rooms are fitted with Menvicall alarms linked to reception during the day and to the on duty instructor in the evenings.

Bedroom doors are marked with raised, high contrast numbers.

Four of the rooms (room numbers 15, 16, 17 and 18) are ‘paired’ with interconnecting doors, making two sets that can be used as family suites. If you would like to a family suite please let us know at the time of booking.

En-suite shower rooms: All rooms have en-suite, level entry, shower rooms with toilet facilities. Toilet heights are 500mm (19.6 inches), over toilet chairs are also available on request. Wash basin heights are 800mm (31.5 inches), with lever taps and clear space underneath. High contrast horizontal and vertical grab rails are fitted around the toilets and sinks, and high contrast tiling to highlight toilet & sink areas.
Flooring is sealed, non-slip surface, with high contrast to the wall colour.

Transfer direction and space differ from room to room, depending on the available space as the building was converted from a listed Victorian model farm. Transfer directions and spaces are in the table below.

Bathrooms (shared): There are 3 bathrooms available in the centre;
1. Near room 20 on the first floor.
2. Near room 14 on the first floor.
3. Beside the lift near room 10 on the ground floor.
All bathrooms have toilet facilities.
Toilet heights are 500mm (19.6 inches), over toilet chairs are also available on request.
Wash basin heights are 800mm (31.5 inches), with lever taps and clear space underneath. Baths heights are 850mm (33.5 inches), with easily removable bottom panels for hoist access. The bathroom on the ground floor has a fold down shower stretcher.

En-suite shower rooms – transfer directions & space

Apartments: The 4 apartments (Lyn, Bray, Heddon & Kinsford) have the same features as the bedrooms described above, and in addition have a kitchen, sitting room with TV and either a bathroom or a shower room.

Bray & Lyn Apartments: Each of these apartments sleeps 4 people, situated on the ground floor with two bedrooms; one with two single beds and one single bedroom. The 4th bed is a pull-down bed in the lounge. The shower room is wheelchair accessible. Kitchen sinks in both of these apartments are adjustable height for wheelchair users.

Kinsford Apartment: This apartment sleeps 4 people, situated on the upper floor with two bedrooms, one with three single beds and one a single bedroom. The apartment is not wheelchair accessible as the only entrance is via a flight of stairs.

Heddon Apartment: This apartment sleeps 7 people across ground and first floors, with a Stannah stair lift over the stairs. There is a single bedroom and a high needs shower room (with H-track ceiling hoist and shower trolley) on the ground floor and two bedrooms upstairs; one with four single beds and one single bedroom. There is also a roll in shower room upstairs. The 7th bed is a pull-down bed in the lounge. Both the shower rooms are wheelchair accessible. The kitchen sink is height adjustable for wheelchair users.

Apartment bath & shower rooms – transfer directions & space

Watersmeet Building: 2 bedrooms, sleeping 6 people in total, are on the first floor of the Watersmeet building. All bedroom doors are at least 850mm (33.5 inches) wide, light and easy to open. Rooms are bright and evenly lit, with overhead and wall lighting and good colour contrast between floor, walls and doors. The first floor of The Watersmeet building is accessible by either stairs or lift, large enough to contain a wheelchair. The Watersmeet building is approximately 50 yards away from the main building, the other side of the car park, and is reached via tarmac paths.

Communal Areas – Halls, Stairs, Corridors, Lifts:
All communal areas are well lit with a combination of ceiling and wall lights.
Corridors are carpeted with a short pile carpet, which contrasts well with the wall colour. All corridors have permanent handrails installed. There are two lifts, with tactile buttons and an audible tone on door closure. There is a mirror on the back of each lift, with good, ceiling mounted lighting, a non-slip floor, and permanent handrails all round.

Communal Areas – Courtyard:
The Courtyard is a large, outdoor, paved area in the middle of the main building, with floral beds, and wide paved paths, a minimum of 1050mm (41.3 inches) wide. The Courtyard can be accessed step free via several entrances, all with automatic doors
at least 850mm (33.5 inches) wide. There are wooden tables and chairs in the courtyard, near to the dining room, that can be used by guests.

Communal Areas – Conservatory & Dining Room:
The dining room and conservatory are on the ground floor, with step free entry.
The dining room is accessed from the conservatory, via a 1050mm (41.3 inches) wide
doorway. The dining room flooring is non-slip resin, and the room is well lit from overhead and wall lighting. The conservatory floor is paved, with a combination of natural and overhead lighting. Food is self service, but assistance is available from Calvert Trust Exmoor staff on request.

Self service hot and cold drinks are available to guests 24hrs a day in the dining room.
Dining room tables can be raised to accommodate wheelchairs and high chairs are available on request. We have a range of accessible plates & cutlery, including plate guards. With adequate notice we can accommodate most dietary requirements (vegetarian, gluten free, halal, soft palate etc.). Some specific personalised diets (for example ketogenic. P.E.G fed), unfortunately, cannot be accommodated and guests will need to bring their own supplies.

Communal Areas – Barn Bar:
The Barn is on the first floor, with step free access from the reception area and bedrooms. The flooring is wooden, and the room is well lit from overhead and wall lighting. The Bar is open in the evenings from 7:30pm. The Barn is the venue for evening entertainments, some of these entertainments (for example discos and karaoke) are carried out with the lighting turned off and flashing/coloured disco lights are used instead.

Communal Areas – The Acland Room:
The Acland Room is on the ground floor, with step free access from the courtyard,
bedrooms, and outside, and from reception via the lift. Access is via electrically operated doors with ‘push to open’ pads, at least 1750mm (68.9 inches) wide. The flooring is partially wooden and partially slate. The room also has an external veranda with step free access. The veranda is 1600mm (63 inches) wide at its narrowest point, opening out into a 4000mm (157inch) wide main veranda area, which has wooden chairs that can be used by guests. The veranda flooring is wood with ‘grip-tape’ non slip strips. The room also contains a large widescreen television and surround sound system.

There is a large accessible toilet attached to the Acland room, accessed via an 820mm
(32.2 inches) wide doorway. The room has self actuating motion sensor lights and non-slip flooring. The toilet has 2 movable and 1 fixed hand rails, and the sink has 2 fixed hand rails. The room also has a full length mirror.

The Acland room is well lit from overhead and wall lighting, and is also fully glazed on two sides allowing plenty of natural light. In good weather the glazed sides can be opened to give direct access to the veranda.

The Acland room is used as a communal area for our guests, in particular for evening use by guests not wishing to take part in the entertainments in the Barn Bar. The Acland room also offers views across Wistlandpound reservoir to the beautiful Devon countryside beyond.

Communal Areas – Drying Room:
The drying room is on the ground floor, with step free access from the Acland room, the courtyard, conservatory and dining room, and from reception via the lift. The doorway is 870mm (34.25 inches) wide. The flooring is non-slip, and the room is well lit from overhead lighting self actuating motion sensor lights. As the room is used for drying clothing etc. it is very warm, and often damp.

Communal Areas – Wheelchair Charging Room:
The Wheelchair charging room is on the ground floor, with step free access from the
courtyard, through a 900mm (35.4 inches) wide doorway. The Wheelchair charging room provides facilities for charging up to twelve electric wheelchairs simultaneously, via UK standard 3 pin plug sockets, which are located 960mm off the ground for easy access. The room is lit with ceiling mounted fluorescent strip lights. The floor is a hard surface, indented with several heating vents.

Communal Areas – Sensory Room:
The sensory room is on the ground floor, with step free access from the Acland room, the courtyard, conservatory and dining room, and from reception via the lift. The doorway is 870mm (34.25 inches) wide. The flooring is rubberised, and the room is well lit from overhead lighting and natural light. In use the room is often dark, with blinds on the windows and lights turned off, as many of the sensory devices work better in a dark environment. The sensory room is a ‘multi sensory environment’, with multiple, user controllable devices to provide sensory stimulation including bubble tube, moving coloured lights, projector and mirror ball, flexible fibre optic lights, padding and bean bag chairs.

Communal Areas – Swimming Pool & Jacuzzi:
Our swimming pool & Jacuzzi is available for guests to use during pre-arranged times.
Both the pool and the Jacuzzi have hoist facilities available, one side of the pool is also
raised from the surrounding walkway to allow direct ‘chair to pool’ transfers. The room is well lit from overhead and wall lighting as well as natural light.

The changing rooms have non-slip flooring, the poolside area is tiled. The changing rooms include three ‘high-needs’ changing areas with overhead tracking, self actuating motion sensor lights, non-slip flooring and shower stretcher changing tables. The main area of the changing rooms has fixed lighting, the showers and toilets have selfactuating motion sensor lights.

Communal Areas – High Needs Wet Room:
The High Needs Wet Room is on the ground floor, with step free access from the
courtyard. Access is through two doors; each doorway is at least 860mm (33.85 inches) wide. The room includes overhead tracking, self actuating motion sensor lights, non-slip flooring, height adjustable sink and a shower stretcher changing table.

Outdoor Activities
We use specialist equipment to enable all abilities to take part in activities. We have hoist facilities in the riding school. There is a hoist on the pontoon for our water based activities.

All activities make use of specialist equipment to allow access for all, including;
Specialist climbing supports
Adaptive paddle grips
Tandem canoes (for stability)
Archer’s arm supports.
Accessible cycles (including hand-crank cycles)

Grounds

We have approximately 40 acres of grounds, with a mixture of woodlands & grass, and
also access to a further 40 acres of woodlands with accessible paths set around Wistlandpound reservoir.

The site slopes away from the main building down to the reservoir. There is an accessible ‘zigzag’ tarmac path down the slope towards the reservoir. Where
this path leaves Calvert Trust Exmoor land (through a large gate) the path becomes
gravelled.

Loan Equipment

We have many forms of specialist and adaptive equipment available for loan (free of
charge) on request. As well as being able to provide profiling electric beds, other items
include;
Electric and manual hoists
Over bed pole hoists (A wooden frame to help you pull yourself up to a sitting position)
Mattress elevators (To lift the head end of the mattress to a sitting position)
Bed blocks (To raise a standard bed height by approximately 100mm)
Bedsides (To stop people from falling out of bed)
Bumpers (Padded covers for Bedside)
Kinderkey Bed (Sleep system with high padded sides)
(You can find more information from the manufacturers’ website here:
http://www.kinderkey.co.uk/product/101/bearhugzzz_spacesaver)
Deafgard alarms (A wireless acoustically triggered bedside unit with a high-intensity strobe and a connected vibrator pad, that when placed under the pillow, vibrates to wake the sleeper upon the fire alarm sounding).
Waterproof Duvet & Pillowcases (waterproof mattress covers are provided as standard)
Cots
Mini Fridge (For chilled medication storage)
Lockable Safe (For secure medication storage)
Shower chairs of several types, both self propelled and carer propelled.
Seahorse Sani-chairs (You can find more information from the manufacturers’ website
here: http://www.nrs-uk.co.uk/seahorse-sanichair.html)
Commodes
Over toilet chairs
Sound monitors (For hearing into one room from another)

Please note: Slings with plastic clip fastenings should not be used in conjunction with
any Calvert Trust Exmoor hoists. If you are unsure please speak to a member of staff for further assistance.

Additional Information

The site is well signed; most signs have symbols as well as text.

We have a set of evacuation procedures, and run practice evacuations twice a year.
Should you require it Calvert Trust Exmoor staff will assist you with evacuation.

We have a fire alarm system which is tested weekly, on a Friday between 10:45 & 11:00.

Every room, including all bedrooms and communal rooms are fitted with Menvicall alarms linked to reception during the day and to the on duty instructor in the evenings.

Door frames are of a contrasting colour to the surrounding wall.

The nearest Shopmobility is approximately 12 miles away, in Barnstaple.

The nearest Hospital with an A&E unit is approximately 11 miles away;
North Devon District Hospital
Raleigh Park
Barnstaple
Devon
EX31 4JB
Tel: 01271 322577

There are no cash machines (ATMs) on site or in the local area; however cash back is
available from reception.

Free Wi-Fi is available in the reception, bar, Acland Room and Courtyard areas. Many guests tell us that their devices can also pick up the Courtyard Wi-Fi in the bedrooms.

We attempt to communicate with our guests in whatever format they find easiest, for example via emails & text messages for guests with a hearing impairment, or via plain text email for guests who have a visual impairment (ready to be machine read).

Contact Information
Address: Calvert Trust Exmoor
Wistlandpound, Kentisbury
Barnstaple, North Devon
EX31 4SJ
Telephone: 01598 763221
Email: exmoor@calvert-trust.org.uk
Website: www.calvertexmoor.org.uk

Grid Reference: The centre is at Grid Ref SS644 423, OS Landranger No 180

Hours of Operation: Open year round except between Christmas & New Year.
Office Hours: 9am to 5pm, Monday to Sunday

Reception Hours: 9am to 5pm, 7 days a week.