Trusts & Foundations

As a charity, our funding model relies on the incredibly generous contributions of trusts and foundations to continue providing the life-changing work we do...

About us

We are Calvert Exmoor; a registered charity (registered with Fundraising Regulator and Chartered Institute for Fundraising) providing stimulating, exciting and accessible breaks and activities for children, adults, families and groups with disabilities. A Gold Standard AHEOC certified centre, we have been welcoming guests with physical, behavioural, sensory and learning disabilities since its establishment in 1996. We pride ourselves on providing a positive and safe environment in which guests can challenge themselves in numerous ways, primarily through taking part in an exclusive range of adventurous activities.

Collaborating with Trusts & Foundations is essential in enabling Calvert Exmoor to continue providing life-changing breaks and visits to people with disabilities and their carers.

Our funding model

  • 75% of our normal operating income coming from the contributions of individuals and groups (including charities) towards their stay
  • The impact of the cost-of-living crisis and inflation and dramatically increased fuel, food and electricity costs has shifted this to a 65%/35% split
  • The remaining amount is the “Bednight Funding Gap” between the tariff the guests pay and the amount it actually costs. As a UK registered charity, our task is to raise the funds for this gap through voluntary donations and grants, with the aim of making our breaks affordable and accessible for all
  • We also offer a range of bursaries to those who are financially disadvantaged through funds raised
  • We secure funds from a variety of sources including corporates, trusts and foundations, community groups and individuals

Where your contribution could go…

With a variety of projects in progress at Calvert Exmoor, we know that some may suit your charitable aims more than others. Click on each picture to read more…
An aerial photograph of three guests looking upwards and smiling at the camera. The person in the middle is in a blue abseiling wheelchair, with ropes around him. To the left of him, knelt down is a man with a beard and sunglasses and to the right of the wheelchair is a woman in a stripy top wearing sunglasses and a white helmet.

Bednight Funding Gap

An aerial photograph of three guests looking upwards and smiling at the camera. The person in the middle is in a blue abseiling wheelchair, with ropes around him. To the left of him, knelt down is a man with a beard and sunglasses and to the right of the wheelchair is a woman in a stripy top wearing sunglasses and a white helmet.

Bednight Funding Gap

The Bednight Funding Gap is the funding gap between the tariff paid by the guest and the true cost to us as a centre per guest, per night. To keep stays affordable for our guests, this must be covered by our fundraising.

 

We can also ringfence these funds to particular groups of guests, so, whether your charitable aims encompass beneficiaries from particular counties, of certain ages or with specific disabilities (among other criteria), we can ensure these aims are met.

 

Two red trike bikes are stationary side by side in front of calm water. They have black seats and handlebars either side of the seats.

Equipment

Two red trike bikes are stationary side by side in front of calm water. They have black seats and handlebars either side of the seats.

Equipment

There is plenty of equipment required to keep our centre running smoothly. Your generous donation can be used to purchase the necessary kit for our guests. The equipment required varies, but some examples include:

  • General Equipment – this could include the general maintenance or specific purchase of equipment either for our activities (like archery bows or climbing ropes) or facilities (like bed linen, a pool table or curtains)
  • Capital Equipment – this refers to equipment that would need to be put on our asset register due to the higher price and worth. Current needs on this list includes, but is not  limited to
    • an accessible shuttle buggy
    • accessible bikes
    • canoes
    • hoists – from mobile electric to manual, these allow for easy use of accommodation and facilities for our guests
    • outdoor swing set and play area
    • appliances for accommodation
An empty indoor swimming pool with clean water and a red sign that reads

Facilities

An empty indoor swimming pool with clean water and a red sign that reads

Facilities

Located on the edge of Exmoor, we are proud to maintain our estate of outstanding facilities for our guests.

Your donations and support enable us to maintain the highest quality and continue improving our facilities to do the best by our guests and the environment.

Grants towards this area could cover:

  • Accommodation refurbishments
  • Estate renovations such as fencing, doors and roofing
  • Swimming pool improvements
  • Pathways and fencing for activity areas
  • Solar PV panels
A young boy in a blue coat and a blue helmet is looking upwards and smiling at an adult standing in front of him. He is wearing a harness and has ropes attached to him as well as the person behind him, who is smiling.

Bursary scheme

A young boy in a blue coat and a blue helmet is looking upwards and smiling at an adult standing in front of him. He is wearing a harness and has ropes attached to him as well as the person behind him, who is smiling.

Bursary scheme

Bursaries enable us to make our breaks and visits even more affordable and ensure we are able to reach those who need our services most.

 

To meet your own charitable aims, we can ringfence our bursary donations to be allocated to specific bookings that contain people of particular criteria. This could include age, type of disability and the counties they are coming from to visit us, among others.

Read more about our bursary scheme here

Recent successes

Emergency Fundraising Appeal

Emergency Fundraising Appeal

In August 2024, we launched an urgent Crowdfunder with an ambitious target of £500,000 to save our centre—and we had just over three weeks to do it.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our amazing community, we didn’t just meet our target—we exceeded it!

The campaign received  coverage on BBC Spotlight, ITV Westcountry, radio, and print, drawing in overwhelming support from businesses and individuals. We are truly grateful for this phenomenal response. This success shows demonstrates how much our charity means to everyone and puts us in a strong position to diversify income and keep our doors open for all.

Thank you!

Funbug Carriage

Funbug Carriage

We were incredibly pleased to have the support of Pets Foundation, who funded the purchase of a new Bennington ‘Fun Bug’ Carriage.

This carriage was bought to replace the previous carriage and is purpose-built, so that the carriage is lighter, more manoeuvrable and more practical for riders and horses. It’s more open, with no sides, to avoid the rider feeling confined and they can see more around them.

Riders can sit in the seat or go on in a wheelchair, to sit aside the driver and maybe even take the reins!

Bednight Funding Gap

Bednight Funding Gap

This project is ongoing and is supported by a multitude of funders.

As a charity, we subsidise our rates to ensure our services are financially accessible. As you can imagine, this comes with a cost to us as a centre, which we call the Bednight Funding Gap. This is the gap between the amount guests contribute to their stay and the true cost to us as a centre. We must fundraise for this in order to ensure more guests are able to benefit from the Calvert Exmoor experience.

Funders across the UK have been kind enough to support this cause recently. Some have chosen to restrict this funding for guests from particular areas, or of particular ages or living with specific disabilities, in order to abide by their own charitable aims.

Recent successes include:

  • Funding for guests with Learning Difficulties
  • Funding for guests under the age of 25 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
  • Funding for guests from Devon
Two red trike bikes are stationary side by side in front of calm water. They have black seats and handlebars either side of the seats.

Accessible bikes

Two red trike bikes are stationary side by side in front of calm water. They have black seats and handlebars either side of the seats.

Accessible bikes

In the last year, we have managed to secure funding from a variety of sources for over £54,000 towards the revitalisation of our fleet of accessible bikes.

With regular use over many years, many within our fleet of accessible bikes were in need of replacing. From accessible e-trikes to front-loading bikes that allow a wheelchair to be secured at the front and with even more bikes on the way, we are incredibly excited to be able to offer this incredibly popular sport to even more of our guests with varying needs.

Six children are jumping in the air between the two archery targets on the archery range. They're all facing the camera and doing fun jumping poses in the sun.

Fully funded school places

Six children are jumping in the air between the two archery targets on the archery range. They're all facing the camera and doing fun jumping poses in the sun.

Fully funded school places

In spring 2024 we delivered a pilot grant-funded breaks project working with schools that specialise in teaching young people categorised as SEND, typically located in areas of high economic deprivation surrounding the centre. Over 150 children have benefitted from this project so far this year and we are excited to continue this scheme with support from another grant funder this autumn.

Waterwheel door replacement

Waterwheel door replacement

With a centre built around a Grade II listed farmstead, much of our historical artifacts include original mechanisms for a waterwheel, which can be seen in our barn.

Due to age and natural degradation over almost three decades, a listed door that protects the waterwheel was in need of replacement and is temporarily boarded up, as seen in the picture.

A generous funder has awarded a grant to replace this waterwheel door and we are eagerly awaiting its arrival, any day now!

 

Four guests wearing coats and buoyancy aids are looking at the camera. In the background is a slightly blurred instructor wearing a blue buoyancy aid and in the background of the entire picture is pine forests.

Bursary Scheme

Four guests wearing coats and buoyancy aids are looking at the camera. In the background is a slightly blurred instructor wearing a blue buoyancy aid and in the background of the entire picture is pine forests.

Bursary Scheme

Our Bursary Scheme has multiple funders. Having awarded £36,000 in bursaries last year, we are aiming to award even more this year.

An incredibly generous funder recently donated a large sum to our Bursary Scheme specifically to be used for those under the age of 18, which, with our recent influx of school visits, has meant more children from these schools have been able to benefit from the Calvert Exmoor experience!

A group of guests are sitting in a pair of rafted canoes all laughing and smiling, wearing red buoyancy aids and paddling on lightly rippling water. There are two guests sitting at the front, two guests sitting at the back and then the guests in the middle of each boat are in beanbags.

New Enigma canoes

A group of guests are sitting in a pair of rafted canoes all laughing and smiling, wearing red buoyancy aids and paddling on lightly rippling water. There are two guests sitting at the front, two guests sitting at the back and then the guests in the middle of each boat are in beanbags.

New Enigma canoes

With frequent use over the years, many canoes within our fleet have been in need of refurbishment or replacement. This last year, we were grateful to receive funding that ensured the purchase of two new Enigma Canoes.

We are still in need of two more of these canoes to complete our fleet.

Rope-based equipment

Rope-based equipment

As you can imagine, the frequent use of our safety equipment on our rope-based activities like abseiling, climbing and crate stacking, involves frequent replacements or maintenance. While we have a budget for general maintenance, the cost of replacing many of our equipment items would exceed this, so we also raise money for this as a project.

We were very grateful to receive a donation that saw the purchase of some new Figure 8 metalwork devices, which are used for descending smoothly in abseiling.

A view from below of a ceiling track hoist attached to a barn ceiling. It is a T-shaped blue bar with metal hooks at either end. There is a coiled wire hanging down alongside a blue belt attached to the bar. Attached to both is a remote control with coloured buttons.

Ceiling-track hoist

A view from below of a ceiling track hoist attached to a barn ceiling. It is a T-shaped blue bar with metal hooks at either end. There is a coiled wire hanging down alongside a blue belt attached to the bar. Attached to both is a remote control with coloured buttons.

Ceiling-track hoist

In our Equestrian Centre, our ceiling-track hoist was nearing its decommission date. With a generous grant award from Morrisons Foundation, we were able to have this replaced with a more modern version of the hoist. The new hoist (pictured) is now in use and is making things much easier for both our staff and those who need extra support with mounting a horse.

An empty indoor riding arena, with a floor of black rubber shavings, wooden walls and metal roofing with natural light. At the far end is a row of blue chairs in the viewing gallery.

Equestrian Centre costs

An empty indoor riding arena, with a floor of black rubber shavings, wooden walls and metal roofing with natural light. At the far end is a row of blue chairs in the viewing gallery.

Equestrian Centre costs

From farrier visits, vet bills and stables maintenance to staff time and field maintenance, each of our twelve horses are estimated to cost the centre £8,000 a year. With that in mind, many funders who prefer to support equine-related causes choose to donate core funding that is ringfenced for use by the Equestrian Centre.

We have multiple funders supporting our Equestrian Centre, from funding staff training and apprenticeship schemes to core costs associated with running the centre.

For example, a kind funder has recently agreed to fund the cost of vital work to fencing around one of our horse fields. This is greatly appreciated, as it not only affects the wellbeing of our horses, but, by doing so, affects the experience of our guests. This was not an expense that we, as a charity, were able to pay and we are incredibly grateful for the foundation’s award.

A darkened room with multi-coloured lights and sensory decorations.

Sensory room renovations

A darkened room with multi-coloured lights and sensory decorations.

Sensory room renovations

You can now see the exciting impact of Toyota Community Fund’s grant on the renovation of our sensory room. With their generous help and that of our wonderful volunteers, we have renovated the space and, by doing so, we will be opening it up to the local community for hire by the hour. This will not only benefit more people but also strengthen our connection with the local community.

A member of Calvert Exmoor staff, Chief Instructor Tom, is wearing a navy blue Calvert polo shirt, a red helmet and glasses and is holding some ropes tied to a carabiner, smiling at the camera.

Staff training

A member of Calvert Exmoor staff, Chief Instructor Tom, is wearing a navy blue Calvert polo shirt, a red helmet and glasses and is holding some ropes tied to a carabiner, smiling at the camera.

Staff training

From apprenticeship schemes to staff qualifications, we often receive grant funding towards the all-important development of our incredible staff.

Some examples of funding towards this cause:

  • Equestrian Centre Apprenticeship scheme
  • Activity Instructor Apprenticeship scheme
  • Watersports qualifications
  • Internal and external training for introduction of new activities

Our fundraising targets

  • Total raised in 2022-2023

    In the financial year ending November 2023, we had fundraised a total of approximately £200,000

  • Fundraising target 2023-2024

    This financial year, we had the target of £390,000, which has not only been achieved but also surpassed hugely, thanks to our emergency appeal, where we raised over £500,000.

Why we do what we do…

  • 20%

    of people have a long-standing disability or illness

    According to Sport England, as many as 1 in 5 people have a long-standing limiting disability or illness…

    Sport England

  • 90%

    of disabled people want to be more active

    Activity Alliance's Annual Disability and Activity Survey 2022-2023 found that 4 out of 5 disabled people wanted to become more active…

    Activity Alliance

  • 42%

    of disabled people see lack of accessible facilities as a barrier to physical activity

    Activity Alliance found that 42% of people with disabilities in the UK perceived a lack of accessible facilities as a barrier to participating in physical activity.

    Activity Alliance

  • 65%

    of families with disabled children reported feeling isolated

    This isolation can be experienced in various forms: social, financial, physical and emotional…

    Forgotten Families Isolation Report 2021

What our guests say…

  • 98%

    Room and facilities

    In 2023, 98% of guests said the facilities and their accommodation was suitable, comfortable and clean

  • 97%

    Activities satisfaction

    97% of guests stated their activity programme was well adapted and high quality in 2023

  • 95%

    facilities satisfaction

    When asked about centre facilities, 95% of guests in 2023 said that they were well maintained

  • 99%

    Guest aims completed

    When asked if their personal aims and goals of their visit were met, 99% of 2023 guests answered yes

A guest in a wheelchair is turning his head to face the camera, with his tongue sticking out of his mouth slightly, smiling and waving at the camera. There is a man smiling at him and pushing his wheelchair from behind.
Previous holidays have excluded Luke from activities because he is a wheelchair user. It was very special to see Luke glowing with pride and delight after trying things for the very first time
Luke's Mum, a bursary recipient

FAQs

We’d love to hear from you. You can either call or email us.

Call 01598 763221 and select option 3

Email us at fundraising@calvert-trust.org.uk

Please note: Our fundraising team work Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 17:00.

We offer a range of opportunities for funders:

  • We will ensure the grant is spent specifically for the purposes for which it was received
  • We invite all our funders for a site tour, to see our work in action and see where your donation will make its impact
  • We would be delighted to provide updates throughout the grant in whatever form suits you
  • We provide every funder with a report (unless explicitly asked not to). This report contains both specific project updates as well as general centre updates and will show, through both quantitative and qualitative means, the impact of your donation
  • We have social media channels and this website for sharing news and updates, with some funders specifically asking to be mentioned as part of their grant award stipulations. In reciprocation, we may also provide you with logos, images and content

Our annual accounts can be found on our Charities Commission page here.

Our financial year runs from 1st December to 30th November.

By BACS: 

Payee/Account name:
‘Exmoor Calvert Trust’
Sort Code: 60-02-03
Account number: 23840528

 

By cheque: 

Account name: Exmoor Calvert Trust

Send to:

Calvert Exmoor

Wistlandpound

Kentisbury, Barnstaple

Devon

EX31 4SJ

 

We will acknowledge as soon as funds are safely received. Thank you.

We have a range of company policies and can confirm that we have these in place:

  • Safeguarding Policy for Child, Young Person and Vulnerable Adults
  • Equal Opportunities Policy
  • Ethical Fundraising Policy
  • Health and Safety Policy

To download these policies, please scroll down to the red box.

Of course. Click here to read more about our awards, partnerships or accreditations.

More success stories

More stories
A lady in a harness and safety rope system climbing up a wall and smiling at the camera

Rebecca’s story

After a 9-month hospital admission, Rebecca was eager and ready to head to Calvert to make some unforgettable memories…

Four horses standing side by side facing the camera, each with a rider on top. There are two people standing on the left holding guide ropes attached to the horses.

Nicci’s story

“It’s as though the world has opened up that bit more and got that little bit bigger!” – heartwarming family story at Calvert Exmoor.

A guest is standing on a pile of crates in a harness, helmet and has his mouth open in delight, with his hands positioned as if clapping.

Tom’s story

On his first of several trips to Calvert Exmoor, Tom overcame his nerves to try new activities alongside enjoying some activities he knows and loves.

More information…

Calvert Exmoor experience

Where every break and every activity is suitable for every person every time

A sepia image of a messy stone-built courtyard of farm buildings

History

Read about the history of Calvert Exmoor and its origins within The Calvert Trust…

Facilities

Explore Calvert Exmoor’s exceptional facilities, including accessible accommodations, adventure activities and specialised equipment for those with disabilities. Read more…

Our policy documents