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Help us turn this rather soggy situation into a solved one.
At Calvert Kielder, we help disabled children and adults discover confidence, freedom and adventure in the beautiful surroundings of Kielder Forest Park. Last year alone, 7,000 people benefited from residential stays and short breaks at Calvert Kielder, including disabled children and adults, alongside the families and carers who support them.
Every residential stay depends on an incredible team of staff who live on site, supporting guests and their families throughout their break.
But last week, we quite literally found ourselves in a hole.
Our septic system – which serves the staff accommodation – unexpectedly collapsed and now needs urgent replacement.
The repair will cost around £25,000, and it simply wasn’t something we had planned for.
Our staff accommodation is essential to the way Calvert Kielder operates. Because we are located in the remote heart of Kielder Water & Forest Park, there is very little local housing available. Staff live on site so they can support guests during their residential stays, ensuring that everyone receives the care, encouragement and assistance they need to fully enjoy their break. Without functioning waste facilities, the accommodation quickly becomes unusable.
The failure happened after a combination of an exceptionally wet winter and freezing temperatures.
Groundwater around the tanks and pipework became saturated, and when the freeze came, the expanding ice placed pressure on the structure, causing it to collapse.
The replacement tank will be a modern system designed to cope much better with increasingly wet winters.
But replacing it must happen quickly.
How You Can Help
We’re asking our community to help us tackle this unexpected “drain” on our budget.
Every donation will help us replace the septic system and ensure our staff accommodation remains operational so we can continue providing life-changing breaks for disabled guests and their families.
Clive Gray, the new CEO at Calvert Kielder said:
Running an outdoor centre in the middle of a forest comes with many wonderful surprises… unfortunately this wasn’t one of them. It’s not the most glamorous appeal, but fixing this rather soggy situation is absolutely essential if we’re to keep everything at Calvert flowing as it should!
No donation is too small — together we can help get Calvert flowing again.
Thank you for your support - it means a lot!