Brain injury survivors staying at a ground-breaking new rehabilitation centre near Keswick will be helped on their road to recovery by a specially-equipped mini bus provided by local Lions.
Keswick Lions has led a successful £25,000 fundraising campaign to buy a mini-bus for Calvert Reconnections, which is part of the Lake District Calvert Trust charity.
The local Lions group pledged £8,000 and approaches to Cumbrian colleagues resulted in Windermere and Ambleside Lions giving £5,000, with Kendal, Grange, Furness and Lancaster Lions all offering smaller amounts. The Lions Clubs International Foundation was so impressed with the local fund-raising bid that it agreed to provide the outstanding amount via match-funding to allow the vehicle to be bought.
Calvert Reconnections is a brand new neuro-rehabilitation, residential centre providing ground-breaking rehabilitation programmes for those who have suffered an acquired brain injury.
Based at Grade II listed Tithe Barn, ‘Old Windebrowe’, one-time home of Lakeland’s most famous of poets, William Wordsworth, the centre has developed the country’s first Covid-19 compliant brain injury rehabilitation programme based on outdoor activities and social distancing “because rehab won’t wait”.
Calvert Reconnections’ residential and communal facilities are fully compliant with Covid-19 guidelines while newly developed services include post lockdown respite and post Covid-19 step down rehabilitation.
Project Coordinator, Ray Sheldon said: “I am personally very proud to co-ordinate this bid and to see how clubs in our district supported have us. I cannot wait to see the fully kitted-out minibus in use.”
Diane Cannon, of Keswick Lions, said: “We are delighted to support the Calvert Reconnections Centre. Our aim was to provide it with a specially-equipped minibus to be used to transport residents and their teams around Keswick and the local area where they can gain invaluable experiences on their road to recovery.”
