People from across Cumbria have rallied together in a true show of community spirit to support a charity with its reopening campaign.
The Bendrigg Trust is a specialist outdoor centre based in Old Hutton Kendal.
It has not been able to open for residential visitors since the first lockdown in March 2020.
As a result, the grounds and buildings were in need of some TLC and businesses and people from the community stepped up to support them.
The Bendrigg Trust works predominantly with disabled people to provide accessible activity holidays for groups, schools, families and adults of any ability.
Martha Wood, of the trust, said: “Like many places we had to furlough the majority of our staff, meaning the maintenance of our 15 acre site took a back seat whilst we were in survival mode.
“As soon as we launched the Reboot Campaign and started approaching local businesses for help, the support came flooding in, we have been amazed and are extremely grateful to everyone who has supported us, not only with this campaign but over the last 15 months.”
The trust has an influx of volunteers, including parties from Cumbria County Council SEND social workers and e-learning company Amphigean.
Around 20 people from the community signed up to help with tasks around the grounds in preparation for the first residential groups returning on June 22.
The Breedon Group agreed to gift the trust 72 tonnes of aggregate worth over £1,000 for the charity to resurface its accessible cycle path, which had overgrown with weeds making it less accessible for disabled visitors.
Martha added: “Bendrigg has been providing amazing opportunities for disabled people for over 40 years, we have incredible supporters who have helped us through such a difficult time as a charity.
“But most importantly, it is our visitors who are facing huge challenges themselves, which have only been exacerbated by the pandemic. We want to be here to support them now when they need us the most.
“It will be amazing to welcome groups back to stay at Bendrigg again, and we are so grateful to our local community for the part they have played in making that happen.”
