Guest Comments

"I returned last week from Calvert Trust Exmoor and I just wanted to thank all of your staff for a wonderful stay.

Everyone we dealt with from the minute we arrived were extremely attentive and welcoming and provided wonderful levels of service, from the housekeeping and reception staff to the catering staff and instructors. 

I'd especially like to commend the work of your instructors who joined us for all of the activities throughout the week. These two fantastic individuals are an absolute credit to your organisation and are fully responsible for making the entire week the success that it was.

They showed a reassuring confidence in their ability to look after us which immediately calmed the nerves of several of the group members who were quite anxious at being away from home alone for the first time since their injuries, never mind the thought of throwing themselves down a cliff edge hanging onto the end of the rope. Their obvious passion for the work that they do was evident from the minute we arrived and being such friendly and empathetic individuals they were simply an absolute pleasure to spend time with.

Through their hard work and dedication they have helped transform the lives of all of the participants who left last week with some very special memories and a new lease of life for the future - an invaluable gift and much appreciated by all. As a result, several of the group members are planning to book with you again for private visits to enjoy the activities with their family and friends, which is a fitting testament to the high levels of service they received during their stay."

May 2013

Jo Sheasby, The Backup Trust

 

"I was with the Midland Heart group that was with you last week, I had an amazing few days doing activities which, at the age of nearly 87, I didn't think would be possible! 

It was a wonderful experience, but even more so I was tremendously inspired to see disadvantaged & disabled  people, some of them severely so, participating and succeeding in these challenges.

The support and encouragement given by the staff was truly wonderful. Thanks you for all this and for the comfortable accommodation and delicious food. Long may your work continue."

April 2013

Rene Hayes, Midland Heart

 

"I first came to Calvert Trust Exmoor about  6 or 7 years ago, I was able to relax and enjoy myself, and do things I never thought possible like drive a horse and carriage, climb the wall, and go kayaking. Thanks to the people who support you, people like me can come to Calvert Trust Exmoor and enjoy a well earned break and become people again, and meet other people like myself who for whatever reason find it hard to get on in "normal life".

March 2013

Jamie Cave

 

"I've just returned from my weekend supporting the Bader Braves at Calvert Trust Exmoor, thank you for such a wonderful, enjoyable and inspirational time. Everything about the place is first class, the facilities are wonderful inside and out, there is just so much on offer and all in a safe and accessible environment.

 

I hope there will be many more Bader Braves Calvert Trust Weekends and I shall certainly look forward to my next visit! Thank you all so much for a wonderful, heart-warming, and eye-opening weekend, and thank you on behalf of my mother, Joan Bader, for creating the opportunity for us to fulfil one of Douglas Bader Foundation’s aims so perfectly. Lastly a very big thank you on behalf of all the Braves, their families and carers, whose lives you brightened so much."

February 2013

Wendy McCleave, Douglas Bader Foundation

 

"Thank you a wonderful time that was had by myself and Laura at the Share Music event which was hosted by yourselves last week. I was overwhelmed by enthusiasm, helpfulness and support that your team gave both Laura and myself, especially our instructor. The Instructor showed such empathy and kindness towards Laura and the way she was able to interact with Laura was wonderful to see.  She was a credit to the Calvert Trust and to herself. The new Acland room is a wonderful addition and all of the participants appeared to thoroughly enjoy their time there, from watching the snow to seeing the sun come out!"

January 2013

Emily Whittaker, Cygnet Care (Devon)

 

"All of the instructors were excellent, as were all the other staff, and all the activities were excellent and to a very high standard. Special thanks to our instructor who was not only professional, but showed great empathy, kindness and understanding to our client Paul, who took part in more activities than he has ever done, and achieved so much. Many thanks to all at Calvert Trust Exmoor for all your support and for providing us with an excellent holiday."

December 2012

Paul, Malcom & John

 

"Just had possibly our best holiday ever, because we were all together, and able to completely relax. Monday to Friday was way too short, so we are already planning to return. We couldn't have met a nicer group of people, both guests and staff. The food was gorgeous, the accommodation spotless and comfortable, and the activities, well, I didn't imagine myself doing half of what we did but we loved every minute."

November 2012

Sarah Davies

 

"We were at Calvert Trust Exmoor this weekend with actionairs. Can I say a big thank you to everyone at the trust. It was a truly an inspiring weekend. The care shown by your staff to the visually impaired children was unbelievable and they even had time to help a 50 year old softy like me with a fear of heights. Food was fantastic. Thank you to everyone."

October 2012

Pete Houghton - RNIB

 

"Seeing the determination, enjoyment and achievement of our clients, especially those with limited mobility for whom many activities present a huge challenge.  One such client tried everything achieved on every activity and filled us all with respect.  I think the week moved the boundaries of his world and certainly moved the boundaries of our understanding of him."

September 2012

Headway Somerset

 

"Thank you for a wonderful week!! This is our eighth or ninth time and we're still coming back, so it must be good! Instructors were excellent and made the holiday really enjoyable, We'll see you again next year for some more fun!!!"

August 2012

Paul, Kirsty, Mum & Dad

 

"Our students really enjoyed themselves. The instructor was helpful and got to know them very well - he was also very patient! Abseiling, canoeing and crate stacking were brilliant - appropriate, challenging and fun. In general the services especially catering and cleaning were outstanding."

July 2012

National Star College

 

"Everything was fantastic, the food, the staff, and we were matched perfectly with another family for the group activities,  All of the activities were great fun and it was fantastic seeing both my children giving everything a go and enjoying themselves. I got see my youngest boy achieve things I never thought he would. It was great to see him doing things in a safe environment."

June 2012

Christine Bartlett

 

"We're so grateful for all of your help, support and guidance in the preparation and actual duration of the visit - its been awesome!! We (the staff) are fatter (because of the gorgeous food - so plentiful) and fitter (lots of robust healthy outdoorsy activities), and the children have had some lifelong positive experiences. All praises to a wonderful organisation that actually looks for the positive achievements of all people with physical and learning disabilities. In my twenty years of teaching both mainstream and special educational needs young people, this has easily been the best, most positive experience I have had the fortune to be part of. You deserve award after award!!! Hope to be back again soon!!"

May 2012

Audrey Hopkins, Heritage House School

 

"This was our third visit to Calvert Trust Exmoor and we come back because we love it here. Staying fully catered takes the pressure off so we can concentrate on the activities and have fun. The range of activities is brilliant, and as parents of a disabled child it is amazing to be able to participate and not have to be always assisting. We can join in too, knowing our daughter is safe, encouraged and supported. It's great to meet other disabled families and for us to see we are not the only ones. Everyone can participate and everyone is fully supported."

April 2012

Lisa Reakes

 

"This was the first time for some of the young people to be away from their families, and what a time they have had! Thank you so much for all your enthusiasm and encouragement. One especially inspirational moment was seeing one of the lads who has a severe physical disability managing to take part in the rock climbing. This would have been amazing in itself, but he had an accident the week before at school and came to Calvert in plaster!"

March 2012

Jenny Woolf - Devon County Council Learning & Development Partnership

 

"We came here as a trial to see if Calvert Trust Exmoor is as good as it said, and we have to be honest - it was better than we could ever expect. Brilliant set up and our instructor was amazing, very good with the group, very fit and helpful. The trial was a success and we will be back!"

February 2012

Michelle, Voyage

 

"On behalf of the "Echo Group" I would like to thank your whole staff team for making us so welcome over the weekend.  We all had a fantastic time and felt well supported!  Thank you to everyone involved. Your instructors were all excellent – interactive and supportive, reacting well to the group needs. Communication with our team was good – regular meetings with the team leaders and responsive to our requests and problems.  We felt overall your organisation was excellent.
Housekeeping was excellent – the accommodation was well cleaned and up to hotel standards - please thank the staff!  Liaison and communication from your office staff before the trip was good – we felt our needs were accommodated well."

January 2012

The Echo Centre

 

"Thank you for very well organised activities. I brought my wheelchair bound son here so that he can have new experiences, feel fresh air on his cheeks. It was so great to see him shouting "can I go first?!?" when it came to participating in activities. The instructors were great at communicating with the kids, very patient. The site itself is very welcoming for wheelchair users, my son was very happy to get about by himself without any help. We had a really enjoyable holiday and will recommend Calvert Trust Exmoor to everybody wholeheartedly."

December 2011

Korovina Family

 

"I just wanted to thank you for your tremendous care, support encouragement and assistance for our great young carers weekend. It is always daunting taking away a large group of other peoples children and it was great to know that we were in such safe hands. Thank you.

We had an amazing weekend and I certainly think that even over our short stay there were major transformations in the attitude and confidence of many of our young people. Something that our usual activities would not be as effective in achieving as a Young Carers weekend at the Calvert Trust Exmoor."

November 2011

Westbank Young Carers

 

"Thank you so much to everyone for a fabulous weekend. I have never met so many cheerful, helpful & friendly people in one place. I can't find any more words to express the way I feel about your centre. I can't wait to come back again, it gave us a well needed boost. To be accepted for what we are and not to be worried about what people are thinking about the problems we have. Thanks again."

October 2011

Carole Fineren

 

"When I got here I had my reservations of what Paul could do in a wheelchair, but everything exceeded my expectations by far, the instructors had a way to get round every obstacle, we both had such a brilliant time, I wish we weren't leaving. A massive thank you for giving us such a great experience"

September 2011

Megan & Paul, Scope

 

"We were very impressed with the caring attitude shown by the staff on our arrival, making sure we had everything we needed. The accommodation was good, with an excellent specialist bed & hoist & en-suite bathroom, which made meeting my client's needs much easier. The activities were fabulous!! The instructors were highly trained and had appropriate equipment ready to hand to ensure that she was fully part of all the activities.

 We always knew she was immensely brave, but she was fearless and put the rest of us to shame!! She went up the highest on the Crate Stack, grinned all the way down the abseiling & squealed with excitement all the way down the Zipwire!  The swimming pool was accessible to all the family, and it was lovely to see her swimming with her older sister & mum, such a rare opportunity for them! The holiday allowed my client to have precious time enjoying herself with her mum & sister and they have some lovely photos of her beaming smile to treasure!  Thank you again for a fantastic holiday."

August 2011

Annalise Ayre

 

"Nothing is too difficult and the amazing staff here have helped our children do things that other places would not. Seeing smiles on the children's faces everyday was the best part of the Holiday. I would come back every week to experience that over and over, seeing our children take part in activities they have never done before, NO MATTER WHAT the disability."

July 2011

Teresa King, Footprints

 

"It was a wonderful place that exceeded my expectations. I managed to overcome my fear of heights and abseil, which was a great boost to my self confidence. It was great to try different activities that I would not normally be able to access or afford. Excellent facilities set in a fantastic location with very friendly & enthusiastic staff, not to mention brilliant food, ensured my family & I had a wonderful weekend!"

June 2011

Briana & William Breeze

 

"My family and I came to stay during the weekend of 13-15th May, with the Moorvision group.  This was our families fourth visit.  The instructor was wonderful as we have three very different children and he managed to get them all to do more than we ever thought possible. He really was exceptional!! All your staff are so helpful. There is nothing to cause any hassle when we visit you. The housekeeping and catering staff should win awards too. Everything just works, no worries - we can't to see you all again! Thanks everyone xx"

May 2011

Christina Anderson - Moorvision

 

"Nothing was too much trouble for the staff, They listened and took into account each child's needs, and were always on hand to help the group. Seeing how the staff used equipment to make the activities accessible to even the most profoundly physically challenged youngsters was enlightening."

May 2011

Mayfield School, Torquay

 

“We ended up having one of the best, certainly the most entertaining, and without doubt, the most exhausting holiday in years!  Where Calvert Trust comes into its own is through its activities which are, almost without exception, accessible to everyone, meaning it was possible for entire families, ourselves included, to do everything together. I can not recommend the Calvert Trust highly enough. If you are disabled or know someone who is, you really should go and experience it yourself.”

April 2011

Geoff Holt - Disability Sports Ambassador

 

"Now I know I'll be ok for the rest of my life. I thought I would have to live at home for ever, now I know I won't.".

March 2011

Sam - Wiltshire Physical Impairment Service

 

"Calvert enabled us as a family to enjoy quality family time together, without juggling to meet the needs of our individual children. It was wonderful to see our children enjoying shared activities together, challenging not just our child with disability but her sibling too."

February 2011

Gill Trace - Time Out for All, Plymouth