The Calvert Trust Weekend by Jordanne
What an amazing experience. I was lucky enough to receive a place on this holiday. I took my whole family to Keswick, whilst my cousin (Carla) and I stayed with the Jennifer Trust lot. The first night we got to meet our activity instructors and ours was called Pete, he was really nice. We then sorted out our waterproof gear for the activities, which looked like a fisherman’s outfit but would keep me dry (as everyone kept telling me!). That night there was a quiz but Carla and I got a cup of tea and went to bed and watched a DVD. I thought that it was really good that you could have a cup of tea whenever you wanted one.
In the morning we put on our sexy waterproofs on and went to breakfast, which was nice. We were split into two groups; we were doing a nature walk on a disused railway track and the other group were doing kayaking. The sights that we saw on the nature walk were beautiful but it did seem to take a long time. After lunch it was our group’s turn to get on the boats! I was so excited but waited until last out of the wheelchair users. I was really impressed with the hoist on the dock thing and was able to use my own sling. They gently hoisted me out of my chair and lowered me onto a beanbag in the boat, making sure that I was comfortable. I was surprised how comfortable it was, I have had a spinal fusion (rods) to fix my scoliosis but the transfer didn’t hurt at all. Being in the water was unbelievable; I have never been in a kayak on a lake before! We played a couple of water games with the instructors and we lost all of them! When we got back to the boat house, there was a ‘drying’ area, where there were heat lamps and a hoist if you needed it.
When we got back to the lodge, Carla and I decided to go to the swimming pool- more water! The pool was astonishing, at least three ways to get into the pool as a wheelchair user. A ceiling hoist directly into the changing area, a hoist on the side and a floor that you can drive a chair onto that lowered you into the pool. I hadn’t seen anything like that before. After that we had a sauna and just chilled out with the other people at the lodge. I enjoyed the social time we had with the group; I thought that this weekend was a really good way to hear other people’s experiences.
On the last day there, we packed up all of our stuff and headed to the gym to have a go at abseiling and aerial swings! Words cannot describe what a rush it was to do something like this. You were lifted in your own sling onto another sling with a supported seat and the instructor made sure that my neck was supported. Then a strap was attached to the back of the sling and you were pulled up really high. One pull of another belt thingy and you were dropped soaring across the room. I would do this again right now, I was so impressed at the fact you could do something so fun without being in any pain or uncomfortable!
Overall, I think the adventure weekend was a great success and I am glad I could take the opportunity to try things I never thought that I would be able to do. My favourite activity was definitely kayaking. I didn’t even know that I could get in one before this weekend. It amazed me what I could do with the right equipment and assistance, which I can only thank the Calvert Trust and the JTSMA crew for. I really hope that I get a similar opportunity next year, the only thing I must complain about…it only lasted a weekend
