Carol is an active supporter of Friends of the Calvert Trust (FOCT), a sister charity to the Lake District Calvert Trust. She first got involved helping her late husband, Brian, with events and volunteering. We caught up with Carol at our Garden Party in March at the beautiful Nunwick Hall and talked to her about her experience of Calvert.
My husband, Brian, was looking for some charitable work, and he saw the Calvert Trust looking for trustees. So, he got in contact, and he basically thought, well, to start with, I want to know what’s what. So he thought he’d be a Friend.
He joined the Friends and got involved that way.
It’s nice to give back and help others, really. I mean, that’s why we all get involved – to give something back. We enjoy doing it.
The plays are just wonderful!
Brian started the outdoor plays. At Lowther and other places, he was the one who instigated lovely that, and we’re about on the seventh or eighth year now, and it’s really taken off.
So basically, Brian started that event, and it’s just grown and now we do them every year.
We have a friend who is a director, and Brian was looking for new ideas for to raise money, and he just thought, oh, I’ll get in touch with Guy.
Lowther offered to host it, and we thought, what a wonderful backdrop, an incredible location to have an outdoor play.
It’s so much fun, magical. It really is. And Lingholm is just as good, and that’s our second time this year. It was Pride and Prejudice, which was so good.
It’s just a wonderful because it’s for young and old and that’s every year now.
It’s a good cause, and you’re helping others, and I think where Calvert is, it gives the opportunity for families to have a holiday, and that everybody can enjoy together.
An inclusive holiday, and that is just the most amazing sight.
It just helps other people, helps the parents, helps the children to just sort of engage with things they might not have been engaged with otherwise.
It’s wonderful to watch, the noises that we hear at the center, the faces, the smiles, and then, of course, we do get a lot of response to when they’ve been to stay, and some of the responses make you feel like it’s worthwhile.
It’s hard to put it in words.
We are very lucky, and I think, people give their time because it helps so many people.
a wonderful experience for everybody.
trying something that you would never try before.
Unique!
There aren’t many of these residentials around for families to have respite, to have a communal family holiday, that everybody can join in. It’s hard to put into one word but the opportunity Calvert offers families is just unique.
