Martha Wood Fundraising and Marketing Officer, The Bendrigg Trust bendrigg.org.uk

Set up in 1978, The Bendrigg Trust broke new ground in providing high quality activity courses for disabled and disadvantaged people. From a specialist base between the Lakes and the Dales, it offers a variety of activities including canoeing, caving, cli

“When you have a disability, you’re told what you can’t do a lot. We want to change people’s attitudes so they see there are lots of things you can do.

“My brother has a progressive physical disability. He’d been on a residential trip when he was 12 or 13 and gone climbing and cycling and he came to Bendrigg when he was in his mid-20s. He was in a wheelchair at that point but still had some muscle movement, and he managed to climb up the climbing wall – which for him was amazing. Sitting in a wheelchair, you’re at a lower height, always looking up at people, so being on top of the climbing wall looking down can be quite profound. Similarly, on a zipwire your limbs don’t restrict you, and you can fly down it with complete freedom.

“People say there’s Bendrigg magic here. They often arrive a little bit nervous and skeptical, and by the end they’re brimming with confidence and ready to go home

and take on even more. Being around other people in a similar situation to you, all achieving these amazing things in front of each other, is so inspiring. You form bonds very quickly when you’re doing challenging things together and supporting each other through it.

“When it was first built, Bendrigg was one of a kind, and the people that started it have pioneered the way forward. As the charity’s become more successful and the technologies and equipment have advanced, we’ve been able to develop too. Outdoor equipment can be expensive anyway, and for specialist disability equipment the price tag goes up even higher. We’ve got adaptable minibuses, wheelchairs with big, almost mountain bike-like tyres, and other specialist equipment so we can take people out and off-site.

“There was some uproar a while ago about a tarmac path going along one of the old railways in the Lake District, but there are so few places which are accessible for people. We’re not talking about tarmacking a path up Helvellyn, it’s just giving people a place they can go because there’s not that much out there.

“I think probably the biggest change needed is in general attitudes around disability. If people were more educated and aware of the different kinds of disabilities there are, we would know what to put in place to help create a more inclusive world.”