North Devon is leading the way for other UK tourism hotspots by providing fully accessible adventure holidays for disabled people at Calvert Trust Exmoor.

The Minister for Disabled People, Health, and Work, Sarah Newton, and Peter Heaton-Jones, MP for North Devon, both visited the Calvert Trust’s facilities on Friday 16 February to see first-hand the work they’re doing so disabled people can enjoy adventurous activities that many others take for granted, such as horse riding, abseiling and canoeing.

Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, Sarah Newton, said:

“The Calvert Trust is a real asset to Exmoor, helping to ensure disabled people can enjoy time away with their families and take part in a range of adventurous activities. It’s been great to see their work and how they’re enriching people’s lives.

“The spending power of disabled people and their families is almost £250 billion, so making tourism more accessible isn’t just the right thing to do, it also makes good business sense.”

This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the construction of Calvert Trust Exmoor’s boat house, which was created on behalf of the Trust by the BBC television programme Challenge Anneka.

As well as seeing the facilities built by Challenge Anneka, the Minister formally opened a new wet room, which will enable guests with the highest needs to access specialised showering and toileting equipment at the waterside.

MP for North Devon, Peter Heaton Jones, said:

“I am incredibly proud to be an ambassador for this fantastic organisation; I always leave inspired, and I know the Minister will too. It’s fantastic that North Devon is home to this facility that we should be proud of at a national level; I will continue to support this truly inspirational place.”

CEO of Calvert Trust Exmoor, Heidi Watson, said:

“We were delighted to welcome the Minister to our centre and honoured that she opened our new wet room facility; I  enjoyed introducing her to some of our wonderful guests and fantastic staff and being able to show her that at Calvert Trust Exmoor it’s What You CAN Do That Counts!”

ABLE Magazine’s travel section is sponsored by Post Office Travel Insurance