An adventure charity has three days to raise more than £200,000 before it is forced to close, after the economic climate drove it to “an immediate and critical financial crisis”.  

Calvert Exmoor, which provides accessible breaks and activities for children, adults, families and groups who may have disabilities, launched an emergency fundraiser earlier this month, warning that if it cannot raise £500,000 by 31 August it “will have no choice but to close [its] doors forever”. 

Lizzi Stevenson, fundraising officer at the charity, told Third Sector that Calvert Exmoor’s cash flow had been severely impacted by factors that included a fall in bookings and the costs of running the centre, including food, fuel and maintenance, increasing significantly. 

“The cost-of-living crisis has impacted everyone, and unfortunately those with a disability feel that more severely,” Stevenson said. 

“People don’t have the funds to book with us – our prices are significantly cheaper than competitors but we are still a luxury, and since the Covid-19 pandemic booking trends have changed because we have a mindset of things being cancelled.” 

She said that while the charity had been successful when it came to fundraising restricted funds, and had plans in place to diversify its income streams in the future, “we have run out of time to realise those plans”. 

The charity currently employs 49 people across a combination of full- and part-time roles, casual workers and contractors. Stevenson confirmed that all roles were formally at risk of redundancy in a meeting with trustees on 6 August. 

“There are nearly 50 jobs at risk in total, as well as 80 volunteers – who, while they are not on payroll, rely on us for social and emotional support and get a lot of value from being at the centre,” she said. 

Calvert Exmoor has not yet filed its 2022/23 financial accounts, but accounts for 2021/22, filed in August 2023, showed the organisation was running at a deficit of more than £338,000. 

In the notes to the accounts, trustees noted “a risk that the Trust will not have sufficient funds to enable it to continue to operate for the foreseeable future”. 

It said: “Trustees are currently examining ways to raise additional capital, and to boost sales and donations and to restrict costs, but recognise that there is a real risk that their strategies may not be successful. As such, the Trustees believe that there is a material uncertainty with respect to the Trust’s ability to continue as a going concern.”

At the time of writing, the charity’s emergency fundraiser has raised more than £270,000. But Stevenson reiterated that the charity needs to hit its £500,000 total to secure its future. 

“We don’t want to take a lot of money from people who have very generously donated and then find ourselves back in the same situation because we haven’t raised enough to make significant changes,” she said.  

“If the centre closes, everyone will receive a refund – we will not be keeping it open until we are very confident that we are financially secure for the future.” 

Trustees will make a decision on the future of Calvert Exmoor on 1 September.