The Bevern Trust provides residential and respite care to young adults with profound disabilities, helping them live full lives and engage with their wider community.
The charity has received two Charity Bank loans to assist with the expansion of their home and services. Matthew Cornish, Fundraising and Development Manager, shares how these loans have helped the charity to support more people with learning disabilities and their families.
Bevern Trust service user © Lucy Hunter
“Our story began in 1996. A group of local parents of children with profound disabilities, came together to address the issue of where their children could go for appropriate care upon becoming adults. There is a fair amount of provision for children but young adults who can’t be looked after at home often end up far away from their loved ones.
“In 1999, our charity was formed and a care home was built in Barcombe. This would allow accommodation for nine young local people with profound and multiple disabilities. The Bevern Trust’s philosophy is to provide a caring, loving home that offers our residents and their families compassion, support and the opportunity to live a full life.
“Over time, we’ve expanded in response to the changing needs of residents and care settings. Our first major development was in 2010 when we added an additional three rooms to be used for respite care. This increased the number of young people and families we could help. We also built a hydrotherapy pool, which has had a significant, positive effect on residents’ health and wellbeing. For these developments, we took out a loan with Charity Bank.
“Six years later, when the opportunity arose to buy the property next to ours and double our charity’s capacity, we returned to Charity Bank for a second loan.
“I can honestly say that it’s been excellent working with Charity Bank. All our interactions have been both helpful and supportive. I think this primarily comes down to the fact they really took the time to get to know us and understand our specific needs.
“We position ourselves as an ethical charity, which goes beyond the charitable services we provide. We are a living wage employer and we ensure that any other stakeholders or service providers we work with are also aligned with that ethical responsibility. Having access to a social lender like Charity Bank has therefore been really important.
“People are becoming much more aware of where they choose to put their money and who they invest in. It’s important as a charity for your donors and potential donors to see that you are responsible and ethical in all that you do.”
Last reviewed: 28/04/2020