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Kepplewray is committed to
bringing disabled and non-disabled people together as equal partners
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Business Development
This is our sixth full year of operation and we have seen a slight decrease in our bookings, but with reasonable occupancy for nine months of the year and occasional bookings through the winter months. A total of 7,058 guest bed nights were achieved representing 2,217 individuals. We had 105 empty nights, which compares with 134 last year and 152 the year before.
Many of these bookings have again been repeats from previous years and indicate our ability to maintain our guest satisfaction and loyalty.
“It’s getting better - the friendliest staff in the 18 outdoor adventure activities holidays and the 6 centres used.” Leader from George Tomlinson School – Bolton.
“The kindest and most thoughtful outdoor staff we meet.” Leader from Stainburn Primary School – Workington.
“Really enjoyed the whole stay, staff were friendly and welcoming as well as hard working. The students had a brilliant time. We hope to come again soon.” Leader from SCOPE’s Beaumont College – Lancaster.
New bookings have primarily come from personal recommendations or via our web site, which has proved successful in attracting new guests. We again offered three family focused breaks this year, which although not as popular as in previous years have proved successful in attracting families with one or more members with a disability. Several family organisations have similarly valued our inclusive and accessible accommodation and activities: ASBAH, Care For The Family, National Deaf Children’s Society, Wirral Swallows & Amazons to name a few.
We monitor guest satisfaction through our guest comment and group leader comment sheets, which provide us with a wide and detailed analysis of the services we offer. The majority of these are complimentary and often refer to the accessibility of the Centre, the friendliness and professionalism of the staff, the safety of the activities provided and the quality of the food. This has been identified by the recent market research undertaken by MJN Associates and Porter Brown Solutions: “A survey of existing customers revealed very high levels of satisfaction with their experiences at the Centre. When asked to comment on what they enjoyed most, the caring ethos of the staff, the activities and the food are all rated highly”. We are very encouraged by this.
This year has seen the end of the two-year (sixteen weeks of full centre booking) agreement with the Young People’s Trust for the Environment, as part of their ‘Living Land Project’ offered to schools. All were from an ‘Urban Priority Area’ and their pupils have been introduced to a variety of environmental, geographical and rural issues and experienced the joys and personal development provided by outdoor activities. It is hoped they may again obtain funding to continue this work and our joint collaboration.
In an attempt to widen the scope of the activities offered and develop our ‘Winter Season’ bookings we piloted a series of themed meals this winter. They proved successful and it is planned to further develop this idea in the coming ‘Winter Season’.
The Training and Access Auditing functions of our work have also seen development this year. This part of Kepplewray’s activity is carried out through our trading subsidiary.
People Development
We would like to register our particular thanks to the staff team for their commitment and hard work, often over and above the call of duty. Staff meet daily for prayer and communication.
Over the year, there have been a number of departures and arrivals of staff. In January we appointed, for the first time, a full time Activity Services Deputy Senior Instructor /Manager. This has given an increased capacity to our ‘Winter Season’ staff enabling us to more realistically offer winter programmes of activities, and also monitor and maintain equipment better. In recognition of the increased occupancy and need for seven day a week cleaning it is planned to expand the staffing to facilitate this. A considerable amount of staff training (internal and external) has been undertaken again this year. We plan to continue with our staff development programme next year.
The project continues to be student-friendly and we have received several work experience placements and specific work parties to assist with activities, administration and maintenance of the building and garden. We have also benefited greatly from originally a Millennium Volunteer placement who has now become a full time generic team member.
Resource Development
Following constructive criticism on the guest comment and group leader comment sheets we revamped our Games Room and added a Table Football. This has been positively received by all guests but particularly by returning groups seeing and valuing the change. Though the top floor still requires funding to fully develop it for regular guest use, following some grant funding received last year to fit a fully accessible bathroom we have been able to utilise this floor for office space and the occasional ‘overspill’ of guests.
We have at last completed the basic renovation of the ‘Summer House’ in the grounds, making it weatherproof and paving the way for further development, funding permitting, to equip it as a classroom and store.
Having recently received funding, it is scheduled to decorate the whole of the building externally.
In addition to our own minibus we have this year purchased an eight-seater estate car, giving us a useful towing vehicle and an additional occasional personnel carrier. The Kepplewray Project continues to act as the managing agent for the Broughton Community Transport scheme, which has seen considerable growth in this its first year of operation. This scheme gives Kepplewray access to a second fully accessible minibus.
It was felt that in the interests of maintaining good community relations, though not part of our main objects, we should deliver the school meals service to the primary school next door. This has been the first full year of operation and it has been positively received and a modest income is derived from the provision of this service. It is not felt appropriate to provide this service to any other schools in the area.
Management Development
We continue to develop our internal systems, review and develop our procedures and policies and support of staff in line with the ‘Build a Better Business’ programme and the awarded quality standard of good practice ‘ Investor In People’. Following funding from Rural Regeneration Cumbria we have commissioned a Feasibility Study to explore possible future development with a view to improving our high standard of delivery, generating additional sources of income and widening the arena of our inclusive vision.
This year we have continued to work through our three year Project Plan – ‘Towards 2005’ and have achieved many of the ‘Action Plans’ successfully. Trustees and staff review the Project Plan annually. The second year of this current Project Plan will be reviewed in September 2004. At the same time the consultants undertaking the Feasibility Study will be presenting their Final Report for consideration.
We continue to produce our magazine circular, K News and our quarterly prayer diary for our supporters.
Thanks
Donations and grants are vital to the development of the Project. We are very grateful to all of our supporters and donors. We are also grateful to Barclays Bank and the Charity Bank for their ongoing support and encouragement.
Future Development
In recognition of the need to improve our funding from donations we have planned to appoint a staff member specifically to focus on this.
We look forward to continuing the Project’s development in line with our Project Plan and any recommendations from the Feasibility Study. As part of delivering on that Plan we will be seeking specific funding for a lift to, and the full renovation of, the top floor, making it fully accessible and enabling it to be fully utilised by guests. This will increase our overall guest capacity and flexibility and therefore increase our financial viability.
Bookings for 2004/5 continue to come in and we already have some bookings for 2005/6. We are working towards an expansion of our ‘Summer Season’ and the development of our ‘Winter Season’ including expanding the provision of our special themed meals. Thus we anticipate a small growth in our market and occupancy levels and income next year.
In line with improving our internal systems and developing a more effective management of our accounts it is planned to change the year-end to tie it in, more directly, with the operational calendar. Instead of having the year-end and annual audit in the middle of our ‘Summer Season’ (30 June) it will be at the end of our ‘Summer Season’ 30 September. Next year’s accounts will therefore cover 15 months to 30 September 2005.
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The Kepplewray Centre, Broughton-in-Furness Cumbria, LA20 6HE, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1229 716 936 Fax: +44 (0)1229 716 938