The Caldecotte Xperience (TCX) in Milton Keynes, delivers outstanding, accessible outdoor learning and adventure activities which benefit around 12,000 young people from the local community each year, including schools, clubs and charities.
TCX is the leading centre for fully-inclusive activities for young people who have SEND and other complex needs, offering adapted accommodation, equipment and trained staff so that groups of young people who have mixed abilities can participate with dignity and comfort.
For many young people with SEND, their time at TCX can be life changing. The freedom and exhilaration for a wheelchair user to be able to abseil is a triumph in itself, but weve also found that activities at the centre lead to a long-term positive change in their self belief and future aspirations. Seeing the sheer joy on the face of a young wheelchair user who is driving a powerboat is genuinely inspiring. TCX has a noticeably positive effect on the lives and mindset of all users, especially those with SEND.
TCX is hugely important to the local community in Milton Keynes, and also to Bucks, Beds and the South East. The centre provides vital extra-curricular activity and is used for residential programmes run by Action4Youth, The Duke of Edinburgh Award and the National Citizen Service. The value of our work is defined by our repeat customers (over 80%) and the overwhelmingly positive feedback received from the young people and schools who use our facilities.
Now 30 years old the building is no longer fit for purpose, it has narrow corridors , cramped bedrooms, cramped office space, no reception area, limited accessibility, nowhere to socialise during colder months, poor insulation and inefficient heating systems and inadequate space for groups to eat together.
Over 1,700 young people with SEND and complex needs use the facilities annually. Part of the longer-term strategy is to increase TCXs attractiveness to SEND clients, encouraging more SEND residential bookings so that more young people with complex needs have the opportunity to access physical and mental health benefits from attending and participating at TCX.
Rather than knock down the existing building, we propose radically remodeling it into a sustainable and fully-accessible centre, essential for increasing our offer to all young people, but especially for SEND.
Many young people manage, and even enjoy, outdoor living in all weathers, but vulnerable young people are at risk in cold or damp conditions. Comfortable, functional accommodation must be available at the beginning and end of each exciting day of outdoor activities, so that vulnerable people can warm up and dry off.
By making these changes, ALL young people will be able to enjoy and benefit from experiences at TCX ALL year round, not just during the summer months.
As well as providing vastly improved conditions for visitors, the renovations would significantly impact the organisation. Improving TCXs attractiveness all year round improves the business model and will lead to an increase in footfall during offseason months. We anticipate user numbers increasing by 25% post-renovation (from 12,000 to 15,000).
We need your support in reaching our fundraising target and can assure you that every penny raised will be diligently invested in this exciting new project. - Graeme Shankland, Action4Youth Trustee and Chair of the Capital Appeal
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