Following the Covid-19 pandemic and the damaging impact this has had on the outdoor industry, our aim going forward is to follow God’s guidance in how He wants to use Heatree in this next stage. Despite the challenges of the last two years, our small team remains passionate in continuing our work with young people, with a Christ-centred approach, sharing the Gospel in new and innovative ways and using the natural world as our canvas.
We are always incredibly grateful to receive donations and these funds help in a big way in not only providing opportunities for young people to come to Heatree, but also to help improve our facilities and the services we can offer. Below are just some of our current projects which would benefit greatly from your kind donations.
In memory of Elizabeth Quantick (1911-1995) who officially started Heathercombe Brake Trust in 1956.
As a Christian charity focused on the physical, spiritual and mental wellbeing of children and young people, we want as many individuals as possible to have the opportunity to hear the Gospel message. For many young people, a visit to Heatree may be one of the very few occasions where they get to learn about the Christian faith and find a meaning and sense to their lives. The purpose of the Quantick Bursary fund is to provide discounted places for under 18s to enable them to come to Heatree, who might otherwise not get the opportunity to do so.
We use our unique setting to provide engaging and inspiring experiences through adventure activity sessions, where we teach young people key life skills and how they can navigate the challenges they face through God’s love and grace, whilst learning how to value and respect the natural world and the people around them. Whether a young person comes to Heatree as part of a church youth group or summer camp, or through a school residential, we provide a space where they can learn and explore the Christian faith and take their first steps in their faith journey.
Alongside our regular school residentials, we have many Christian youth groups and youth camps who visit over weekends and holiday periods all year round. A residential trip can influence and inspire a young life in the long term and remains an important and meaningful instrument in youth ministry. There is the very real opportunity to provide positive and lasting values in the development of young people. Youth leaders and youth workers have a great deal of moral, physical and spiritual responsibility and we want to support and strengthen this work. We want to enable more youth leaders and teachers to bring their groups to Heatree, realising the potential to inspire hope in young minds and transform lives, whatever background, physical ability or socio-economic circumstances an individual may have. Time and again young people leave Heatree feeling happier about themselves and return home with a sound understanding of Christian principles and the knowledge of God’s love for all of us.
We want to enable more youth leaders and teachers to bring their groups to Heatree, creating the potential to inspire hope in young minds and transform lives, whatever background, physical ability or socio-economic circumstances an individual may have. Time and again young people leave Heatree feeling more positive about themselves, and return home equipped with a sound understanding of Christian principles such as love and respect for each other, forgiveness and the love God has for all of us.
You can keep up to date with our progress and donate via our Stewardship page HERE
We would like to purchase 12 new Koa Sport sit-on-top kayaks (pictured) which will enable us to provide greater inclusivity for individuals taking part in our kayaking sessions. These boats are incredibly user-friendly and enable beginners or less confident individuals and those with limited mobility to feel at ease and enjoy being on the water; they are easy to get in and out of with no feeling of confinement.
As a charity who is focused on improving the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of individuals, in particular children and young people, we believe everyone, whatever their ability or background, should be able to have exciting and memorable experiences in the outdoors.
An outdoor activity experience has so many benefits, not just for improving mental health and physical well-being, but in developing important life skills such as building confidence, resilience and relationships. Paddlesports in particular and being out on the water encourages creative problem solving, persistence and teamwork, whilst learning how to value and respect the natural environment.
You can keep up to date with our progress and donate via our Stewardship page HERE
Meeting the needs of our guests is very important to us and we want to be able to develop our inclusive facilities so that everyone who visits our Centre can enjoy their experience and feel truly welcome. Even though our beautiful main house is a wonderful feature in our landscape, it remains an old building and there are many ways we would like to improve the accessibility for our disabled guests.
Our plan is to build a wheelchair accessible ramp outside the main entrance. We then hope to install an electronic door system for easy access and a covered porch area to shelter from the Dartmoor weather. We want all of our visitors to have easy access to our building, in particularly the main reception.
We hope to provide more details about this project very soon, including an artist’s impression of what we hope it will look like.
Donating to us is simple, you can make a donation directly to our bank using the details below. Feel free to email us on admin@heatree.org to let us know and if you’d like your donation to be used for a particular project, please indicate this in your message.
Bank account: Heathercombe Brake Trust
Sort code: 51-81-21
Account number: 53438590
Here are some alternative ways to donate:
Thank you for your support!