Gift Aid

Did you know there’s a way we can claim back an extra 28p for every single £1 that you give us?

No it’s not too good to be true that’s just how the Gift Aid Scheme works!

If you are paying Income Tax/or Capital Gains Tax and are planning on supporting Camp&Trek then – simply by filling out the form and marking the Gift Aid declaration - we can claim the extra cash back from the Inland Revenue.

Although the basic tax rate changed in April 2008 from 22 per cent to 20 per cent, meaning we can only claim a tax repayment of 25p for every £1 donated, rather than the previous 28p per £1, there is a Transitional Relief period for charities. This means that for every £1 donated, we can claim an extra 25p with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs automatically adding a further three pence for every pound donated, bringing the amount claimed back up to 28p. This will last until April 2011.

In addition, if a donor is a higher rate taxpayer, they too can benefit from tax relief as they can claim back the difference between the higher rate of tax at 40 per cent and the basic rate of tax at 20 per cent on the full value of the donation – a total of 20 per cent. So if £1 was donated, the gross donation would be £1.25, so the donor could claim 25 pence back.

Last year the money we were able to claim back allowed young people to join us who might not otherwise have been able to do so.

In fact if you spare a few minutes filling out the form just once then we can continue to claim Gift Aid as long as you make a donation to Camp&Trek. The only time you would need to notify us is if you no longer pay an amount of Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax equal to the tax we reclaim – i.e. 25p for every £1 you give.

So if you want to support us then why not just click on the link below and help us to help young people make the most of their lives.

Donation Form

Happy Birthday to us!!

Yes, even we find it hard to believe, but Camp&Trek has now been operating from our wonderful Isle of Skye surroundings for 10 smile filled years.

During the last decade, hundreds of young people have been involved with our programme and we hope hundreds more will get the chance to come on our courses in the years to come.

Big celebrations would be wonderful but, as a charity which prides itself on spending every penny we get as well as we can, we will be getting down to ensuring that as many young people as possible can spend time with Camp&Trek in 2010.

However, while we are determined in 2010 to at least match what we achieved in 2009, the steady expansion of our courses in recent times is set – at least for this year - to slow down as we balance our aspirations with the financial realities of the moment.

Even with the shadow of the on-going economic downturn hanging over our heads in 2009 we were still able to bring 110 young people to Skye and the West Coast of Scotland for a wonderful experience which they will hopefully remember for years to come. New friends were made and there were plenty of opportunities to try new experiences and discover new skills.

However, 2009 certainly wasn't all doom and gloom! Even the terrible fire which gutted Raasay House – the setting for so many of our courses – didn’t prevent the summer being full of smiles!

We were over-the-moon when we discovered the three courses could still go ahead on Raasay. As the local community rallied round we made use of the island’s only hotel and its hostel while utilizing the undamaged equipment store at the activity centre.

Earlier in the summer Camp&Trek also once again used the expertise of Whitewave Activity Centre in the northern part of Skye, with accommodation provided at the highly scenic venue of the Dun Flodigarry hostel, situated on the breath taking Trotternish peninsula.This allowed two courses to be held.

This was then followed with another new centre for our activities.In 2008 we moved some of our courses to Ardroy Outdoor Education Centre, situated on the shores of Loch Goil in Argyll, within the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.This proved highly successful and we repeated this “fresh approach” to our programme by teaming up with Norwest Kayaks and Kushi Adventures to base one course at the impressively sited Kintail Outdoor centre on the mainland.

Our courses are highly subsidised and we are always ready to discuss costs and the needs of different groups. In recent years we have worked primarily with Young Carers and have also been involved with groups drawn from community youth initiatives working with very disadvantaged young people who are seen to be at risk of offending or have come to the attention of the justice system. Under its charitable status, Camp&Trek has a wide remit in regard to young people and would always be willing to chat about the possibility of working with groups from different backgrounds.

In 2009 the courses ran in July and August involving a total of six residential stays, each over five days, which brought together young people from across the UK. Dates and venues have been arranged for our 2010 courses so, if you want to find out more, take a look on the "Our Programme" page. If you are with a group of young people who you think might benefit from the C&T experience then why not get in touch?

It may be possible to tailor courses to meet the needs of certain young people so give us a ring or drop us an email to find out more. This can be done in the first instance by contacting our Outdoor Activities Co-ordinator, Agnes Dickson either by emailing ops@campandtrek.org.uk or telephone 01571-844262. We look forward to hearing from you.

did you know?

Camp&Trek’s patrons are:
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
The Marquess of Bath
Phil Collins LVO
Peter Jay
Mark Knopfler
Tim Waterstone