The Lake District Calvert Trust has opened what is thought to be the UK’s first wheelchair-accessible high ropes course at its centre near Bassenthwaite.

Eighteen wheelchair users from the Back Up Trust, which supports people affected by spinal cord injuries, made their way round the swinging course at its launch.

Sean Day, centre director, said the Calvert Trust was always looking for innovative ways to challenge residents and make visits even more exciting. They decided a woodland space at the back of the centre would make a great place for the new addition of a high ropes course. After two years of planning, work started at the beginning of the year to install the course.

“We already have a wheelchair accessible challenge course and zipwire on our site, so our task was to think about how to make a high ropes course accessible so it could get maximum use from our visitors. We wanted to create a unique course that could challenge both those with learning difficulties but also those with restricted mobility.”

The course was built by high ropes specialist Technical Outdoor Solutions.

Craig Palmer, the company’s managing director, said: “As far as we are aware, this is the first one in the UK, which makes it even more special.

“Hopefully, we’ll be able to use the expertise gained here to build others around the country to further help those with disabilities enjoy the thrills and fun that high ropes courses can offer.”

The £84,000 facility has been funded by several donations.