Kielder is my Sanctuary: Lori's Story
We asked Lori, one of our regular guests who has been coming to Calvert Kielder for several years, to share what their stays mean to them. What she wrote stopped us in our tracks. Over to Lori…
"For me, Kielder isn’t just somewhere I visit. It’s somewhere I feel at home"
Kielder isn’t just somewhere I go for respite or to try activities I wouldn’t normally be able to access at home. For me, it’s a sanctuary, a lifeline, and almost like a second home.
At home, I often have to compromise. Sometimes my abilities are overestimated, and I find myself masking a lot of the time. It can be difficult to make sure my voice is heard and to get the right support and adjustments in place. I don’t feel lonely, but I can sometimes feel isolated because I don’t always fit into conventional boxes.
Kielder is completely different.
Here, I’m respected as a person. My strengths and weaknesses are taken into consideration, and I can be my authentic self without having to mask. I’m listened to, and if I’m struggling, the staff are there for me. They know me so well that sometimes they recognise when I need something – even if it’s just a few minutes to myself – before I realise it myself.
When I’m at Kielder, it feels equal. It doesn’t feel like I’m playing life on the hardest difficulty setting in a video game. We’re on the same level settings.
I know that my needs will be taken seriously. Even the little things matter. My food intolerances are understood and accommodated without making me feel like I’m being difficult or asking for too much.
Kielder has become one of my main opportunities to be social. It’s somewhere I can have stimulating conversations and spend time with people I genuinely enjoy being around. Over the years, I’ve made some really good friends here, and some have become among my closest friends.
The staff know me well enough to understand which social situations work for me and who I’m likely to connect with. That makes a huge difference. I feel comfortable being around people because I know I’m understood.
I’m almost like a different person at Kielder. I’m more sociable, more willing to try things, and much more bubbly and enthusiastic about getting involved. I have opportunities to challenge myself, have fun and simply be me.
At home, I’m much more introverted and can sometimes find it difficult even to leave the house. At Kielder, I feel able to step outside of that.
Kielder gives me far more than respite. It gives me a place where I belong, people who understand me, friendships, experiences and the confidence to be myself.
If I didn’t have Kielder, I think I would feel incredibly isolated. I don’t really want to imagine what life would be like without it.
For me, Kielder isn’t just somewhere I visit.
It’s somewhere I feel at home.
