User:Rdallison/Brathay Trust

Brathay Trust

Mission
Brathay Trust is a national UK charity that inspires young people to become successful, confident and responsible citizens.

Charitable Status
Brathay is the trading name of Brathay Trust, a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales.

Part 1: 1798 - 1947
Brathay Hall, an impressive 18th century Georgian house, sits at the north end of Windermere. Behind the beautifully designed façade the elegant reception rooms once entertained the likes of Wordsworth, Coleridge and the world-renowned landscape artist John Constable. Today the Hall, and the surrounding land, is used by Brathay Trust, a national charity that inspires young people to become successful, confident and responsible citizens.

This once impressive family home now welcomes thousands of youngsters every year, all eager to benefit from the house, the landscape and Brathay's world class personal development training team. But how did such an architectural gem become such an important part of the educational landscape?

Brathay Hall was built in 1798 by businessman George Law, the son of an attorney, who was involved in Backbarrow Ironworks. On Law's death, in the West Indies in 1802, the house passed to his son Henry and in 1804 he in turn rented it to John Harden, a gentleman with connections in Edinburgh and Dublin.

Fascinating diary records exist of Harden's family life at Brathay during this period. He was a keen amateur artist and many local worthies were drawn into his circle. The house was visited by Coleridge, and Constable, who sketched various family groups, whilst Old Brathay, the adjoining house, was visited by Coleridge, de Quincey and the Wordsworths.

Then, for almost a century, the Hall belonged to the successful draper, Giles Redmayne, and his family. However, at various times the property was rented out and notable tenants included a certain Dr Arnold, Headmaster of the famous Rugby School.

In 1939, Francis Scott, owner of the Provincial Insurance Company, based in Kendal, bought the property with a view to protecting it from development and devoting it to some worthy purpose. And in 1946, Scott finally fulfilled his dream when he founded the Brathay Hall Trust "...for the education of young persons of both sexes from industry, for research into questions affecting the education of such persons, for the instruction of staff, and for any other (related) charitable purposes."

Scott was acutely aware of the need not only to provide activities for young people but also to supply training for youth leaders and senior club members. Unfortunately the war years brought a temporary halt to his visionary work. However in 1947 Scott's long-established connection with the Boys Clubs Association led to him founding his first venture. Brathay Hall became the base for their courses, 'Holidays with Purpose'. These one-week residential courses, directed by Warden, Dick Faithfull-Davies, delivered a variety of activities including: boating, fell walking, camping, art, drama, and discussions, all of which served "to open windows" in the otherwise greatly restricted lives of young lads from the dingy cities and slums of the North.

The Brathay Hall Trust was finally up and running and Brathay Hall would never be the same again!

Part 2: 1947 - 2011
After the Second World War, Francis Scott, the owner of the Hall, developed Brathay into a centre of excellence for experiential learning. A successful one-week residential course, for the Boys Clubs Association, was followed by similar courses for industry. By developing a broad range of activities, in a new four-week Course, Scott believed he had a greater chance of bringing out the latent talents of young working people.

However, Scott was acutely aware that Brathay needed to expand and diversify in order to succeed. To do this Scott generously financed mainstream developments at the Hall and this led to the building of a handsome boathouse, with a fleet of boats for sailing and rowing, a theatre, numerous group meeting rooms, extra dormitories and later, the conversion of those dormitories into bunkrooms. A fine new dining room was also added, in keeping with the old building.

This work allowed Brathay to design ‘Leadership’ programmes for adults, particularly managers. In the 1960’s this led to the demand from industry for customized courses. Firms aware of the value of this work, now termed Development Training, began to ask for their own, bespoke, package. Soon the client list included industrial firms, commercial companies, government departments, the armed services, universities and even football clubs.

Throughout this time, however, Brathay never lost sight of the need to provide courses for young disadvantaged people. In the 1970s Brathay continued to devote resources to a variety of programmes including those aimed at the unemployed and Social Services Departments for the rehabilitation of children who had been brought before the Courts for Intermediate Treatment. Brathay demonstrated that the outdoors could be healing, as well as challenging, and this work met with such success that it prompted the construction of a new centre, Eagle Crag, specifically designed for young residential groups. This enabled Brathay to deliver some high profile and particularly demanding work, undertaken in partnership with Youth at Risk, which positioned Brathay as experts in this field.

Specialised Youth Work was also developed and although it is dependent on subsidy, grants are supported from surpluses gained from the adult courses. This has allowed Brathay to work with schools and social agencies in delivering programmes focused on those in greatest need. Going forward ‘Brathay for the Future’ is a ten year project intended to fund a major expansion and update of the premises. This will ensure that the stunning Brathay Hall, and its surrounding landscape, will continue to meet the demands of young people eager to combine learning with life changing experiences.