For 26 years, Koysor Choudhury has been making the journey from Newcastle to Kielder. And after all this time, there is still one thing he looks forward to more than anything: coming back to Calvert Kielder.
Now 54, Koysor has been living with spina bifida and hydrocephalus throughout his life. He has no feeling from the waist down and, when he was younger, was told that he might not survive into his twenties. But here he is, 54 years old and feeling fitter than ever!
For Koyser, coming to Calvert Kielder isn’t simply about having a break. It is about freedom.
He lives with his family and says that coming to Calvert is the one thing he does completely independently. Twice a year, he packs his bags and heads to Kielder, ready to spend time away from home, make new friends and, most importantly, have fun.
“It’s the freedom of coming away independently,” he says. “I love making new friends and the care and activities staff are absolutely fantastic.”
And Koysor doesn’t come to Calvert just to watch everyone else have the fun. He gives everything a go.
Over the years, he has thrown himself into the huge range of accessible activities on offer, always willing to try something new. For him, one of the best things about Calvert is that disability doesn’t have to mean sitting on the sidelines.
“Everyone can do everything. There are no barriers.”
That sense of possibility is at the heart of what Calvert Kielder means to Koysor. Whether he’s trying an activity, laughing with friends or simply enjoying the freedom of being away, he knows that he can come and be himself.
And after 26 years, he has made plenty of memories along the way.
The staff are a huge part of those memories. Koysor speaks with real affection about the people who care for him and help him make the most of every stay.
“They’re all amazing,” he says. “The care and activities staff are absolutely fantastic.”
He now visits twice a year, and even when he’s back home in Newcastle, knowing that another Calvert Kielder stay is on the horizon gives him something to look forward to.
“Coming to Calvert gives me the lift I need,” he says. “Looking forward to my next visit is a great feeling.”
In fact, Koysor doesn’t like to imagine what life would be like without his regular trips to Kielder.
“If Calvert Kielder wasn’t here, I’d be bored out of my head!”
After 26 years, it’s clear that Calvert has become much more than somewhere Koysor visits. It is a place where he has built friendships, challenged himself, laughed, tried new things and enjoyed the independence that matters so much to him. And his message to anyone who has never experienced Calvert is wonderfully straightforward:
“If you’ve never been, just do it. You’ll have the experience of a lifetime.”
For Koysor, that experience has lasted 26 years — and he isn’t finished yet!