A student has been left £3,000 out of pocket after the collapse of the charity organising what was hoped to be her dream trip of volunteering in the rainforest.
Kelsey May, 21, of Runcorn, had been looking forward to heading to Costa Rica to fulfil a life’s interest in the rainforest but was left devastated by the “rubbish” news that Raleigh International had ceased trading on Thursday, after she had already parted with the cash to pay for the placement.
She told the ECHO the 10-week "trip of a lifetime" had been part-funded by work and by fundraising events such as raffles, cake bakes, involving some featuring the Raleigh International logo, and mountain hikes.
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Kelsey is now trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered dream and mulling a fresh effort to revive her chances of heading to Costa Rica.
The Central American tropical country had attracted Kelsey due to its prevalence of rainforest and world-leading ecological record including a near-100% reliance on renewable energy.
Kelsey’s dad Steve Chester, owner of Premier Aquatics at Heath Business and Technical Park, said his daughter had been “working hard” in pursuit of her rainforest dream and he had tried to console her after she received the “devastating” news.
And while some Raleigh volunteers have been offered a lifeline of keeping their trip on track due to Raleigh Costa Rica having independent status, Kelsey said this reprieve mainly applies to July expeditions while those due to travel in October such as herself are only being granted “very slim” chances of salvaging their adventure.
To compound the “disappointing” collapse of her trip, she said the expedition offered by Raleigh was the “best one” available of its type.
Kelsey said: “It’s been a bit of a rubbish weekend. I’m feeling more hopeful now to get something started. It’s really horrible. We climbed mountains, baked cakes. I started baking cakes, hours upon hours and it’s all gone to waste.”
Kelsey added Costa Rica’s appeal was due to its rainforest coverage and “massive” appeal for eco-tourism, which is what she wants to pursue in future.
She added: “I’ve been obsessed with the rainforest since I was a little girl. Costa Rica is all rainforest. It’s really disappointing.”
A statement on London-headquartered Raleigh International’s website said the charity had placed more than 55,000 young people from more than 100 countries into international sustainable development programmes, but despite "intensive" fundraising efforts, "continuous hard work" and ongoing cost-saving in the face of increase economic pressures, the charity had been informed it was insolvent.
It cited "dramatically-reduced funding and foreign aid" plus the impact of delays and cancellations due to the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions on travel has an "irreversible impact".
The statement added: "The charity’s trustees have appointed Carter Backer Winter LLP to assist as we enter into creditors’ voluntary liquidation, with all employees made redundant and future expeditions cancelled.
“We appreciate this news will come as a devastating blow to our volunteers and supporters.
“The team at Raleigh International are extremely proud of the positive impact we have made over the years to help communities across the world and would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone – from volunteers and staff to communities, project partners and funders – who have supported our work.”
A spokeswoman for liquidators Carter Backer Winter said: "The charity’s expeditions and programmes were significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and associated overseas travel restrictions.
"Its fundraising abilities – individual as well as corporate donations – were also negatively affected by reductions in the UK Government’s overseas funding, recent events in Ukraine and the current cost-of-living crisis.
"Unfortunately, despite the cost-cutting measures put in place throughout Covid-19, the overall loss of income is such that the charity has been unable to recover from the pandemic’s impact and trustees were advised that the charity is insolvent and unable to continue operating.
"As the charity has effectively ceased trading with immediate effect, all 47 staff have subsequently been made redundant and future expeditions cancelled.
"The charity is currently exploring the possibility of working with its partners to continue its Re:Green programme in Scotland this Summer, and is liaising directly with all volunteers and volunteer managers affected.
"The charity is mindful that volunteers who have paid funds to the charity will be understandably concerned about the status of these funds and legal advice is being sought in this regard. "
Anyone who wants to support Kelsey's re-launched fundraising efforts can visit her page at justgiving.com/crowdfunding/kelsey-may1
