OUR commitments to You
Focus on Health and Safety
As the promoters and organisers of the RBS Caledonian Challenge, SCF (Events) Ltd acknowledges its duty of care to the Participants, volunteers, contractors, consultants and employees involved in the event. We deem their health, safety and welfare to be of paramount importance and will use our best endeavours to reduce all associated risks to reasonable levels.
Financial Accountability
The primary purpose of the RBS Caledonian Challenge is to raise funds to strengthen the UK's most isolated communities.
All the funds raised from the event are managed, matched and distributed by the Scottish Community Foundation, a registered Scottish charity and leading distributor of charitable funds. We are accountable to the Foundation's Trustees for the fundraising performance of the event and our results are reported in the charity's consolidated annual report & accounts.
All forms of fundraising involve a cost. The charity sector measures the financial performance of fundraising activities in terms of return on investment, ie the number of pounds generated for each pound a charity invests in the activity. The cost-effectiveness of fundraising challenges of this nature varies from event to event and from year to year. The generally accepted standard for an event of this nature is a return on investment of between £2 and £4. We are striving to achieve a return in the upper half of this range.
100% of all funds donated to the Scottish Community Foundation go directly to support its work strengthening communities close to the RBS Caledonian Challenge course and throughout Scotland.
The Scottish Community Foundation invests in the RBS Caledonian Challenge through a management fee paid to its wholly owned trading subsidiary, SCF (Events) Ltd.
The management fee forms the balance of the event's organisational costs not met from Participants' entry fees, corporate sponsorship and other income streams.
Thanks to the participation and enterprise of the event's many participants, the generosity of their supporters and the enlightened backing by employers and other company sponsors, the management fee is kept to a minimum.
SCF (Events) Ltd is managed as a not-for-profit company. As a recently formed company, it aims to gradually generate a modest surplus over the next few years in order to build a reasonable level of operating reserves. The company is wholly owned by the Foundation and no Director receives a share in the profits. The company's annual report & accounts are available from Companies House.
Accessibility
We welcome adults of all ability on to the RBS Caledonian Challenge. The event involves sustained physical effort in a remote and rugged environment. With regret, the unforgiving nature of the trail probably renders it unsuitable for wheelchair use. People with a disability are welcome to contact us to discuss their requirements.
Excellent Customer Service
We are grateful for the support of the Event's many Participants, Supporters, Sponsors, Volunteers, Partners and Suppliers. We endeavour to provide a friendly, professional, timely and responsive service and we welcome feedback on how we might develop what we do well or improve things that could be better.
If you have a comment, please Contact Us
Community Relations
The aim of the RBS Caledonian Challenge is to strengthen communitiy life throughout Scotland. We therefore acknowledge our responsibility to be a good neighbour in the communities in which we operate.
We commit to give advance notice of our event to people living and working close to our event and likely to be significanttly affected by it. We will work with local authorities and welcome tenders by local suppliers, and all other things being equal in terms of cost-effectiveness and quality, will give them first priority.
We also contribute to local communities in a number of ways. Firstly, we contribute to the local economy. On average, the event generates over 2,000 bednights in the Fort William area.
Secondly, we ask local community groups to volunteer at the event. In return we make a donation for the time given, thereby supporting local community groups directly.
Finally, we also contribute to the local voluntary sector through the funds raised from the event. These funds have enabled the Scottish Community Foundation to award grants to locally based voluntary groups and charities. Between 2006 and 2011 we have distributed 434 grants, totalling £1,829,171 to community organisations in the Highlands region.
The management of the event is informed by the Institute of Fundraising's Code of Good Practice for UK outdoor challenges.
Environmental Sustainability
The RBS Caledonian Challenge offers an unparalleled opportunity to experience the most spectacular views of Scottish Highlands. We acknowledge our responsibility to contribute to the conservation of this distinctive and beautiful landscape.
We manage the event to enable many people who may not have visited the area before to enjoy its stunning views by providing a structured framework which helps minimise their impact. We promote and follow the Scottish Countryside Outdoor Access Code and make a copy available to our Participants.
The event follows the West Highland Way, and the Great Glen Ways, two national long-distance footpaths which have been developed and are managed to support large numbers of walkers. We liaise with the local management teams and make a contribution to the maintenance and the development of these great long-distance footpaths.