Following the huge success of Camp in the Cloud, we are delighted to announce that Over The Wall will be continuing to provide our interactive, online camp in 2021.
Camp in the Cloud was launched specifically to address the needs of the children who were scheduled to attend Over The Wall’s residential camps in 2020, with the aim of bringing the magic of camp, directly into their homes.
This year, Camp in the Cloud activity boxes were delivered to campers and families right across the UK, with hundreds of children and families joining us on our bespoke online platform for a fully interactive camp experience. The response to this has been incredible with our campers and families being able to communicate and feel the joy and magic of Over The Wall camps from the comfort of their own homes.
Parents and campers on the Health Challenge camp were surveyed by Coyne Research and it was found that:
- 100% of participants rated the Activity Box they received as ‘very good’.
- 90% of campers said Camp in the Cloud allowed them to ‘try new things’.
- 98% said ‘spending time with other people their age’ and ‘trying new activities’ was important to them.
- 83% said they felt ‘happier’ following Camp in the Cloud
- 87% said they felt ‘better about themselves’ following Camp in the Cloud
Sarah- a parent of a Camp in the Cloud camper, commented, “During Camp in the Cloud, Ariel was on such a high and was really animated and buzzing all the time. The activities were inspired, and so engaging. It just felt like an immense amount of thought was put into Camp in the Cloud, and consideration of the kids was right at the forefront. There was such variety and interest that was channelled with limited resources -and potentially limited space- yet it completely worked. Over The Wall couldn’t have provided a better alternative to normal camp.”
As we approach 2021, we now plan for even more children with health challenges and their families to be able to enjoy our interactive Camp in the Cloud experience.
The return of residential camps
As always, our absolute priority is the safety and wellbeing of the seriously ill children and family members we serve. Whilst we are eager to return to offering our venue based residential camps, the current uncertainty means that it is unlikely to happen in 2021.
We do, however, understand that the current situation is subject to constant change, and will closely monitor circumstances throughout the year, and inform you as soon as we can, of any adjustments to our plans.
The time that would ordinarily be spent on the planning and development of our residential camps is now being used to further improve our virtual programme.
Residential AND virtual camps for the future
Whilst Camp in the Cloud was initially developed in response to the lockdown, a virtual programme has always been something Over The Wall has planned to offer.
The concept of camp as a virtual experience allows us to reach those children with serious illnesses who may not be able to attend our physical venues due to a variety of reasons such as medical or mobility limitations.
Launching Camp in the Cloud has given us the platform to progress this, and in the future, we hope to reach campers both virtually and residentially, allowing children to experience the mischief and magic of camp, regardless of the constraints of their illness.
We are excited to announce that our Camp in the Cloud dates and applications for attending as a camper, family or volunteer will open on Friday 11th December.
