What have we achieved on our 25th anniversary?
This year we celebrated our 25th anniversary at Over The Wall Camp. We’ve had exciting announcements, huge achievements and reached new milestones — that’s not to mention our incredible campers who have reached new heights too!
Whilst we can’t fit everything we’ve achieved together in one blog post, here’s 25 things that have happened this year to mark an incredible milestone for our charity:
1. Ockbrook announcement
Earlier this year, we announced that we found a place for a new permanent site to host our camps! At the former Ockbrook School in Derby, this site provides a central location for us to hold camps throughout the year so that we can welcome even more campers to even more camps!
2. Almost 1,000 campers!
We hosted 988 campers at our camps this year—a fantastic number, all thanks to the donations, referrals, and word-of-mouth from our wonderful supporters.
3. Rebrand and name change
This summer, we updated our branding to better reflect the joy, mischief and magic of camp whilst giving the familiar logo you all know and love a modern refresh. We changed our name from Over The Wall to Over The Wall Camp so people know exactly who we are and what we do.
4. Staff celebrate 25 years of camp
Our staff team gathered together at Ockbrook for the first time to reflect and commemorate 25 years of camp.
5. Planning permission
Following our announcement, planning permission for the first phase of renovations at our new permanent site was approved! This begins the exciting journey to redevelop the former Ockbrook School in Derby into a site tailored to the needs of our campers and a place we can call home for many years to come.
6. Plans begin for Ockbrook
With help from our corporate partners, we began clearing the former school in Derby to prepare for the next stage.
Want to hear more about our biggest project yet? Become a Friend of Over The Wall Camp.
7. The community welcomes us to Ockbrook
Over 200 locals from Ockbrook village and the surrounding areas turned out to learn more about Over The Wall Camp’s move to the area and how we will support and provide opportunities for the local community.
8. We hired a New Camp Director
We welcomed the lovely Shea to Over The Wall Camp this year! She heads up our Camp Operations team as Camp Director — you’ll know them as Camp Staff, normally found around camp singing, dancing and ready to lend a hand wherever they are needed!
9. Grew our Operations Team
With the development of a new permanent site comes the opportunity to run more camps, meaning we needed more people to help us do that! This year, we welcomed Assistant Camp Directors Glenn and Emily to the team, who are very excited to be part of the action!
10. 2597 marshmallows toasted
Campers tucked into quite a number of marshmallows this year, thanks to the campfires at our Mids and Scotland camps.
11. A special Countryfile feature
Scotland camper Rubi shined in her feature on Countryfile Ramble, where she spoke confidently about her rare condition and what it was like to meet others like her at camp. You can catch the full episode on BBC iPlayer.
12. We were on The One Show!
Filmed at South Camp in April, the BBC gave The One Show viewers a taste of camp. Health Challenge camper Alex and his brother got to share their story on camera, helping viewers understand what it’s like to be a young person with a serious illness.
13. Radio 4 appeal
Alongside her Countryfile feature, Rubi also featured on a Children in Need radio appeal, presented by Anita Rani. Thank you to all who listened and shared with others, you’re helping get the Over The Wall Camp mission out there!
14. NEW faces at camp
We welcomed 96 new volunteers—that’s a huge number! We’re delighted that so many more are signing up to make a difference. From students to clinicians to everyone in between, we’ve welcomed volunteers from all professions and backgrounds to get stuck into the mischief and magic of camp.
15. Dance parties at every camp
After lunch and dinner at camp, we hold a dance party — that’s 38 dance parties this year! Not every camper is keen to get up and dance when they first arrive, but often, by the end of camp, they’re dancing out the door! We’ve heard from many families that camp dances and songs are now a staple at their dinner table.
16. Superstar fundraisers
From marathons to skydives, bake sales to singing in train stations, our supporters continue to come up with wacky, creative and inspiring ways to fundraise for our camps. We can’t wait to see what you come up with next year!
17. Over The Wall Camp Gala
Once again, Over The Wall Camp brought our staple glitz, glamour, mischief and magic to The Underglobe in London. Guests heard first-hand from camper Milo, and his mum Sally, about the life-changing impact camp has had on their family. We also raised over £118,000 for camp!
18. Climb the Capital
The sky was the limit in at our first Climb the Capital event. A test of strength and endurance, participants had to climb the stairs of three London skyscrapers; The Cheesegrater, The Walkie-Talkie and Scalpel. It wasn’t for the faint-hearted, but our fundraisers were up for the challenge!
19. Camp Made Me...
After the success of our first Camp Made Me campaign in 2023, we did it all again for 2024! Our campers and volunteers often feel changed by camp in some way, so we asked them to fill in the blank ‘Camp Made Me _____’.
20. A skydive for Over The Wall Camp
One of our incredibly brave volunteers, Mollie, took on a skydive to raise money for Over The Wall Camp. Mollie is a dedicated camp volunteer, who volunteered not at one camp – but three camps this year!: “Skydiving was the best but most scary experience of my life! I loved every second of it”
21. Working together
This year we partnered with 24 corporates who donated to camp, volunteered at camp, gave us freebies for camp or fundraised for us (and some did all of the above!) We also partnered with Allergy UK and Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation to run bespoke camps together, supporting children and young people with allergies and diabetes, respectively.
22. Campers told us their stories
This year we spoke to many campers about their time at camp, what they learned and how life feels post-camp. Check out stories from campers: Izzy, Daisy, James, Oscar, Hannah, Milo and Jo!
Want to share your camp memories too? Fill out this form!
23. Volunteers spread the joy
We learned even more about our wonderful volunteers this year, who come from all walks of life. Many become lifelong friends, and some heard about camp because they used to be campers! We’re so grateful for all the support they give us, and their stories of camp are a perfect read to end the year with!
24. Ofsted Outstanding
We achieved Ofsted Outstanding status! We’re so proud of our services’ impact on so many children, young people and their families each year. We’re grateful to Ofsted for recognising Over The Wall Camp’s value to those impacted by serious illnesses and long-term conditions.
25. Endless moments of mischief and magic
Across 17 camps (residential Health Challenge and Siblings, Family Camps and virtual Camp in the Cloud programmes), we shared endless moments of mischief and magic. It’s what our camps are known for, and we thank our wonderful Over The Wall Camp community for making it such a special year for us. Get in touch if you’d like to share one (or more!) of your favourite moments from camp 2024.
We can’t wait to see what 2025 has in store for us!
