Over The Wall is a national UK children’s charity and a member of the international SeriousFun Children’s Network. We provide free of charge Therapeutic Recreation camps to help children with life-limiting illnesses and their families reach beyond the perceived limitations of illness to rediscover a whole new world of possibilities. Through participation in a proven programme of fun-filled recreational and educational activities, our camps help promote inclusion whilst developing the confidence, self-esteem, coping strategies and peer relationships of all our campers.
We give children one glorious week of experiences that are memorable, exciting, fun and empowering, in a physically safe and medically sound environment.
"Our 15yr old son attended his first OTW Camp. He had an amazing time & can't wait to go next year. He loved it! Thank you to all the staff & volunteers for creating such a fantastic opportunity that makes such a positive impact on those who need a boost"
"My son and daughter attended camp for the first time (Health Challenges & Siblings Camp). It was the first time my son had been away from home and we were both a bit nervous. The staff put us at ease straight away and kept me updated with his progress. He returned a happy, more confident boy. He is already counting the weeks until next year when he can hopefully return. My daughter returned yesterday from Siblings Camp and she also can't wait to return. Thank you all, you do a great job."
We are looking for volunteers who have the energy and passion to really make a difference to people's lives. We want volunteers who have a sense of fun and will create a magical camp environment for our amazing campers.
Here at Over The Wall we are all about helping campers discover how amazing they truly are. We offer a child centred programme through the use of our Therapeutic Recreation Cycle throughout, which focuses on helping our campers realise the incredible abilities and talents they possess. We make sure that every child is not defined by their health challenge, and focus on who they are as a person. Our medical team wears bright pink shirts, ridiculous wigs and are called the "Beach Patrol" in order to demedicalise camp as much as we can. This is all part of our Therapeutic Recreation Model, a 4 step programme that is all based around fun.
The steps include Challenge, Success, Reflection and Discovery. At Over the Wall we ensure all challenges our campers face will be in a supportive, fun and safe environment. Each challenge will be individualised and tailored for each camper through the use of our Therapeutic Recreation Model.
We ensure challenges are set so each camper can succeed and feel a sense of achievement. We then guarantee our campers get the times to Reflect on their incredible achievements throughout the week. They will in turn discover the amazing truth about how incredible each and every one of them are. The Therapeutic Recreation Model helps empower campers, build their confidence, self-esteem and belief in themselves. They gain so much from camp and leave with so many amazing memories and positive labels to take home to the outside world.
