Who can come to Camp?
Read the criteria below to establish if your child is eligible for Over The Wall camps
Residential Camps
Health Challenge Camps
We invite applications from children and young people aged 8 to 17 years, living in the UK, who are currently experiencing health challenges, or have finished treatment in the last 3 years. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Blood disorders (eg Sickle Cell Disease, Haemophilia, Thalassemia)
- Gastrointestinal disorders (eg Inflammatory bowel disease, TPN-dependent)
- Cancer and Leukaemia
- Rheumatological conditions (eg Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus)
- Immunological disorders (eg HIV, primary immune deficiency)
- Respiratory disorders (eg Severe Asthma)
- Skin conditions (eg Severe Eczema, Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB))
- Severe Allergies
- Heart conditions (eg Congenital Heart Disease)
- Kidney disease (eg Polycystic Kidney Disease, Renal Failure)
- Liver diseases
- Neurological disorders (eg Epilepsy, Spina Bifida)
- Neuromuscular disorders (eg Muscular Dystrophy)
- Organ Transplant
- Endocrine disorders (eg Type 1 Diabetes*)
- Orthopedic (e.g. Limb loss, Limb difference)
- Rare Diseases (e.g. Inherited Metabolic Diseases)
Essential criteria for all Health Challenge and Sibling Campers;
To ensure the child is able to benefit fully from all our camp programmes, they must:
- Have the physical ability to participate in an action-packed activity programme with a range of high and low energy activities. Please discuss with us if your child needs adaptations.
- Have the social and emotional ability to participate in a group setting and team activities with children of their own age
- Be able to verbally communicate their needs independently
- Be able to transfer between floor, bed and chair without assistance if they use a wheelchair
- Be able to attend to their own personal cares
Unfortunately, we are unable to accept children who:
- Require significant assistance with toileting/bathing
- Require frequent rest periods/naps during the day, resulting in missing a significant amount of the scheduled activities
- Have learning, behavioural or social communication needs that would prevent them from participating in age appropriate group activities
- Are more than 3 years off treatment, if they do not have any ongoing health challenges
- Need overnight care/intervention/monitoring, or health care needs that require constant one-to-one support
- Have Cystic Fibrosis or Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (due to the risk of cross-infection and infection to immunocompromised campers)**
- Are on a ketogenic diet or a specific medical diet, such as a low protein diet**
- Are currently experiencing suicidal thoughts or self-harming
** Please see our alternative virtual services that may suit your child’s needs.
Before attending camp, each camper’s parent application and supporting medical information is reviewed by one of our Nursing Team. This is to ensure that the camper meets our eligibility criteria and that their needs can be met by the team at camp. Any required care plans can be formulated ahead of time. We will consider the child’s ability to participate in the programme, their psychosocial wellbeing, and what other opportunities are available to them. Each application is considered on its own merits, however as places are limited, we will give priority to those children who have not attended camp before.
Sibling Camp
We invite applications from children and young people aged 8 to 17 who have a sibling (0 – 17 years), who is currently experiencing health challenges, or has finished treatment in the last 3 years. Unfortunately, we are unable to accept children with behavioural or social communication needs that would prevent them from participating in age-appropriate group activities. All applications will be individually assessed by our medical team where we consider every child’s needs.
Family Camp
We invite applications from families who have a child or young person aged from birth to 17 years, who is currently experiencing health challenges or has finished treatment in the last 3 years. One child in the family must be aged between 8-17. Partnership camps may have additional specific criteria, please check on the details of the camp for more information.
Returning Campers
Over The Wall accepts applications from returning campers who continue to meet our camper essential requirements, and will allocate camp places based on need. Campers who have attended camp previously may be placed on the reserve list, to allow new campers to experience camp.
Reserve list places will be allocated based on need and availability. As we’re always trying to improve our application process and with each child’s changing needs, families can apply for as long as they meet our criteria and a new application will be required on each occasion.
Places are not guaranteed and whilst we consider every child’s needs individually, returning campers may be put on the reserve list to allow new campers the opportunity to experience camp.
Camp in the Cloud
We invite applications from families who have a child or young person aged from 0 to 17 years, who is currently experiencing health challenges or have finished treatment in the last 3 years. One child in the family must be aged 6 to 17 years.
Health challenges include, but are not limited to:
- Blood disorders (e.g. Sickle Cell Disease, Haemophilia, Thalassemia)
- Gastrointestinal disorders (e.g. Inflammatory bowel disease, TPN-dependent)
- Cancer and Leukaemia
- Rheumatological conditions (e.g. Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus)
- Immunological disorders (e.g. HIV, primary immune deficiency)
- Respiratory disorders (e.g. Severe Asthma, Cystic Fibrosis, PCD)
- Skin conditions (e.g. Severe Eczema, Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB))
- Severe Allergies
- Heart conditions (e.g. Congenital Heart Disease)
- Kidney disease (e.g. Polycystic Kidney Disease, Renal Failure)
- Liver diseases
- Neurological disorders (e.g. Epilepsy, Spina Bifida)
- Neuromuscular disorders (e.g. Muscular Dystrophy)
- Organ Transplant
- Endocrine disorders (e.g. Type 1 Diabetes)
- Orthopaedic (e.g. Limb loss, Limb difference)
- Rare Diseases (e.g. Inherited Metabolic Diseases, Genetic Disorders)
To ensure children can benefit fully from our camp programme, they must:
Camp in the Cloud has a variety of activities including some arts and crafts which will require the use of scissors and fine motor skills and for some children assistance may be required from an adult in the house.
There are opportunities for any member of the family to join live video calls and interact with their peers and our staff team at set times throughout the day on Camp in the Cloud if they choose to.
Activity boxes are sent in the post and are to be shared between each family member to enable them to join in the activities on the day.
Unfortunately, we are unable to take campers who are currently a hospital inpatient.
