Hello and welcome to the SVP Ozanam Camp, Holy Island.
Due to the current coronavirus restrictions, this summer’s camps will no longer be able to go ahead. 

Please see the below message from Holy Island camp Applications team...

Dear All,

It is our sad duty to inform you today that we will be forced to cancel all of our camps this summer. We had held on for as long as we could in the hope that restrictions may be lifted enough for us to do something, but unfortunately we have now been told that this will not be the case. We have been informed, through the relevant government agencies, that residentials for U18s will not be permitted in the UK until September at the earliest. That essentially leaves us with no option but to cancel all our camps.

We are very sorry to have to do this; it is the first time since the camps began in 1954 that they have not been able to run, and we know that many of the children will be desperate for some excitement and an opportunity to socialise again. We do feel that our young people have been largely overlooked in our response to the pandemic, and we really wanted to help change that if we possibly could. For this reason, we were keen not to take the easy option of cancelling at an early stage. We really did try!

For those of you who have paid, we will of course offer a full refund. However, we would like also to leave you two other options. Firstly, if you are able to leave all or part of your donation with us, it would be greatly appreciated. We run our camps on a not for profit basis and subsidise them through hiring out our camp to schools and other organisations throughout the year. We have not been able to do this over the last few months and expect not to be able to do it for the next few either. So anything you can spare really would be appreciated in order to help keep our camps running in future years. We realise, of course, that many of you will be struggling financially given the current situation, so completely understand if you are not able to do this. We would hate to add to your problems! 

Secondly, if your child will still be in our target age range in 2021 (i.e. they will be in Year 5, 6, or 7 for boys or in Year 5 or 6 for girls in the next school year) and you would like to secure a place at next year's camp, please let us know and we will hold onto the money and reserve your spot. It is likely we will be required to implement a small cost increase for next year, which would mean you would get your place at a slightly lower cost. For girls who will be in Year 7 next year, we are hoping to also offer you this option, but cannot confirm that at this stage. There is a meeting next week when this decision will be made, so we can inform you then. We felt it wasn't right to delay the cancellation note until we had this information, as I know many of you want to make plans for your summer (if at all possible!).

Please let us know your decision as soon as you can regarding the refund (girls who are going into Year 7 may want to wait a week) and we will process them as quickly as we can. However, please bear in mind that there that we are all volunteers and most of us are working full time jobs, so it will take a bit of time to process the several hundred refunds we are expecting. Unfortunately, due to charity rules requiring two signatures, all refunds have to be by cheque.

Finally, we hope that you and your families are safe and well at this difficult time. We will be taking the opportunity this summer to do what maintenance work we can afford at the camp. Some of us have booked holidays to volunteer and may not be able to go elsewhere, so we will be up on the island from time to time. If you are visiting the island, please drop into the camp and say hello. We will miss you all this summer and it would be great to see some friendly faces, or some new ones for those who would have been attending for the first time. You may even get a free cuppa! 

Wishing you all the very best for 2020 and for hopefully a much brighter 2021,

Applications Team (Rob Curran, Eileen Stout, Catherine Barrett, Joe Hollamby)
SVP Ozanam Camp, Holy Island

Feedback from a parent: "It's just a quick note of thanks for the recent girls Holy Island Camp. My daughter attended the camp a couple of weeks ago and loved it. We have just moved to the north east and were apprehensive about her going away for a full week due to her age and how recently she has made new friendship groups. We need not have worried, she has raved about her experiences and the activities. So much so, that she has asked to return at the end of August."

Children’s Applications
2020 Application are now open, see link below

Children's Applications Forms

Bus times can be found here 

VOLUNTEERS

We are now taking Volunteer application forms, see link below

Volunteer Application Forms

Any enquires about volunteering for our Camps? Please contact:

Email holyislandhelpers@hotmail.com

Pete McTernan, 07956 069893.

HIRE THE CAMP

If you are wanting to enquire about booking Term Time Camps or for the House or the Flat please contact Jacinta Hetherington on 07458091639