Derbion has announced Over The Wall Camp as its new charity partner for the year, as part of its ‘Derbion Cares’ initiative.
After receiving significant applications from local charities, Derbion Cares has selected Over The Wall Camp, a charity that provides free residential camp opportunities to children with lifelong health issues, with a new headquarters in Derby, as the centre’s charity partner for 2025.
The charity, which was founded in 1999, addresses the psychosocial impact of living with long-term health conditions. Based on the insight that more than 1 in 10 children in the UK can be denied a carefree childhood as a result of long-term health conditions, Over The Wall Camp empowers children and their families to explore beyond the perceived limitations of illness and rediscover the magic of childhood.
Over The Wall Camp recently secured a 40-year lease for the former Ockbrook School just outside Derby, which will become the charity’s national headquarters in 2025 as the UK’s first permanent site for residential camps for seriously ill children.
The new location will allow the charity to quadruple the number of residential beneficiaries annually to over 3,000, which will include supporting thousands of local children, such as those receiving care at the Royal Derby Hospital.
As part of its Derbion Cares initiative, Derbion will provide Over The Wall Camp with support throughout the next 12 months through ongoing fundraising, free in-centre activity space, employee volunteer time, centre resources, and more.
Derbion Cares was launched in 2022 with the ongoing aim of supporting East Midlands-based charities with 12 months of fundraising and awareness activities. Since its introduction, Derbion has partnered with five local charities: YMCA Derbyshire, RSPCA Derby & District and Safe and Sound in 2022, Children First Derby throughout 2023, and Umbrella in 2024.
Beth McDonald, Managing Director of Derbion, commented: “Supporting charities that make a difference to our community in the region is exactly what Derbion Cares was set up to do.
“With Over The Wall Camp set to open its new UK headquarters in Derbyshire next year, selecting the charity as our partner of the year felt like a fantastic opportunity to open the doors to helping even more children and families in Derby and beyond. We’re excited that our fundraising and awareness activity for the charity throughout 2025 will enable Over The Wall Camp to reach a new level as it arrives in our city.”
Kevin Mathieson, CEO of Over The Wall Camp, added: “Over The Wall Camp is truly delighted to be partnering with Derbion throughout 2025.
“We look forward to working closely with the centre to raise awareness and vital funds to ensure that more children with serious illnesses and their families can join our transformational camps – a safe place where they are empowered to be brave, have fun and rediscover the mischief and magic of childhood.
“The timing could not be better, as we get underway with the development of our new home in Derbyshire, ready to open as our permanent headquarters (and first site of its kind in the UK) in 2026.”
