Climbing, arts and crafts, drama, music and archery are just some of the activities young people can enjoy at the Over The Wall summer camp.

But this isn’t just any holiday activity club – Over The Wall exists to offer free opportunities to children and teenagers living with serious health challenges.

The concept, part of the Serious Fun Children’s Network, was founded by Paul Newman in 1999, with three types of camp now running across the UK, including breaks for siblings and families.

A South Health Challenge Camp, a five-night residential break for children and teenagers aged eight to 17 who are experiencing or have recently experienced serious health challenges, takes place at Bryanston School in Blandford in August.

In 2015, more than 500 campers attended Over The Wall camps, enjoying a huge range of both high and low energy activities including discos, talent nights and sports sessions, coupled with Therapeutic Relaxation (TR), which aims to enhance the children’s independence and self-esteem.

“To attend camp, children and teenagers living with serious health challenges and their families need to meet essential criteria to ensure every child is able to benefit fully from the experiences camp offers,” explains Nicola Waghorn, Over The Wall regional co-ordinator.

“All our activities at camp are intentionally designed to be challenging and fun with Therapeutic Recreation at their core. TR has been shown to enhance a child’s sense of wellbeing through increasing independence and self esteem.

“Our goal through the activities is to ensure that campers gain, or regain confidence, skills and an understanding of their own abilities.”

Nicola joined the Over The Wall staff team in 2014 after volunteering at 17 camps from 2008 onwards.

She now works to recruit campers and support fundraising events in the south, as well as working at camps during the summer season.

“Over The Wall enables children and teenagers living with serious health challenges to reach beyond their perceived limitations and rediscover a whole new world of possibilities,” she enthuses.

“Our camps help develop the confidence, self esteem, coping strategies and peer relationships of our campers. Camp provides a safe and medically sound environment, with our medical team providing ‘home from home’ care.

“We try very hard to keep the medical aspects of camp as low profile as possible, as camp is about campers having fun and not being defined by their medical conditions.”

Nicola relishes her role and has seen, first hand, astonishing transformations in the young campers over the years.

“Over such a short space of time I get to see campers who arrive very shy and quiet, become the most lively and confident characters, surrounded by new friends that they have made during the week,” she says.

“Being at camp gives our campers an opportunity to kick back and relax and just be themselves. I also get to spend my days wearing face paint, fancy dress and singing camp songs!”

For 2016, Over The Wall has space for 64 campers at each of its Health Challenge Camps and four-night Sibling Camps (the nearest sibling break takes place in Wiltshire in May), and for 15 families to attend each of its two-night Family Camps.

To apply, families can either be referred by doctors, nurses or organisations, or can refer themselves.

All applications are assessed by the camp and its clinical team before places are offered.

If you know children or teenagers living with serious health conditions who would benefit from the fun and therapeutic recreation of an Over The Wall camp, or would like to take part in a fundraising challenge to support the work, visit otw.org.uk or contact South Regional Co-ordinator Hayley by emailing hayley@otw.org.uk for more information.

All camp dates and full criteria are also available on the otw. org.uk website. Volunteers are also needed to help run the camps.

If you are aged 18 or over and would like to join the Over The Wall team as a camp team mate, activity leader or safeguarding officer visit otw.org.uk/for-volunteers, email volunteering@otw.org.uk or call 02392 477110.