Owl Patrol

Owl Patrol 12 & 13 February 2022

Following the results of the recent survey, the Trustees have taken the decision to run a Virtu-Owl Patrol, with campers taking part by Zoom and volunteers based at St Katharine’s. This decision has been supported by BBC Children in Need. The format will be as 2021 with “Camp in a Box”.

The theme for Camp is Myths & Legends and campers are encouraged to dress up. In order to ensure that you receive your box in time it is important that you register before 31 December 2021.

To take part in camp on-line you will need access to a broadband connection and laptop or tablet. If you do not have access it is very important that you let us know as we are working to ensure that all families are able to participate.

If you would like to take part please apply here

Camper’s stories

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT OWL PATROL

By Nathaniel aged 14

I like football because it’s my favourite thing here. I like playing it because it’s my favourite sport. My favourite team is Liverpool, and my favourite player is Steven Gerrard.

I think coming to owl patrol at St Katherine’s is great because we go swimming on a Saturday night.. I also enjoyed the Sumo Wrestling, I like getting a chance to fight! I played against Awais and Mark, and I won both times!

I’ve been coming to owl patrol for a long time. MY best memories of camp are all of the games. I also love Karaoke because I love to sing songs like ‘Build me up buttercup’, ‘Angels, ‘ and ‘Hero’. I would like to do everything this year.

Love you everyone! See you all next year!

Volunteer’s stories

Becky’s Story

In 2003 I was asked by my friend Meg to edit a documentary she had directed called Midnight Children which followed kids with XP and their parents at a residential activity camp called Owl Patrol run by The XP Support Group. Whilst sat with her in the editing suite, we both discussed how amazing the kids and parents were, and what an incredible place it seemed. She said she was going to go back the following year to be a volunteer and asked if I wanted to come with her and that is where my story began! We volunteered at Owl Patrol 2004 and fell in love with the people and the place. It was so incredible I remember coming home afterwards and talking non-stop about how it had changed my life. I returned every year with Meg (and ended up bringing my sister Ellie with me too!), happy being a volunteer on all sorts of activities until one year when illness prevented the regular activity co-ordinator from taking part.

Ellie, Meg and I stepped in to help and the rest is history. Ever since then we have been responsible for organising the camp’s activities every year, recruiting and training new volunteers, and the day to day running of camp. 2013 will be my 10th annual camp! It has been an amazing experience which has quite literally changed my life. For example, only a few years after starting as a volunteer I realised that I loved working with young people and wanted to do it full time so I left my job as an editor and re-trained as a teacher. I am now Head of Media Studies in a South London state school and believe that all my volunteering experience was crucial in my success at securing training and the teaching positions I have held since then. Being a volunteer makes me very proud and I think it always stands out on my CV and provides an interesting talking point at job interviews. In fact at my interview for my last job, the boss asked me to explain what the charity and what I do there and he was so affected by it, he burst into tears! I am enjoying watching the children I first met in 2004 grow up into young adults, and am always happy to meet the new younger children who join us each year. I am so grateful that I get to be part of such an amazing event each year.