Camping with Complex Needs Charity Heads North

Camp Jojo is to open a second camp site for families of children with complex and life-limiting needs to enjoy unforgettable, fully adapted camping breaks.

An £80,000 per year grant for three years from The National Lottery Community Fund will allow the Essex based charity to open a camp site in the north of England near Appleby-In-Westmorland, Cumbria.

Camp Jojo provides specialist equipment to accommodate even the most complex of needs, such as adapted tents with hoists, an accessible bathroom with ceiling track hoists, medical and safe beds, a sensory room, all-terrain, buoyant wheelchairs and specialist supportive seating.

Its team of volunteers includes many with specialist experience of working with children and young people with complex needs and disabilities, to ensure that parents get support and the whole family can enjoy some carefree time together.

Families can bask in nature and take part in activities such as bushcraft, meeting the farm animals, woodland walks, pond-dipping, pizza making, arts & crafts and toasting marshmallows by the fire.

“Every year, the number of families that apply to attend camp, far outweighs the number of places available,” said Dr Christine Wright, Chair of Trustees at Camp Jojo, which has been running camps at East Mersea in Essex since 2017.

 In addition, so many families from the North of England have also told us that the travel time to Essex is just too long to travel with a child with complex needs.

“We have heard them, and it is definitely time for Camp Jojo to open a second site.”

The new camp site is set to run from 2026 and ahead of the official opening at Nag’s Head Farm, Hoff, the charity is hosting two open days on June 21 and 22, 2025, for families, volunteers and supporters to experience a taste of what makes Camp Jojo so special. 

To find out more visit https://www.campjojo.org/