September 2025 Newsletter
- campjojo
- Sep 18
- 4 min read
Camp Jojo 2025 - what an amazing summer!
The sun sets on an incredible Summer
With a heavy heart, we have packed up the site at Ivy Farm after a magical and memorable summer at Camp Jojo. We welcomed 50 families to the site, including a collaboration with Highshore special needs school and East Anglia Children's Hospices. Our families enjoyed sunsets, campfires, music, massage, bubbles, beach trips, hammocks, arts & crafts and visits to our lovely donkeys, chickens and sheep. Plus of course, each camp featured our famous 'Camp Jojo's Got Talent'. We are now reflecting on the memories from camp and working our way through all the photos and videos, so watch this space for some magical moments. In the meantime, here are some thoughts from the families who joined the Camp Jojo family in the summer.
Camp Jojo Cumbria (Northern site) Update
Plans for the first camps are taking shape
Camp Jojo's sister site, at Nag’s Head Farm, in Appleby In Westmorland, Cumbria is set to open in Summer 2026, and the team are busy making plans, sourcing equipment and raising funds to ensure that we are camp ready for our families. The site will include the accessible treehouse and wheelchair track matting (courtesy of The Roselands Trust). There will also be a fully accessible 'changing places' style toilet and shower block, sensory barn, marquee and all the accessible tents, all-terrain wheelchairs, beds and equipment that make camping possible for our families. Camp Jojo Cumbria has been made possible thanks to a significant grant from The National Lottery Community Fund.
Volunteer News
A debt of gratitude to our volunteers!
Approximately 140 volunteers attended Camp Jojo at Ivy Farm throughout summer 2025, bringing empathy, expertise, energy and enthusiasm! Taking on roles from family support to photography, catering, to site management, music to massage, the volunteers worked tirelessly to ensure our families had a wonderful time, and spent some genuine quality time with each other. We also had even more young volunteers than ever at camp, bringing fun and laughter and demonstrating wisdom and empathy beyond their years. Thank you doesn't even begin to cover it, but we really are so grateful.
Special thanks to Suffolk Music Therapy Services who came to camp every Friday night, all summer, to provide wonderful campfire music sessions for our families and volunteers. They helped families to bond with their volunteers and each other and provided the perfect sunset close to Day One at camp.
Camp Jojo Community News
Barn Dance 2025 tickets are on sale NOW!
A favourite in the Camp Jojo calendar, this year's Barn Dance will be taking place on Saturday 27th September at Camp Jojo HQ at Ivy Farm in East Mersea. Arrival from 6:30pm, for a 7pm start to the dancing, with a live band and caller - no previous experience necessary!
Tickets are £20 per person, £10 for under 16s. Under 5s go free and there are camping plots available for £5 per person. Ticket price includes dinner which is a cold buffet and some sweet treats. Beverages including wine, beer, and soft drinks will be able to purchase. There will also be a raffle and an auction.
All proceeds go to Camp Jojo. As this is a charity event, tickets sales are non-refundable. However, if you cannot attend, we would be grateful if you could please email, so that we can re-sell your ticket maddie@campjojo.org.uk
Many thanks to our sponsors Fisher Jones Greenwood LLP in Essex, Suffolk & London. They have kindly supported this event for several years, making a generous donation to cover the cost of the food, allowing us to make even more money for Camp Jojo.
Tickets are available to buy here: or scan the QR Code
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Hornchurch 41 Club visit Ivy Farm
We were delighted to welcome members of Hornchurch 41 Club to Ivy Farm during the summer. The club have donated £1000 to Camp Jojo this year and were keen to visit and understand more about how the camps work. On a very hot August morning, the group enjoyed homemade cake and a tour of the Ivy Farm site, as volunteers got the camp ready for the arrival of the families later that day. Our guests were very positive about the work at Camp Jojo and left vowing to spread the word among the 41 community. True to their word, a report about their visit featured in the latest edition of their national magazine - https://41club.org/camp-jojo/
Natalie is fighting fit for our families
A huge shout out to @campjojo volunteer and supporter, Natalie Allanson who is stepping into the unknown and well and truly out of her comfort zone. She has officially started training to be a white collar fighter. Natalie pushing herself to get fitter, try do something new and to raise funds for Camp Jojo and take on a White Collar Fight. Natalie is sharing her training journey with us as she prepares for the WCF - Manchester on October 5, 2025.
If you would like to support Natalie in taking on this incredible challenge, and at the same time raise valuable funds that enables families of children with complex needs and disabilities to share a fully accessible and unforgettable camping weekend together, please donate at Natalie's fundraising page (below)
Save the Date!
There will be an exclusive Christmas performance of 'A Christmas Carol’ by Anthony Roberts, Director of Colchester Arts Centre, in support of Camp Jojo. This is taking place on Saturday 13th December 2025 - 4.00-6.00pm, Marks Tey Community Hall. With mulled wine/fruit juice and mince pies and other Christmas goodies!! Tickets will be £15 per person and we will let people know how to book tickets soon, but in the meantime - SAVE THE DATE!
With good wishes,
The Camp Jojo Team
