15th February- 10-4.30pm- Online

Online Camp leader and deputy mandatory training.

Saturday 8th March- 10am pick up from St Josephs RC Church, NE32 4PJ

• New Camp helpers 
• New Junior Helpers
• New Caretaking and kitchen helpers
• New Term Time helpers

Saturday 29th March- 09:30- St Aloysius Church, NE31 1BE

• Dormitory Helpers
• Existing Junior Helpers

Saturday 5th April- 10-4.30pm- Online

Online Camp leader and deputy mandatory training.

Sunday 11th May- 1.30pm- St Aloysius Church, NE31 1BE

• Dormitory Helpers
• Existing Junior Helpers

Our dormitory helpers work alongside the children and are responsible for the day-to-day care of the young twenty-four hours a day for seven days a week during our Summer SVP Vinnies Camps. They are responsible for helping to organise activities, keeping children safe and creating fun for our young people, as well as listening to them and taking a pastoral role regarding their daily needs. Helpers are present from breakfast and work with others to help run activities such as sports, crafts and challenges across the day. Bedtime is around half nine and there is then some down time two or three nights through the week to catch up on much needed sleep or to socialise and relax with other helpers. All meals are provided and accommodation is basic but clean and not under canvas. We have a purpose-built centre. The work is tiring but fun and you will make firm friendships quickly, amongst the other volunteers.

Many of our volunteers, return year upon year to help and find that they become part of what we sometimes call our Camp Volunteering Family. There are no particular skills needed but a calm caring approach, an empathy with our Vincentian values, sense of humour and resilience are all required in ‘bucket loads’..

See our videos as to why some of our volunteers continue this great work at our SVP Vinnies Camps.

With so many children to feed each week, working in the kitchen is a vital role for Camp. Kitchen helpers help to prepare food, look after the dining room, serve meals from our serving hatch and clear dishes and pots. The days are tiring but there are always short breaks during the day and others there to help. Kitchen Helpers work under the direction of the Cook and are usually finished after the evening meal is finished. Basic food hygiene training is given and for those with catering skills, we are always looking for cooks to lead the weekly kitchens. Accommodation in Lindisfarne House (attached to Camp) is provided and this is a warm comfortable environment in which to stay. Helpers work as a team and are trained via face-to-face Development Days, undergo online safeguarding training, and are fully DBS checked and referenced. New helpers are interviewed and teamed up with experienced volunteers for support

Junior helpers work as a team and are trained via face-to-face Development Days, undergo online safeguarding training, and are fully DBS checked and referenced. New helpers are interviewed and teamed up with experienced volunteers for support

If you are aged 16-17, you can apply to be a Junior Helper and experience the role of a Dormitory Helper in a junior capacity. You will be able to help the children and Dormitory Helpers in organising activities, get to know the children and begin to get a feel for what volunteering as an adult helper would be like. Many of our Juniors, complete Duke of Edinburgh Awards during their time with us and go on to become Dormitory helpers at the age of 18.

Again, this is a vital role on Camp. Caretakers work in teams and are responsible for the general cleaning and tidiness of camps communal areas.  If you can stretch to sorting out a bit of shelving or fixing something which is broken… even better! Helpers work as a team and are trained via face-to-face Development Days, undergo online safeguarding training, and are fully DBS checked and referenced. New helpers are interviewed and teamed up with experienced volunteers for support

Term Time Camps are a vital part of our work at Camp and require lots of volunteers. Here, the time commitment is more flexible. Term Time Camps run in Term Time from March to August and then September to mid-October. We rent our Centre to Schools and youth groups, who use our accommodation to provide residentials for their guests. We do not have any helpers who work with children in these Camps as the groups bring their own staff. However, we do need kitchen Helpers, Cooks and Caretakers. These Camps run from three to five days, usually Monday to Friday but also occasionally across a weekend. Helpers sign up to help at whichever ones they wish to do, they can do one, two or several over the course of the year. The roles are as outlined above. The application process and training is the same for both Term Time and Vinnie Camp Volunteers.