Campus is an entirely volunteer-run charity committed to providing annual respite breaks for disadvantaged children, having run summer projects every year since 1967. We work with some of the most vulnerable children in the Liverpool-Merseyside area: children in care, some who have been abused, young carers, and children living in poverty or overcrowded accommodation. These children are referred to us by parents, social workers and other organisations because they desperately need a break from their home lives. For some, it is the one chance they get each year to be a child.

Over the years Campus has changed and expanded, drawing on the experience of children and volunteers. We now run two projects each summer – both a residential and day project (“Hippocampus“) – which cater for around 200 children aged 6-13. In addition, we run a reunion ‘Winter Project’, and our ‘Young Helper Project’. On this website you can find out more information about each project.

When asked why Campus is so special, a word that constantly comes up is community. Lots of Campus kids return to the same project each year from the age of 6, providing them with much needed stability in their positive relationships with the adult volunteers. When they reach 13, many stay on to become Young Helpers themselves, and are trained to volunteer on the projects that they benefited from. Adult helpers from Liverpool, London and Cambridge frequently come together for Fundraising Events, our AGM, and project meetings.

Please explore this website, and find out how you could play a part in our community, either by referring a child, donating to us, or volunteering yourself.

To quote one child at the end of our Summer Projects: “The only problem with Campus is when it has to end.”