Meet Our Core Team
Camp Charnwood is brought to life by a dedicated team of volunteers, healthcare professionals, and organisers who share one goal: creating a safe, inspiring, and unforgettable experience for every family who joins us. Each member of our core team brings their own strengths, skills, and passion to camp — from medical expertise and safeguarding leadership to activity planning, support, and community-building.
Together, we work year-round to ensure Camp Charnwood is a place where young people can grow in confidence, parents feel supported, and everyone feels part of a caring, inclusive community. These are the people who help make the magic happen. Let’s introduce you to the team behind the camp.
Chairman
Andy
Bio to come...
Donations & Operations
Chris
My daughter, Sophie, was diagnosed when she was 12 and initially, she attended camp and loved it. I came along as a helper the following year and have been involved ever since. Sophie and her younger brother Jonny are now helpers too.
My main role before camp is finding donations to keep our costs down, mainly from local businesses – these vary from borrowing minibuses to lots of the food we eat (packed lunches, Pukka pies etc). Once at camp I support the leadership team to make sure everything runs smoothly, my week can be very varied; from driving a minibus, helping set up tents and marquees to making sure packed lunches are in the right place at the right time (and lots more!).
I have found great support meeting other parents at camp, many of whom I now consider friends. Just knowing that I don’t have to explain what Type 1 Diabetes is and how it might be affecting my daughter is such a relief.
Why do I keep coming back? Seeing children at camp growing in confidence, realising that Type 1 doesn’t have to stop them from achieving anything in life is truly inspirational.
Family Liason & Enquiries
Radhika
I was diagnosed at the age of 5 in 2003, the first camp I attended was in 2005. I have attended every camp since then, either as a young person or a volunteer. In 2021, I joined the core team to liaise with the families that would like to come or are attending Camp. During the busy run-up to Camp, I also support with managing volunteers, safeguarding and general logistics. In my private life I'm a primary school teacher in the West Midlands and have a deep passion to see Camp Charnwood continue. I believe it is a magical place where children, young people and adults feel a sense of normalcy, gain the confidence to achieve their dreams as well as being able to build an important social network of people that, just get it!
Volunteer
Co-Ordinator
Vikki
Bio to come...
Catering
Janine
I've been involved with Camp since 2005. When my son was first attended, at the age of 7, he was too upset to stay overnight. I would come to Camp in the evenings and help with Suppers (back when children had to eat before bed!).
I would then take him home and come back each morning, then I was approached to become a full-time helper.
As Camp has evolved over the years, we now provide ALL meals and snacks, so I now volunteer my time to cater for our happy Campers with the help of the lovely catering team.
Activities
Johnathan
Diagnosed in October 1997, I attended Camp Charnwood in the summer of 1998.
I have been a Scout Leader and a Water-sports coach for over 23 years. In 2007, I spent 2 years in America working on summer camps, where I led the lake activities and staff.
When I returned in 2009, I picked up where I left off and continued with my coaching, then re-connected with Camp Charnwood in 2013. Since 2017, I have been the Activities Co-ordinator, trying to fill the shoes of the infamous 'Mad-Mike'.
Knowing what I got out of Camp, the need to inspire others to push their own limits is real.
Medical Lead
Dr. Victoria
Paediatric consultant at the Royal Free Hospital, London.
I First attended camp as a helper in 2004, as a paediatric registrar at Leicester. I’d been helping on ski camp that January and heard so much about Camp Charnwood. I trained as a registrar with an interest in Diabetes and Endocrinology and loved being involved in camp from medical duties to teaching yoga on the lawn, which was hugely popular.
In 2007 I was appointed as a paediatric consultant at the Royal Free hospital and after a break from Camp Charnwood, I returned in 2019 involving the whole diabetes team and many families from the Royal Free Hospital attend camp. It adds a lovely young person-centred approach to the way the royal free team works and they have all started to feel very much part of the ‘Camp Charnwood Family’.
I absolutely love camp. I love seeing children grow in confidence regarding their diabetes and I truly believe camp changes young people with diabetes and families lives. It changes their whole approach sometimes and they benefit from the Positive Attitude that exudes from Camp. Despite being a diabetologist so long, every year I learn something new from camp and something I wouldn’t be able to learn, sitting in clinic or going to a medical conference. It’s a totally invaluable experience.
I love how Camp Charnwood normalises diabetes for young people and their families as well as their siblings.
….and of course Victoria still has a keen interest in yoga and often teaches a fun/easy yoga and relaxation session at Camp Charnwood.
Safeguarding Lead
Jim
My son was diagnosed, aged 12, and attended Camp Charnwood in 1988. HGe returned the following year on proviso that his Dad came too as a helper.
I did, and found Camp such a brilliant event that I was hooked and still attending.
Over the years I've looked after groups of boys, assisted the event organisers, setup Safeguarding & Welfare systems.
I have now reached the pinnacle of my Camp Charnwood career as Chief Dishwasher in the Catering team alongside my duties as Safeguarding Lead.
My son has also been a helper for over 15 years now.
