“It was an amazing experience from start to finish, lovely to be able to connect with the other campers and hear stories from the volunteers.
Margaret, Aoife and Caroline all did a super job, well done to all and thank you so much”
NCBI were proud hosts of the first ever Virtual Camp Abilities on July 1st 2020 with 18 campers, their parents, siblings and even the dogs taking part! Our Programmes Coordinator Margaret Bousquet says “We were bitterly disappointed to have to cancel the camp for 2020 in April due to Covid19 but there was such a strong desire amongst the committee to look at an alternative, particularly when we were so close and had worked so hard. The virtual idea seemed almost the opposite of what camp is about in terms of creating opportunities for physical activity and social connections. But it was worth all the extra planning and those countless meetings we had on Microsoft Teams to see the smiles on the faces of the campers.”
Camp Ambassador and rugby player Ian Mc Kinley officially opened the ceremony and spoke about his desire for more inclusion in sports through the wearing of sports goggles. Paralympic athlete Jason Smyth offered his nuggets of wisdom to the group of eager listeners, speaking about being diagnosed with Stargardt’s disease at a young age and how hard work and self-belief were the keys to his success.
Our amazing partners at Visionsports, Cara, Cappanalea Outdoor Education Centre, Kerry Recreation and Sports Partnership and IT Tralee along with our many energetic volunteers and past campers delivered an exciting and fast paced event to go down in history.