KEF SUMMER 2026 – TWO WEEKS OF CARE, JOY & RESPITE

KEF’s summer camps once again brought together children, young adults, families and an incredible team of volunteers for two unforgettable weeks of care, friendship, joy and respite. This year, 88 children and young adults with a wide range of physical and/or learning disabilities and complex medical needs benefitted from the KEF experience.

From the moment the campers arrived, each of our specialist divisions was filled with energy, laughter and excitement. Across the two weeks, campers enjoyed a packed programme of activities, outings and entertainment, all carefully planned and adapted to meet their individual needs and abilities. Every camper was given the opportunity to have fun, feel included and create memories that will last far beyond the summer.

The magic of KEF is about so much more than the activities themselves. It is about the love, patience and dedication that surrounds every child throughout their time at camp.

The impact of KEF was beautifully summed up by a member of the public who encountered our campers and volunteers during an outing to an adventure park. She wrote to us afterwards to say that she and her sister “couldn’t help but notice your volunteers and the children/young people” and that “all the children/young people were so happy, and it was lovely to see them all having such fun.” She went on to praise the volunteers for how positively and naturally they engaged with the children, adding that she and her sister had been “sat there in awe of how happy they all were” and that it was “just heartwarming to see.” It is a wonderful reflection of what happens at KEF- the joy is so visible that even complete strangers are moved by it.

For parents, the impact is perhaps even more profound. One parent shared her heartfelt thanks after camp, describing the experience as “truly magical” and saying that giving children like her son the opportunity to go away to camp, where they feel “included and supported” and surrounded by incredible volunteers, is something she could never have imagined. She spoke of the reassurance KEF gives parents knowing that their children are loved, cared for and having the most amazing time, while they themselves are able to take a much-needed break.

“We know that he had the absolute best time, and that is everything,” she wrote. “You give us, as parents, something equally precious: the reassurance that our children are loved, cared for and having the most amazing time.”

Videographer Dov Smith, who returned to KEF this summer to capture the experience, reflected on what he saw and described it simply: “Some people spend their summer lying on a beach somewhere exotic… others spend two weeks making sure a child with special needs has the best summer of their life.”

He spoke about the specialist facilities, the medical team and the practical support that enables KEF to care for children with complex needs, but said that what struck him most was the volunteers. These young people could be travelling, relaxing or spending their summer in countless other ways, yet they choose instead to give two weeks of their time, energy and hearts to the children.

We welcome Ofsted for another inspection this summer and are incredibly humbled, grateful and proud to have once again been rated Outstanding. To receive this recognition again is a tremendous testament to the dedication, professionalism and care of our entire KEF team, and to the exceptional standards that everyone works so hard to maintain.

We are indebted to every volunteer and member of the medical and senior teams, who gave so generously of their time and energy this summer. We are enormously grateful to our BIKE4KEF riders, our donors and the entire KEF community, whose continued commitment and generosity throughout the year makes this essential work possible.

Every smile, every friendship, every moment of independence and every happy child returning home is a reminder of what the KEF community achieves together.