By David Bowen
How it all started
In October 1976 I joined CRI after attending its stall at the Societies’ Fair in the Corn Exchange. This was my final year as an undergraduate.
CRI was based at Overstream House; a well-worn villa on Victoria Avenue, near the bridge and the boathouses. Continue reading →
By John Grundy
I’m sure I’m not alone in spending many lockdown hours sorting old slides, negatives and documents. I’ve learn a lot about my own and my family’s lives through finding information either long forgotten or never revealed. Continue reading →
Many CHV volunteers went on to great things but one group from the first camps put their energy and imagination to a project in Nepal which deserves to be brought into daylight again. Continue reading →
David Beeby has provided a list from his records of volunteers at the Plattenhof camps he attended between 1964 and 67. Continue reading →
Peter Gilbert (Pembroke 1963-66) (by email 20 April 2020)
I volunteered for these camps led by Paul Hawksworth (Pembroke 1963-66). I remember the farmer, Stefan’s dream to get to the Oktoberfest in Munich and his pig-tailed mother who was definitely the person in charge. The humans lived on the ground floor and the animals above them. Paul went on to become a German and French teacher at Ampleforth College.
Celie Parker (by email, 28 April 2020)
I was a volunteer twice running, in the 1960s, and I remember my time in Germany with fondness and the fundraising period before, involving an early morning drive in an old van, with a line of hard boiled eggs along the dashboard – to Portobello Road where we hoped to set up a stall to sell our clothes and other bits and bobs … as I remember it, we were turned away – I think we were deemed too young! Continue reading →
In March, Christina Szápáry, the niece of the Countess Gabrielle Szápáry, who played an important role in helping to organise and secure funding for the camps, got in contact. She had seen Philip Seddon’s account of a visit he made on behalf of CHV to Vienna in 1969, during which he met the Countess. His notes observed the extraordinary commitment she showed to the work of CHV, which seems to have come about through her links with Caritas in Austria or some personal connections.
Below is the correspondence that followed. Continue reading →
This note was sent ahead of the reunion at Jesus College on 17th October, from Carole Nolan, who was unable to attend. Continue reading →
We held a ‘final’ reunion on 17th October 2019 at Jesus College. Attended by 26 people, an important part of the event was the launch of the book of the website and its presentation to the four Colleges from which the biggest groups of volunteers had been drawn, Clare, Homerton, Jesus and St. Catharine’s. Continue reading →
By Peter Watson
There will be a final reunion tea party for everyone involved in the CHV archive project, and others with whom we’ve made contact on 17th October at Jesus College, starting at 3pm. Arrangements are as follows. Continue reading →
Children's Holiday Venture Archive 