The Ockenden Venture
The Ockenden Venture was founded to help refugee children of any nationality. It was formally registered as a charity in 1955. Its work actually began in 1951 when children from Nazi slave labour camps were provided with a refuge at 'Ockenden', the home of Joyce Pearce, who was to become the Honorary Organiser of the charity's Executive Committee.
The charity's work attracted great support, with people giving time, money, and even whole houses to further its work. By the early 1960s, the organisation had 16 reception centres looking after people from many different countries.
Although its work in the UK continued, for example housing Vietnamese 'boat people' in the late 1970s, Ockenden's focus increasingly shifted to working in other countries, and the final UK project was closed in 1988. The organisation changed its name to Ockenden International in 1999.
Records
Note: many repositories impose a closure period of up to 100 years for records identifying individuals. Before travelling a long distance, always check that the records you want to consult will be available.
- Surrey History Centre, 130 Goldsworth Road, Woking, Surrey GU21 6ND.
Bibliography
- Higginbotham, Peter Children's Homes: A History of Institutional Care for Britain s Young (2017, Pen & Sword)
Links
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