Who We Are
Our History
Green Frog Holidays was born in 2019. Our founders met through Oundle Mencap Holidays, a week-long summer residential holiday for 40 young people and an outdoor camping weekend for young adults with learning disabilities.
OMH has run every summer for nearly 40 years and its tried and tested formula has allowed hundreds of young people to enjoy fantastic, fun-filled holidays based at Oundle School in Northamptonshire. It has been consistently rated “Outstanding” by Ofsted.
Growing Our Reach
Our founders have been involved in OMH for many years as volunteers, leaders and trustees. For a long time, we felt that the structure of this holiday and its offer to young people with learning disabilities were too good not to expand elsewhere. A model was developed, and in 2014 a second holiday was started at St John’s School in Leatherhead. A third followed in 2018, at Highfield School in Liphook, and a fourth in 2023, at Haileybury School in Essex. All have proved resounding successes and plans are afoot for our next holiday in the Midlands in 2026.
Green Frog Holidays is an organisation that has specifically been created to extend this growth even further. Our name comes from one of the much-loved songs sung by children on all the holidays.
We owe our existence to Oundle Mencap Holidays. Without OMH’s leaders, thousands of volunteers and – most importantly – hundreds of young people who have attended OMH holidays and camping weekends over the last three decades, Green Frog Holidays would never have become a reality.
Our People
Here are the founders of Green Frog Holidays. We are looking forward to becoming a large extended family in time, with many more names on this page!
Ed Barker
Chair of Trustees
Ed is an investment professional, originating private capital transactions across the UK. He first volunteered on OMH in 2001 aged 17 and has co-led all non-specialist aspects on the holiday. He is a trustee and the treasurer of OMH and was part of the team that started the OMH Outdoors camping holiday and the holidays at St John’s and Highfield.
Eddie Dove
CEO and Trustee
Eddie trained as an educational psychologist and is currently the headteacher of an inner-city primary school in south London. He has been involved with OMH as volunteer and trustee since 1984 and has been a driving force in starting the two new holidays at St John’s and Highfield.
Ally Itani
Trustee
Ally is a doctor working in general practice in Cambridge. She has been volunteering for OMH for over 20 years. She was involved in the founding of OMH Outdoors and St John’s – the first two holidays inspired by the original Oundle model.
Bec Dove
Trustee
Bec has been a teacher in Lewisham for 33 years and has been Headteacher of a three-form entry primary school for the last 10 years. She is passionate about every child reaching their full potential, no matter their background, need or disability. She became a senior member of the St John’s School Community Holiday seven years ago. She has also held a senior role at the Highfield Highreach Holiday for the last three years.
Hazel Johnson
Trustee
Hazel is a retired Chartered Legal Executive and parent to Emily, who has cerebral palsy and a severe learning disability. Emily attended the first St John’s Holiday in 2014 and continued until 2019, growing in independence every year she attended. Hazel is keen to see these holidays develop to benefit other families in a similar situation.
Rachel Barker
Trustee
Rachel is an insurance lawyer, working in the claims team of a large insurance company. She first participated as a volunteer on OMH between 2003 and 2008, and later volunteered on the OMH Outdoors camping holiday for several years. She was part of the team that started the holiday at St John’s and is now part of the management team of the St John’s holiday.