OSCAR campaign

A little boy wearing a medal stands between a man and a woman outside.

The Ocean and Shipping Community Advancing Children's Health and Research (OSCAR) campaign is an innovative fundraising partnership.

It brings together the international shipping community to raise funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (UCL GOS ICH).

Background of the OSCAR campaign

The campaign is the inspiration of Phil Parry, Chairman of maritime recruitment company Spinnaker, whose son Oscar received life-saving care at GOSH. Oscar had leukaemia twice and had three transplants before being cured by some pioneering research.

Since its inception in 2011, the OSCAR campaign has raised over £3 million. These donations have helped to refurbish vital facilities at the hospital, and funded pioneering research into childhood cancers and immune diseases at GOSH and the UCL GOS ICH .

Get involved

The OSCAR Dragon Boat Race is an annual event that has already raised over £1.6 million towards the total raised by the OSCAR Campaign.

During the race, 30 teams compete against one other and the top six teams battle it out in a final. There’s a bar, food, quayside games and activities and a DJ to get everyone in the mood. It's an excellent networking event and good fun. Most importantly, no training is required for those who want to race!