KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now) is a charity run by student volunteers from Oxford and Oxford Brookes Universities. It was set up in 1988 by a small group of students who offered tennis coaching to children with special needs.

KEEN has come a long way since, and is now one of the largest student volunteering organisations in Oxford, offering a variety of recreational and sporting activities to children and young adults (or athletes') with a huge range of special needs.

Apart from one full-time co-ordinator, KEEN is run entirely by volunteers. The present co-ordinator Katie Young, said: "KEEN's success relies entirely on our body of volunteers who support athletes at all of our sessions. Part of the key to this success is that volunteers can come along to sessions as and when they please: there is no minimum commitment."

Today, KEEN runs three sessions throughout each week of Oxford University term-time.

GrEAT is an over-18s social club where members go to the cinema or the pub - or stay in and enjoy themed evenings ranging from Karaoke to games nights. "It's an awesome experience - though it may sound clichéd, you really do come away with a huge sense of achievement," says volunteer Leanne Bonney.

ZigZag is an arts and drama session for under 18s. These sessions focus on a different theme each term, from Around the World', to Roald Dahl's stories', and this term, Horrible Histories'. Each week a different aspect of the theme is explored using a variety of games, drama activities and crafts.

KEEN's biggest session of the week is AllSorts. At these sessions athletes get a chance to play a variety of sports including hockey, basketball, rugby, football, cricket, rounders, dancing, gymnastics and parachute games. Volunteer session leader Ally Paget, said: "KEEN is the best way I know to achieve something really great in a couple of hours of your day. Just supporting a young person in a simple game of hockey can make their week, and it often makes mine too!"

In addition to these regular activities, KEEN offers a number of special events, including ice-skating trips, a Christmas party, a day trip to a tourist attraction, an annual Olympics in the summer and a number of holiday activities, including recent rock-climbing sessions.

"Thanks for Rhodri's session on the climbing wall yesterday afternoon - he was quite intrigued to know what it was all about and was so exhausted afterwards, he fell asleep practically as soon as his head hit the pillow!" Jill, Rhodri's mum, explained.

If you are interested in joining KEEN, or if you would like to find out more about how to register as a volunteer, please email keen@herald.ox.ac.uk, or call 01865 794198 and speak to the co-ordinator, Katie Young. There is also a website (www.keenoxford.org) for more information, and for a link to sign up for our weekly emails.