Sunday 30th July
A good start with everyone getting on really well. There is no shortage of wood so the Cubs set about collecting for our campfire this evening with real team building skills, pulling large logs back to the fire to challenge the adults to saw them up!
We then had a super campfire where we learnt lots of new songs from Dormansland.
Finally lots of happy and excited Cubs fell into bed and were fast asleep by midnight'ish.
Monday 31st
We woke to light rain which soon changed to a heavy downpour, sending a river of water through our campsite much to the delight of the Cubs!
With the rain now over we are getting on with learning how to build and light our own fires and cook some well deserved lunch.
All the Cubs survived their self-prepared lunch. The afternoon was spent enjoying freetime & working towards their Naturalist badge.
As it is now Easter on camp, they had a go at blowing out eggs & decorating the shells. The challenge will be to see if any survive intact for the rest of camp.
Tuesday 1st.
Today a convoy of minibuses has set off with a party of 70 to Knockhatch. The Cubs enjoyed the laser quest, & all had a turn if they wished on
riding Bertie the bucking bull. After lunch the Cubs were able to look around & choose their own activities.
The next stop for the convoy was the Sovereign Centre in Eastbourne. Here they showered before swimming so as not to turn the pool brown.
Lots of clean Cubs then returned back to camp & enjoyed a fish & chip supper.
Wednesday 2nd.
Today is Kane's birthday, so all the Cubs sang to him and each tent gave him a present.
I can't remember how many times we sang Happy Birthday to him but it was worth it each time for the beaming smile that came back.
We have been pot holing and had great fun on the Low Rope Challenge. We have completed our Naturalist badge this afternoon after a survey of the surrounding area, thanks to Sue.
We then went off in convoy to McDonalds and having had our stomachs refuelled it was on to watch the Stock Car Racing. We even managed to get them to annouce over the loudspeaker Happy Birthday to Kane from 1st Hedgecourt and Dormansland, only to find he had decided at that moment to go to the toilet! The Racing was as usual fast and exciting with the best bit being the 3 wheeler racing, and watching how easily they roll over.
Thurs 3rd Aug
After a well deserved lie- in we are now busy completing our Campers badge and unwrapping all our presents (it is Christmas day on camp!).
We are then off to the tuck shop which I expect will take most of the morning to decide on their purchases!!
This afternoon we have Air Rifles, Archery and Go Karting booked, with plans already afoot to celebrate New Year tonight with our large camp fire.
Friday
We awoke to great weather and have fast set about packing up camp.
After packing our bags we have had the final award ceremony handing out Nature Badges to everyone and Campers Badge and Nights away badge to the relevant Cubs. Well done Tent 4 for winning the points for the week.
Reflections
A good camp with very notably no major fall outs and all the children behaving really well. Logistically a much larger headache with all the extra children, but all the adults and leaders gelled well to become an extremely efficient and hard working team.
For many it was their first camp away from home and they all called upon their inner strength to cope really well, which will have resulted in them gaining and growing from the experience.
Sandra must be commended for her professional way in which she dealt with the fire in the ladies toilet. She immediately blew her whistle in a continuous blast alerting all leaders for assistance and quickly gathering all the Cubs to our meeting point away from the danger ( although if you speak to many of the cubs they will tell you they fought the fire single handed with their water bottle!!).
I think everyone enjoyed the stock car racing especially watching the three wheelers roll over! It was such a pity that there wasn’t time with all the crashes for us to enter our mini-bus in the race…oh well maybe another year!
Dormansland and Hedgecourt mixed really well and hopefully new friendships were made.
Camps are what Cubs are all about and I hope that they have all gone away with many happy memories which they will forever cherish.
My big thanks must go to Sandra Calvert who not only was our first Aider but who really ran the cub camp with me.
Many thanks to those that stayed on camp all week without whom none of it would be possible, Phil & Deena Hands, Ro Bennett, Margaret Weller, Caroline Cook, Rachel Calvert and Julie Wakeford and also to those that stayed part of camp, Andrea Cater, Bruce Pearman, Chris Weller,Kim Bull, Antonella Moore and Sue Miller
We have already booked 1st Hedgecourt’s next Summer Camp in the New Forest Sunday 29th July – 3rd August.
I shall be adding some more camp photos shortly.
Simon
