The Cubs unpacked their kit and soon settled into their tents.
After a BBQ supper a very enjoyable campfire took place, with new songs
from Viv Clark. The Cubs had a midnight feast and settled down to
sleep very well.
Monday.
Despite a late night, all the Cubs were up early and keen to get on with
the day's activities. After a lovely cooked breakfast and the washing up
had been done, the Cubs collected wood ready to cook their own lunches
on open fires.
Before lunch, they also fitted in a turn at the archery range.
Next, they cooked their
own hotdogs and burgers.
All of the Cubs have settled in really well to camp life and are getting on
with each other excellently, eating well and generally having a great time.
The site is boggier than usual, but drying out all the time.
With a good forecast, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.
Tuesday.
Off site activities day.
There was a day visit to Herstmonceaux science museum,
lots of fun but also educationtal things to see and do.
However, they also got lost thanks to more science, as Rob's sat nav failed to take the group anywhere fast.
Who said map reading was a useless badge?
Swimming at the Sovereign centre in Eastbourne, followed by a hearty supper of fish and chips.
Right now the cubs are playing a miniaturised Colditz game with the scouts, as was originally scheduled yesterday.
No major hiccups yet, and the weather actually remains summery, for the first time this Summer.
Weds
We nearly overslept today, managing a new record of getting 40 people woken up, washed and dressed in under 30 mins just in time to take part in the Centenary ceremony the site had laid on to celebrate 100 years of Scouting. We were joined by some Scouts from Germany who helped us sing the official 2007 Centenary song (not quite a No.1 hit, although given time it might be UK's next Eurovision entry!!)
We returned to camp to celebrate in Hedgecourt style and get stuck into a well deserved cooked breakfast.
We have a busy schedule laid on for the rest of the week. We have just started wall climbing with a TV crew
hovering around us
then after lunch we are Go Karting and Pot Holing before leaving site to watch Stock Car Racing this evening.
Then on Thursday we have Low Ropes booked and Air Rifle Shooting, before our big campfire and last night on camp.
We are still intending to pack up camp on Friday and be back in Felbridge at 3pm.
We would be grateful of any help on the Friday, either packing up or unloading at the Barn after we return.
Reflections
Considering we had only a day to re-arrange the venue and create a new programme the feeling was that the camp flowed smoothly like any other. The team of helpers and leaders I had this year all gelled really well and made the task so much easier. The small army of parents that I called upon at short notice to help set up camp responded so well, it really does make these camps so much easier. The bunch of cubs that I had this year must rank as one of the easiest and most well behaved, something you should all be very proud of.
I would like to think that the Cubs felt special at being involved with the Centenary ceremony with the international camp at Broadstone, I suspect it will mean more to them later in life when they reflect upon it!
What we did decide was that the decision to move camp from a field resembling Glastonbury in the New Forest to natural woods in Ashdown Forest was the right one and I doubt whether I will consider holding our summer camp anywhere else. To watch cubs being children in a free and natural environment where they can still amuse themselves for a week without computers and Play stations whilst learning life skills in friendships, comfort zones and using their imagination is very rewarding to watch.
As one of my parent helpers remarked " to be given the opportunity to see my children at play with their peers in an almost fly on the wall situation is a really rewarding experience".
As always with camps we will all gain something from them, adults and cubs alike. The challenge is to learn from our experiences and build on our strengths.
I will leave you with a famous quote
"Fifty years from now, it won't matter what kind of car you drove, what kind of house you lived in, how much money you had in the bank, or what clothes you wore, but the world may be a little better because you were important in the life of a child."
