Spring Activity Camp March 2011

Spring Activity Camp March 2011

Hi All,

During the weekend of 25/26/27th March 2011, 8 of our Scouts made their way to Blackwell Court near Bromsgrove to take part in our first Camp of the year.

Jason & I had already travelled over the night before to unload most of the Group camping equipment and pitch the gararge tent & dining shelter.
We did this to give the Scouts somewhere to shelter if the weather was particularly bad and to give them more time to concentrate on putting up their own tents.

The Scouts arrived in good weather and with the help of their parents they managed to pitch their tents with the minimum of fuss.

In just a few hours the camp was relatively complete and supper was soon on the go.
We cooked burgers, sausages & onions in baps and made hot drinks and biscuits available for everyone who wanted them before starting the long task of preparing for bed! We also had time to start a small Camp fire to round off a pleasant evening.

It was a chilly night but everyone settled into bed without any difficulties.

On Saturday morning we awoke to a dull and chilly start but this did not deter the Troop from getting out of bed and preparing themselves for the day ahead.

Some cereals, bacon or sausage baps and drinks were welcomed by all for breakfast and it was soon time to begin the programme of activites organised for the day.

At 9.15am we had our first flag break before the Scouts were let loose on the site! Emily also joined us for the day.

Our Troop took part in 6 activities on Saturday and 2 more on Sunday.
The activities included; crate stacking, pedal karts, zip wire, team challenges, obstacle course, abseilin, grass sledging & orienteering.

Lunch was sandwiches with a choice of fillings, sausage rolls, hot or cold drinks plus crisps, biscuits and fruit.

The temperature remained low but this did not deter the Troop from having a good time.

Dinner was a choice of either spaghetti bolognese or sweet & sour chicken, with pasta. Pudding was a choice of fairy cakes or bananas, with custard.
Those Scouts not involved with the cooking had plenty of free time to explore the site and also collected wood for an alter fire later on.

We had a supper of marshmallows, biscuits and hot or cold drinks before finally retiring to bed. Some of the Scouts also had a go at making smores and roasted their marshmallows on an amazing alter fire which burned long after the Scouts had gone to bed.

It was another cold night.

On Sunday morning we awoke to slightly better weather, which meant that the tents would hopefully be nice and dry by the time it came to pack away.
Good weather on the day you break camp is always number 1 on a Scout Leader’s wish list!

Breakfast consisted of lashings of bacon, sausage, beans, egg and bread plus hot/cold drinks.

At 9.30am we had our final flag break before starting the second day of activities.

At approximately 12.30pm we had lunch, similar to that what we had on Saturday (and anything else that was left), and then started the inaugural task of breaking camp.

At 3.30pm we Invested Amelia-Lee & Liam into the Troop as parents began arriving to pick up their young ones.
We also celebrated Pia's 13th birthday with balloons, banners & cake. Happy birthday Pia!

Please click on the image above to see more pictures taken during the weekend.

Many thanks to all those Scouts who took part and we hope you all had a good time.

Jason & I were very impressed with the way they all got on with the various camp duties when asked and sometimes without prompting, such as cooking, washing up, fetching water and so on.

The Scouts behaviour was exemplary and is just how a Scout Camp should be run.

I would also like to thank all those parents who assisted the Scouts in pitching their tents and a special thank-you to Will's dad Dave, who helped us unload & load the minibus and take down the 'big' tents! We are always very grateful.

Going to camp is a major reason why young people join the Scouts, the fun of living in a tent can be unbeatable. You will hopefully appreciate how much effort goes into running a camp and we try to organise and attend as many as is feasibly possible, so that all Members of our Troop get the opportunity to attend at least one over the year.

Our next camp will be in May, which will be the District Activity Camp!

All the best,

Calico & Chief