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Greville Summer Camp 2006

first published in Grass Roots Autumn 2006

Greville troop’s summer camp was held this year near to Eastbourne in Sussex. We had a total of 20 boys attending and managed to put on a full active programme, making the most of the good weather.

The day we arrived and much of the following day was spent building the camp. The patrols had to not only put up their tents but also mark out their site and chopping area and build the essential “camp gadgets” they would need to help them over the week, such as fridges and washing up stands.

Our first organised activities were Mountain Biking and Orienteering at a nearby activity centre. The terrain for the cycling was very diverse, initially being up fairly steep wooded hills but ending with a long run along the river valley right onto the beach. The scouts also took part in a full day hike along the South-East Coast Path to Beachy Head. Probably the most popular activity was sailing at a local reservoir. The boys were taught to sail Toppers, either individually or in pairs and their instructors did a good job of both teaching them the basics of sailing and making the event enjoyable. Initially the scouts were rather cautious and the instructors seemed to be getting bored as they did not have enough work to do rescuing capsized boats. This soon changed when they told the boys to stand up and use the boat more like a windsurfer.

Other days were devoted to less energetic activities with trips to Bentley Motor Museum and Wildlife Park and a shopping expedition to Eastbourne which included time on the beach and swimming in the sea

On the final night of camp we held a barbeque followed by the traditional camp fire, where each patrol took turns to perform a song or sketch. After this we held a short presentation for two retiring helpers, both of whom have been cornerstones of the troop’s summer camp for many years. Roger Lovegrove has only missed one camp in the last 30 years, serving for many of them as our Quartermaster; and Dutch Holland, a former troop leader in the 1960s, will be remembered for his skills leading the camp fire and the eccentric camp sports days that he has run.

As ever, we have a competitive element to the camp, with regular inspections scoring cooking, washing up, the various camp gadgets and other challenges the scouts were given through the week. The camp was won by Bulldogs patrol.

Report by Chris Reeh, Assistant Leader