Camp 6

Camp 6: March 16-18th

We were at the Kent County Show Ground. We arrived Friday night and were shown where to put our tents up, this was going to be fun as we were going to be putting them up in the dark. We walked through the halls and were told this was the only time we were allowed to do this. I was sharing with Stanley again and we pitched right next to Shef, Spartacus and Mummy. Again I was a group leader for this camp and we found out these groups we were in are the ones we are going to be in for the Jamboree. Woop Woop. We all sat down in the little hall we were designated and started the auction and the bush-tucker trials and started to raise money for Comic relief. Joe in our Contingent, we were camping with Pioneers, agreed to let the girls cut of his long curly blond hair for £150.00 and we raised it within an hour and a half. Admirals won the bush-tucker trials as no-one from our selected group dropped out. At about 1 o’clock the next morning we went to bed and was told to be up dressed and fed by half eight because that’s when the cubs would be arriving.

Day 2:
Waking up the first morning of camp is always really hard and that one was no exception. It was really cold and thinking about working with cubs isn’t very comforting at half seven in the morning. It’s even worse if you have a cold. It was fend for yourself at the cereal table because there was no cooked food because we wouldn’t have had the time to clear up after and we needed the stuff clean for dinner so we could quickly move onto the quiz.

We got to do the bases we wanted with our mates and we switched round after a little while. Stanley and I were on knots and trails. I don’t think I’ll ever forget how to tie a sheet bend in my life. It was fun though. I had to write moo on the cubs check sheet because Spartacus stole our stamp. Teehee. We were going to be doing more Jamboree type stuff after lunch so we had to make the most of our free time. We used up this time but helping out the cubs and covering each other in stamps. We did it because we were bored and because it was funny.

After the long awaited lunch break we started our Jamboree work. First task was to create a piece of entertainment that could be enlarged and used at the Jamboree. My group chose to do a modern version of George and the Dragon. Mummy (Chris) chose to be the ‘damsel in distress’ and I got lumbered with the role of George. Yay me. Laura was my ‘girlfriends’ best mate. Craig was my motorbike. Jake stole Mummy and took him to Joe and Luke, they’re bad guys by the way, and Alex was the narrator and the sound effects person. The funny part was that ‘my girlfriend’ at the end admitted that she was really a guy. I said this didn’t matter and I loved him even more. Then we skipped off stage it was very very random.
After this we had dinner and discussed other things like Scouts Own and fundraising and things like that.
We then had a quiz and my team name was ‘Ellooooooo Moo’ which was thanks to of Joe. There where some really random questions in that quiz it was well weird. There were two rounds which I think we did pretty well in. the round where you had to name a place from the title of the song that was playing, e.g. ‘Welcome to Miami’ and ‘walking in Memphis’ Miami and Memphis were the names of the places we needed. Then it was colours in the title of the song, e.g. ‘Black and White’ and ‘99 red balloons’, you can probably guess the colours. The most surprising thing was the fact we won. We won the quiz, there wasn’t a prize or anything but we won. It was good fun. After that I think I wandered about talking to people and then played football until the early hours of the morning. Now I don’t like football, the only reason I joined in was because of my friend Kirsty who is also from the island but is in Red/Phoenix said we could go against each other. I ended up in goal which was where I can play. First time I’ve enjoyed football in years. Even the leaders were playing. Shame we had to go to bed though.

Day 3:
Everyone was tired at breakfast, the atmosphere was good though the long awaited (since the day before) rugby match was going to happen today. What I saw of it, it was good and Admiral won! Woop Woop Wiip Wiip. We had assigned ourselves to groups. I am in P.R Public Relations. We had a little meeting about all of the awareness and things that we do for the Jamboree. After that I hadn’t really got anything to do so I sat and finished of the flag I had doodled the night before. It might become the logo of the admirals to put on mugs and frisbees and things like that. After all the meetings where finished we had Scouts Own, and just started packing everything away. We had lunch and got given some information and went home. Again this was another camp I didn’t want to leave.

Fun Camp (Winter Camp)

Fun Camp: Winter camp January 7-9

This camp wasn’t a training camp it was just a bit of fun to start the 100th year of scouting.

Day1
I have to travel on a mini bus with Dan Hanse and others to the campsite. There were three pickup points on the way there. We were fighting on which songs were played from the selection of two CD’s. They were Now 65 and the best of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. The amount of times we changed CD’s was terrible. We finally got to the campsite but the queue to get in was backed up for ages! We got to our drop off point and found out we had to take our stuff to the camp sight. I hadn’t realised how much mud there would be on that ground and in the dark you can’t see it!

After putting the tents up, signing in and getting our wrist bands we were off for a wander. Stacey, Ben, Simon and I were wandering and we met up with some explorers from Stacey’s district. After introductions Matt decided to come round with us. We went and bought some food and found a bench to sit and chat and take some random photos on Speckles (Simon’s) camera. That was fun! (add picture)

We had to be back at camp for midnight so we wandered around looking at the disco and all the things that were on offer and wondering about the day ahead. We got back and finally realised just how muddy things were and how much we were going to end up taking home with us.

Day 2
Sleep was good but we only just woke up in time to go to breakfast. It was a fast rush to get dressed and get down there, whilst trying to find our food tickets from the night before. Activities started and the fun began. We went on the high ropes, Spartacus and Stacey/Stanley went ton the balance beam, Ben and I did the leap of faith while Speckles took the pictures.
We then went clay pigeon shooting… I was Naff at it… Spartacus did well though.

Next we went to the quad bikes and I didn’t crash this time teehee. That was really fun. We then had a spot of lunch and it was back to the activities… We went to the archery range which was indoors and we were very grateful. I forgot to mention that all the way through all the activities it was tipping it down with rain and was very very cold. This made the mud A LOT worse. We then watched Ben and Stanley race each other to get to the top of the rope. We went to the robot range and crashed into things. Then we went riffle shooting and lazer.
Time for dinner and the raves to begin.

We were wandering around looking for Stanley’s home explorer group. We found it and met all the guys and gals there and continued to spot them all the way round the site when we were looking for things to do. We stayed up talking until about one in the morning that night which was a bad idea.

Day 3

Stanley and I were awoken to the sound of boys yelling for us to get up as we’d over laid and were going to miss breakfast. After a rushed dress with the attempt not to get loads of mud in the tent we ran after them. I had not noticed just how muddy and cold my boots were until I put them on that morning. After breakfast we came back to camp and Spartacus and I had a mud sliding contest. We decided to go back to the quad bikes and have another go. We had another contest but this time I ended up in the mud! LOL Speckles got a picture but I couldn’t help but laugh, I now had mud all over my legs all the way above my knees I looked a right sight. After this we tried to get on other activities but we realised we wouldn’t have enough time to wait and go on them so we went back to the campsite and started to pack up. I hadn’t realised just how much mud our stuff was covered in until I looked at it in the day light. My sleeping bag, roll mat and bag were smothered in it. I guess when you’re tired and can’t see that well you have no awareness of things like that. I just felt sorry for the mini bus and the cars we were going home in!
We put our bags and tents in the mini bus which saved us carrying it back to the pick up point, we put the tents down. We were told the faster we put the tents down the fast we could have lunch and THAT was our main priority. LUNCH! I started to get cold after we had eaten so I told Spartacus and I ended up in the middle of a big group hug. I almost fell over into the mud again! Time for the trek to the mini busses and the last goodbyes, until we see each other again in March. Making sure we all had all the right things and the t-shirts, if we’d ordered them. Now it was really time to go home. There were a lot of hugs goodbye, and then on the busses and we were away. I don’t know if there were a lot of people that fell asleep on the way home but I know I did. I was on the last drop off point with Dan who is also from Sheppey, and we had to get into my sister’s car. When I got home I wasn’t allowed into the house, the state I was in. I believe the first words my Mum said when she saw me was ‘Oh my god! I wouldn’t have even let them in the car. I would have left them there!’ Thanks Mum, love you too…

Camp 5

Camp 5: 2/3rd Dec Methodist Church hall Maidstone.

Day 1
This was a meet up camp so all three units were there. We signed in and put our stuff down and joined everyone in a hall upstairs. In the middle of the hall a group of people were playing with a parachute. Others were sitting on a stage talking and catching up. After everyone was there we were told to write our names on stickers and then go to designated halls. Admirals were down stairs. We were put into groups and again I was a leader. We had to decide on songs to sing in the karaoke. We watched the show the leaders had put together out of our pictures and films. We then had to decide how to present it to the other groups. We had facts about Highlands Park, about the penguin bin, and information about the pictures one quote was, ‘A picture of someone taking a picture of someone taking a picture.’ It worked out fine. The other units did songs. We then had an information presentation. The advice we got was sleep whenever you can and don’t stay up too late, or we’ll never make it through the Jamboree.

Once these were over it was time to meet… SANTA! We got a bag with sweets, UK Contingent necker, badge and a pin badge. We ate the sweets and carefully put the Jamboree things in our bags for there is only one necker each.

Karaoke time! The songs that were sung were:
Bohemian rhapsody
I’ll be there for you
Grease Lightnin’
Summer Lovin’
I feel like a woman

Now onto the disco! OMG! It was the best disco I have ever been to. It was just out of this world. Just before the disco we played pass the parcel and everyone was covered in stars so we all glittered. It was amazing. But because we were in a public place we couldn’t party until the early hours of the morning. So at about half eleven we girls went up stairs to bed.

Day 2
We awoke at half seven because at eight we were going to start leaving to make our way the swimming pool. On the way we had to fill in a sheet. Unfortunately by the time Admiral left it was tipping it down with rain so the sheet got so wet we couldn’t write on it. My group met up with Ben’s group and we wasted our time in McDonalds and had competitions of who could swallow an ice cube first. We made our way to the pool after about three quarters of an hour. By the time we got there we were soaked through, so going in the pool would have made no difference. In the pool boys were having diving competitions and girls were watching, but myself and a couple of others passed the time in the lazy river.

On the way back it had stopped raining and the sun was shinning. We got back and arrived to fish and chips. After everyone was full we got our stuff ready to go and went to a presentation about some of the things we were going to be doing at the Jamboree like Starburst, going off site for a day and doing community work. There were prizes given out and then the news we’d all been waiting for. We were not going to Malta as was planned we were going to Geneva instead! It was almost certain we were going. After the presentation we picked up all of the letter and Christmas cards and made our way home. Truthfully I didn’t want to leave.

The whole Kent Contingent playing Pass the Parcle

Camp 4

Camp 4: 4/5th November

Day 1
Firstly we had to go to meeting points for the minibuses, I had to go to Buckmore Park, for those of you that don’t know its an old scouting park which has now been closed down because the ownership has changed. There was a problem with the minibuses, we had to work it with one less than we had previously thought so it was a bit of a squeeze. The bus was over booked. This meant that Stacey and I had to go in the landrover, which was great because there was more space! A quick pit stop for petrol and canoes and we were on our way to Highlands Park. Stacey and I had to tell Jen (one of our leaders) which junction to take to get there, but we did get there, this time!

Once at the site we had to meet up with the other buses armed with kazoos. After catching up on news, we were split in to groups and just my luck; I was team leader of… wait for it… a group of BOYS! Some I knew and others I didn’t. First thing on the agenda… scavenge hunt. We had to find things for every letter of KENT CONTINGENT JAMBOREE UNIT and we had to find (in an Essex theme) a mini skirt, a Burberry hat, a stone that looks like an animal, kebab and chips, and alcohol bottle and a stiletto. Where are we going to find all that where we’re going to be camping next year for ten days? It was crazy. And we had to fit it all in a film canister. This seemed impossible so my pockets were brimming with rubbish. We got back to our meeting point to find lunch on the grass waiting for us. Pick and mix. While eating lunch the points were totalled up. We didn’t win but it was fun. Next we were equipped with cameras and camcorders to film the shoot Highlands Park in all its emptiness, vastness and glory for the other units. We did this met up with our leaders who the proceeded to take picture of us.

We then had to find our camp site which was in the middle of no where! The map we were reading off of was telling us there were roads where there wasn’t and saying there wasn’t roads where there were! We got lost about four times. Worst luck of all was it was Stacey and I reading the map! It was really embarrassing! We got there in the end. The site had little bungalows with loads of bedrooms and a hall. Stacey, Lisa and I shared a room. There were two bunk beds in it so I slept on the top bunk and Stacey underneath. I didn’t really get a chance to rest after we got there and unpacked our things. My group was on dinner duty. Luckily we had our units fabulous Chef (Ben) so it wasn’t going to be that hard. I was put to chopping onions. We were making what was lovingly called meat soup and vegetable soup. After dinner we had a quiz and then watched Ice Age 2 then went to bed.

Day 2
We had a rota which we had to follow after breakfast. The Do’s and Taboos, rest, anything anyone missed last night, canoeing and cleaning. Do’s and Taboos was well weird. You had to read off a sheet what was accepted in a country and what wasn’t and do the actions. In our rest period we played cards, scrabble and just sat there chatting away. We missed the cups last night so we caught up with them. We designed our own Jamboree cups. We got totally covered in pen!

The canoeing I have to say was the absolute best! We did basic movements and turns. Then we had a game of tag. After that Paul (another leader) asked “Does anyone want to get wet?” My hand went straight up. We all got in a line, side by side next to each other and then I had to get out of my canoe and walk across the noses of the other canoes, once I got to the end of the line I had to turn round and come back. I made it to one end but I thought ‘where’s the fun in getting back in my canoe?’ so I jumped in. All the boys were saying stuff like ‘I bet its cold’ and I told them ‘if you really want to know why don’t you jump in?’ I was cold but I didn’t tell them that. When we got our canoes onto the bank we had a game. You had to hold your paddle in one hand with the other had behind your back. We all stood in a circle. If Paul shouted ‘one’ you moved one paddle to the left, ‘two’ one paddle to the right, ‘three’ two paddles to the left and ‘four’ spin round on the spot and grab your paddle. If you dropped your paddle you lost. After a couple of minuets there was only a few of us left. I got hit in the head with a paddle! But the boy who dropped it got hit in the nose so we’re even. Then we had to go back and get dry and pack.

After everything was packed and cleaned up. Awards were awarded, badges collected and then if was off to the mini busses and back to our drop off points and back home.

Camp 3 Sponsored Climb

Camp 3: Ross Wood (Sponsored 100 climbs)

Day 1:
On the way to the camp we got lost. Well we didn’t get lost exactly we just missed the turning and had to find a place to turn around and go back. I arrived just after my friend Laura did so we took our things down together. We had to help bring all the food and the marquees down but we didn’t mind. Then there was the daunting task of figuring out where to put the tent?
It was starting to get dark so we had to try and put the dinning tent up, but first we had to lace the sides together. That took more than three tries to get right but we got there in the end. Half of us put up the dinning shelter and the other half put up the cooking tent. We got called in the dinning shelter to be put into groups. In my group this time was, Ryan, Chris, Tom, Luke, Michael, James, Stacey and Martin. Stacey was in charge.

After being shown how to work the stoves and the tables were up and the food was away, we were given our timetables. These told us what time we had to be and where: climbing, attempting the assault course, with the leaders, cooking summer pudding or taking a well deserved break (and riffle shooting on Sunday). Then bed, we had a long day ahead of us tomorrow.

Day 2:
Assault course first breakfast would be waiting for us when we got back. Now I could do most of the course by myself but there was this one wall I could not get over, so I needed a little boost from the boys, but I am an independent person so I didn’t like the idea of being helped. I had to get over it by myself. I found a tree stump close by so I placed it against the wall. It was the perfect lift I needed and I didn’t need anymore help from the boys. After our slot was up we went back to camp for some breakfast. Didn’t we need it? We started climbing after and all too soon lunch came around. Luckily we didn’t have to make it this time but we all needed a break.

We had to try and make summer pudding but the leader who was showing us had something really important to do so we only got the fruit in a pan. We came back and finished it when we were meant to be playing Jenga but we didn’t care. It seemed to be taking longer than normal to heat up though. After about fifteen minutes I asked why it wasn’t working, they just turned up the heat a little more. Another 15 minutes later it still wasn’t boiling so I asked the leader and we found out the setting was still on really low, no one had turned the heat up enough! We got it done in the end. Then there was dinner.

Each group had to do so much of the preparing or the cooking. Luckily we only had to prepare some vegetables. More climbing! There was not enough room in the marquee to fit all the tables, so some of them were sticking out the door.

After dinner we had a competition. Guess the food. We were blind folded with our neckers, and had to place our hand under a bowl and pick up a piece of food and guess what it was and where it came from. I had banana… I HATE bananas!! While this was going on the leaders were sorting out the wide game. A wide game is a game which takes place in a wide area, hence the name ‘Wide game’. I had never played a wide game before, I didn’t realise that the aim was not to get caught. I think my final total time of being caught was nine, Stacey also got caught nine times, we drew for the worst score! After the game we talked until we were tired, so we went to bed.

Day 3:
I over slept. I was meant to get up early and start breakfast but I didn’t. I got up eventually. I set up the tables and got all the cereal out ready for who ever wanted it. Then I had to start the bacon. Ryan and Stacey took over after a little while, I helped them by putting the bacon in their pans. After a rushed breakfast it was back into the routine or climbing and the assault course, with an extra twist today, riffle shooting! We had to tidy up the kitchen, that was funny. I started doing the washing up and the boys decided to have a tea-towel war! I couldn’t defend my self because I had my hands in water! I got quite annoyed at James who kept whipping me, so I threw a wet sponge at him! Now Stacey and I are not very good at tea-towel whipping so we got killed! I was covered in red marks after that, but I did get all the washing up done while I was getting whipped which is pretty good.

By now people had started to finish their one hundred climbs. Each climb up and down the wall counted as one, once round the assault course counted as two and up and down on the floor climb was four. I did 22 times round the assault course and 56 times up and down a wall. I was extremely pleased with myself, but there was one person on that camp who deserves mentioning. Joe. He climbed up and down a wall 100 times in one sitting, after he had done his 100 he was meant to! He was like a human spider. After everyone had done their climbs we had lunch and packed the camp away. By then I was aching all over. Awards were given to the winning teams, and to the best scouts of the camp, Joe got a prize and so did Ben who got up both mornings even when it wasn’t his time. Time to say goodbye and go home.

I can’t wait for next camp in November!!