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Northampton West District Cub Scout Challenge Camp
20th-22nd October 2000
Introduction
The aim of this camp was for the Cubs to attain their Cub Scout Challenge badge, while getting a taster of more outdoor activities in preparation for Scouts. It was a District event, with Cubs attending from five different Packs, three being from Chiltern. It took place at Overstone Activity Centre, staying in the Will Smith Chalet. The Leaders had run this type of camp many times before (and they still come back), so they came well prepared.
Friday
Arrival time was 7.30pm. The Cubs took their kit into the bunk rooms and were given
a briefing of what was going to happen over the couse of the weekend.
As the rain was rather heavy that evening, the Cubs were allowed to stay in and watch a couple of videos,
with supper (soup and bread) being served mid-way through. While the Cubs were occupied, it gave the leaders
a chance to have their meal. At 11.30pm it was time for the Cubs to head to bed while the leaders drifted
of to bed between 12.30am and 2.00am.
Saturday
The leaders were awoken by the Cubs at 6.30am. For breakfast, there was the usual choice of cereal followed by bacon and eggs, which the Cubs cooked themselves on an open fire. A demonstration was also given of what can happen when a hot pan of cooking oil is left unattended. The rest of the morning was spent building bivuoacs from plastic sheeting and any suitable natural materials. A light lunch of sandwiches then followed.
The challenge for the afternoon was to light a fire and burn through a piece of string suspended above the fire. One team found this task too easy and took a second challenge upon themselves with an even higher piece of string, which they also completed successfully. The other team however, resorted to cheating by lowering the height of the string, and then had the cheek so say their fire was best as it was still smouldering hours later.
There was then an opportunity to visit the Radio Shack next door, where Northampton Scout Amateur Radio Group were taking part in this year's Jamboree On The Air (JOTA). The remainder of the afternoon was spent playing hide and seek in the woods, or having a rest and watching a video, while the chef and his many helpers struggled to prepare the barbeque for the evening's meal. This consisted of jacket potatos, burgers, sausages and even prawns !
After the meal was cleared away, it was time for yet another game of hide and seek, this time in the dark. Three of the Leaders were given the job of finding the twelve Cubs, although it was tempting to leave them there for the rest of the night. After achieving this, the Cubs were then to find the Leaders, who actually managed to sneek back inside the hut without being noticed, leaving the Cubs frantically searching for them.
Supper was then offered along with another video, although many were by now
struggling to stay awake. Following yet another brief power cut, all the Cubs were then given
the opportunity to spend the night in the bivouacs they had constructed earlier in the day. After
realising there was a certificate to be obtained for this, the numbers
soon rose from a couple to seven. Despite being told they could come back inside if they got too
cold or wet, all seven stayed in the bivouacs all night. Luckily it stayed dry and was reasonably
mild all night.
Sunday
After a hectic day, the Cubs decided to have a lie in until 7.00am. Again, the Cubs had the chance to cook their own breakfasts on an open fire. After breakfast, it was time to tidy up the bunkrooms ready for inspection and then pack their kit away. A belated tour of the campsite was then given.
The remainder of the morning was spent on knotting - for some this was an
opportunity to brush up on their skills and for others it was a chance to learn some
completely new knots. Sunday lunch was a stew, enabling us to use up spare food from the rest of the weekend,
followed by lots and lots of cake.
The camp finished with a short ceremony in which two Willow trees were
planted beside the Pack Holiday Centre in the memory of David Metcalf of the 5th
Northampton (St Mary's RC) Cub Pack. Many of his friends and family were there to watch the ceremony.
The camp then closed at 4.00pm.