Camping is the ultimate expericne every Ansar Scout should take part in. Its fun, and even a one night away is a real adventure for all sections and ages.

All the young people come home more independent and confident, with life skills, memories and friendships.

The leaders are there to guide the Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers to take the lead on camp. They will get involved in pitching their own tents and be responsible for their own kit, their peers and of course themselves. Participate in various activities, take part in cooking and washing up and leave the campsite with no trace.

To ensure everyone has a great experience, we ask for your support with the following things.

Always follow the kit list

We will provide a kit list for each camp, please ensure all items are packed. We know outdoors gear is expensive, so if your child needs to borrow something please tell us well ahead of time and we’ll be happy to help.

Label everything

Please use a permanent pen to write your childs name on each bit of kit, especially bowls, cutlery, mugs, torches clothes, uniforms and neckers.

Waterproofs

A waterproof jacket and trousers are mandatory. A camper without waterproofs will suffer on a wet camp and leaders will struggle to look after them. Heavily padded coats/ski jackets get soaked in heavy rain and will not dry through the course of camp. A proper waterproof shell will have sealed taped seams and will dry quickly. If it’s a few sizes bigger it will fit a warm coat underneath. Waterproof trousers are very important all year round, they are also handy for wide games and pitching tents where you may be kneeling down on wet ground.

Kit Bags

We ask that all campers pack their own bag, so they develop their organisation skills and they know what they have and where to find it We suggest a 65-litre rucksack is best as it can be used for hiking expeditions further down the line, but a duffle or holdall is a good choice too. It’s useful if everything can fit into one big bag, rather than lots of smaller bags. Suitcases are not suitable for camp.

Sleeping Bag

A 3 season bag is the minimum required for camp and blankets and sleeping bag liners can be added for extra warmth. There is a skill to stuffing a sleeping bag back inside it’s bag, so it’s a great idea for them to practise at home as we’d like them to be able to do this independently.

Foam Roll Mat

in an ideal world, a foam roll mat is advisable, however, if you think they will prefer a self-inflating mat, please get a compact one that will fit into their rucksacks, these can be a little pricey, they take time to set up, are bulky and they can struggle to inflate/deflate and pack them away.

Inflatable Pillow
An inflatable or packable camping pillow is by far the best as it saves space. Ordinary pillows get damp and they don’t pack away easily.

Camp Blanket
Temperatures can drop at night so a warm blanket is handy all year round. You can also sew on badges from every campsite and start your very own badge blanket!

Boots
Waterproof hiking boots are essential all year round. Even in the summer they can get wet feet if they wear trainers in long grass. Strong boots with ankle support are required for hiking activities and sturdy boots are mandatory for axe/knife and saw skills.

Clothing
We often get muddy and dirty on camp so clothing should be appropriate. Lots of layers work well, and thermals and fleeces are great to have. Denim/jeans are not suitable for camp, as once they get wet they will not dry during the course of a camp. Decathlon and mountain warehouse are good places to finding
reasonably priced outdoor clothing, or ask the leaders if we have had items recently donated.

Wet / Dirty Kit
Pack a few bin bags to separate wet and dirty kits. This is good camp hygiene and ensures Scouts don’t make clean clothes wet or dirty. Waterproof dry bags are very useful for life in the outdoors.

Mess Kit
This is the most forgotten item. A mess kit consists of a camp plate, bowl, knife, fork, spoon and mug. The leaders kindly request it’s all labelled with the childs name. The campers are responsible for it’s whereabouts during camp and making sure it’s clean.

Head Torch
We often arrive at camp in the evening and set up in the dark so a head torch makes life so much easier. Keep it handy so that it’s ready to use upon arrival. Make sure it has spare batteries.

Day bag
A smaller day backpack is needed to carry food, water and layers when we leave the campsite.

Mini First Aid Kit
A good Scout is prepared!

Water Bottle
A large one is best. We sometimes go out hiking and won’t always be able to keep filling it up on the way, so carrying plenty of water is helpful.

Medications
You’ll be asked to provide info before a camp. Meds are handed to the designated first aider on arrival. Please clearly label in with the name, dosage and times. If you need to speak to us about medications before camp, just let us know.

Pocket Money
Campers can bring pocket money to spend in the tuck shop or when out and about. This should be kept inside a labelled wallet or purse and kept somewhere safe in their bag.

Hygiene
The Campers must learn to become responsible with personal hygiene and make sure they are taking care of themselves by changing their socks and underwear every day, brushing their teeth, separating clean clothes from wet and dirty kit and washing their hands. They will be expected to keep their tents and camp area clean, well-organised and free of litter.

Food / Meals
With many mouths to feed, it’s not always possible for us to cater for everyone’s likes and dislikes, but we do take allergies and dietary requirements very seriously. We have found that campers are much more willing to try new things with their peers on camp, so the camp can be a very good opportunity for them to try something new. All campers will participate in the cooking and they really enjoy this. They learn more life skills, for example, how to cook for 30! they will also do the washing up and though not as popular, it’s still a good life skill.

Knife/Axe/Saw

Older campers ( Scouts and Exploreres) will have the chance to collect, chop and prepare firewood, using knives, axes and saws. This is done in a special roped-off area, with training, guidance and supervision. Strong boots are required for this activity.

Homesickness

Homesickness does happen sometimes. We find the best cure for homesickness is to have a good chat with a leader and to keep very busy. We fill our programme from dusk til dawn so that everyone has a blast. If this still doesn’t work, we’ll make contact with you.

Phones

For several reasons, phones cause numerous issues for the leaders on camp. There have been instances of parents being contacted about issues that the leaders have not been made aware of which is very unhelpful. It is best for phones to be left at home unless we specifically say otherwise. We think camp offers a great chance to take a break from technology and to be in the present with friends.

Parent Leader Contact

Please only message us if it’s very important. Camp is incredibly busy for leaders, so it’s not possible for us to individually message parents with updates. If we need to reach you, we will.

Damage or Loss of Group Equipment

Our equipment is very precious to us, so we expect all campers to take care of it. We expect a reasonable amount of wear and tear and accidental damage but if a young person has damaged or lost equipment due to behaving inappropriately, a conversation may need to take place with a parent about paying for a repair or replacement.

Parent Help

Sometimes we need a little help transporting equipment to camp and might ask you to take something from our stores and take it to camp / return it. Sometimes we’ll ask you to take a tent home to hang up to dry and return it (wet tents go mouldy). Please make sure they are returned the following meeting. Please also help the leaders in the lead-up to camp, by referring to the information emails.

Safeguarding and Safety

All residential experiences are logged with the district commissioner and all risk assessments and activities are signed off prior to the event. Residential experiences usually take place on Scouting owned private campsites. All volunteers on site will have the required background checks, safeguarding and safety training and the event is overseen by a lead volunteer who holds a nights away permit and a wood badge.

Challenging Behaviour

Poor behaviour is a safety concern and impacts the enjoyment and wellbeing of themselves, other scouts, and leaders. In line with our safety, safeguarding and behaviour policy, when poor behaviour occurs a conversation may need to take place with a parent about the young persons ability to continue in the residential experience. Parent support in these matters will help everybody involved.

Yellow Card – Safeguarding for Volunteers click here. Purple Card- Safety for Volunteers click here.

Scout leaders at 20th St Alabns are all unpaid volunteers and give up their free time, weekends and annual leave to run residential experiences for our Scouts. We do this because we know how much these experiences benefit young people. Camp requires lots of prior organisation, admin, hard work, long days and clearing up. In return, we ask for your cooperation, flexibility, understanding and support.


Great gift ideas for Scouts

Having the right tools for the job is always handy and becoming well-equipped is something that happens over time. Here are some top useful gift ideas for scouts:

A really great camping pillow A handy head torch

Dry bags for storing wet kit, or keeping kit dry A packable travel towel

A highly recommended sleeping mat Start your own badge blanket Pocket first aid kit

Collapsible camp bowl Handy karabiner

Cord for camp gadgets

Ferro rod “flint and steel” firestarter Thermal layers

Damp proof duffle bags (can be found second hand)

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*Original text abridged from 1st New Cross Scouts