Cubs Summer Camp 2022

The Cubs summer camp this year was at Ferny Crofts in the New Forest. The Cubs arrived at the campsite early afternoon on the Sunday, having sung and played games at full volume all the way on the minibus. They had a relaxed afternoon sorting out their kit and settling in, before going to a film night put on by the site, where they all enjoyed popcorn and meeting other groups from around the site.

Through the course of the week we had several site run activities booked. The activities were great for encouraging healthy competition and teamwork. The first was raft building, where the Cubs split into two groups and each built a raft. Their memory of knots that we had covered in the term was put to the test, but they passed with flying colours. Once they were all on their rafts the instructor gave them games and tasks to do. The Cubs clearly saw it as a personal challenge to see who could get the dirtiest!

We had two activities which challenged the cubs around heights. One was the leap of faith where they climbed a ladder up to a platform, whist attached to a rope, and then jumped from the platform to a trapeze. The distance to the trapeze was increased each time. The second was the gladiator course, where they race up ladders, bars and tyres to the top, against another cub. It was good to see the Cubs encouraging those who were nervous, and great to see those Cubs achieve more than they thought they could. Their highlight here, was being lowered down from the top, upside down like Spider-Man.

Their skills were tested when they did archery and rifle shooting. If it wasn’t hard enough to hit the centre of the target, the archery instructor attached balloons to the targets and the Cubs had to pop three from five arrows. They were too good, with some Cubs popping all three with their first three arrows.

There were two activities arranged out of the camp. We visited Lymington salt water baths, an enclosed area with inflatable obstacles, much like a Liquid Leisure water park. The Cubs made it look very easy. Not so easy for us leaders. Another day we visited a beach near Christchurch, where we had a picnic, and the Cubs spent most of the time digging holes and burying each other.

In the evenings the Cubs took turns to build their own fire and they were able to roast marshmallows and make smores. On one night we had an impromptu singalong and dance off, with the Cubs giving the DJ requests. Akela doing the Macarena is always a sight to behold.

There were so many activities to fill the time, with crazy golf, table tennis tables, aeroball, and a beach volleyball court to name but a few. The Cubs were always busy. The great thing about the week, was that each Cub had a different highlight, and they were so good at encouraging and supporting each other through the activities. I’m already looking forward to next year! Also a big thank you to all the leaders who gave up their holiday to run the event.

You can find a really great film showing how much the Cubs enjoyed the event and some highlights of the week here (opens in YouTube).

Matt