AVALON CAMPS

 

 

JULY 2023

 

 

 

 Hello Helpers and Friends,
 
I hope you are all well AND the good news is that Avalon Camps will be going ahead this year!!!!!!
 
After our enforced break and all the issues that that involved we are now able to offer one week of our Camps to the children.
 
The dates are:
MONDAY 24TH JULY  TO   SATURDAY 29TH JULY
 
So,  a big thank you for all your help over the past years!!!
 
Now, the big question........are you still interested/able to help this year with either washing up or sandwich making, or anything else?
 
Please let me know what you think and I can start putting rotas together.
 
With my best wishes and with bated breath
 
Sue Osborne

 

Posted 27th March 2023

 

 

 

 

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2023 CAMP

 

2023 WILL BE THE LAST AVALON CAMPS….

UNLESS TEAM LEADER ROLES ARE FILLED

 

Sadly, the time has come for me to stand down as Camp Director. I have been involved with Avalon Camps for many years. But we have now reached a crisis point where we need volunteers to take on Management roles that I and others have carried out. It is not going to be easy to find one person with the time and commitment to do the job. So, we are looking to split the role into areas of responsibility that best cover the main functions of running Avalon Camps. Doing this will help to spread the organisational load. This is where I am appealing to you to help find the people to carry out these roles.

 

The Supervising roles that need to be filled are as follows;

 

Logistics Manager - Erection of Tents, Marquee Set Up, Cleaning, Laundry, Gas & Electric, Potable Water, Waste Water and Waste Disposal

Procurement & Maintenance Manager Camp Equipment, Marquee Hire, Coach Hire, Day Trip Venues, Container, Toilet Block and Static Caravan

Night Security Manager – Recruit Volunteers & Rotas, Collection and Maintenance of Small Caravan

H & S + Safeguarding Manager – Maintain and Update Policy Documents, Safeguarding, Training, School Liaison and Child Selection

Camp Manager – Support Camp Leaders and Young Leaders, Organise Daily activities on and off site.

 

We are aiming to hold just one Camp this year, which will enable those new Managers to shadow the roles in preparation for taking over for 2024 and future camps.

 

Avalon Camps is a tremendous charity that has given hundreds of disadvantaged children a camping holiday in Mark since 1987.

 

Also, Avalon Camps has benefitted Young Leaders who have looked after the children. Personal Statements for students going into further education and employment can be the key to a successful application. Avalon Camps has proven, over the years, to be a tremendous influencer in this direction. We have also been recognised as a Duke of Edinburgh Gold residential qualification.

Finally, Avalon Camps has brought together the communities of Mark and the surrounding villages. Some of you will have volunteered at camps as have a number of your children.

 

I really hope that we will get the much needed help to continue running the camps. We should be very proud of what we have achieved over the years. Many thanks to all those who have volunteered in the past.

 

George Osborne

Camp Director on behalf of the Committee.

Tel.no. 01278 641551 

https://www.avaloncamps.org.uk/

contact@avaloncamps.org.uk

 

February 2023

 

 

 

 

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Unfortunately, the 2022 Avalon Camp will not be taking place - the following has been received from the Director, George Osborne.

 

 

 Hello Everyone,
 
Well, what a difficult two years we have experienced, but I hope you are keeping safe and well.
 
As you must be aware Covid prevented Avalon Camps from taking place in 2021 and, sadly, the Camps won't be happening this year either.
 
The children in our schools are still subject to certain restrictions which have also prevented us from providing any other sort of activities for them. However, we are determined to make sure that Avalon Camps operate in the future and we will continue to provide some much needed holiday fun for our children.
 
Thank you for the brilliant support you have given over the years and we hope that you will continue to give that same support for future camps.
 
With our very best wishes.
 
George Osborne
Camp Director
 
 
Posted February 2022
 
 
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Sadly, the Avalon Camp for 2021 will not be taking place.  Please see below information from the Camp Committee on this.

 

23rd October 2020

 

Sadly, we have to inform you that Avalon Camps will not take place in the summer of 2021.

 

You may ask yourselves why we should be taking this decision now when camps are nine months away.

As much we would want Avalon Camps to run as normal next year, it’s becoming increasingly clear that things will not be “back to normal” by July 2021. Thankfully, schools are back and hopefully there will not be another lockdown to the extent that we had in March this year. However, the rates of infection are on the increase and nothing can be guaranteed. All this has only added to the uncertainty of what the future holds.

We really believe it would be an enormous challenge to recruit all the Young Leaders necessary to run camps. For students and young people, whom we would be targeting, this year is completely up in the air; they don’t know what will happen with their exams, they face daily uncertainty in terms of potentially having to self-isolate and this whole situation has had a big impact on the mental health of a lot of people. For these reasons, we don’t think as many of these young people would want to volunteer. On top of that, there is the added complication of how we recruit knowing that we would not be able to hold assemblies.

We also need to be mindful that a large number of our volunteers are in the vulnerable group due to their age. Even with strong precautions in place, we would absolutely not want to put any of you at risk.

If we listen to the science it is going to be well into 2021 before there is a vaccine, then there is the logistics of administering 60 million doses. Sadly, we think Covid is going to be with us until at least the 2nd/3rd quarter of 2021.

 

So, it is with a heavy heart that we send this message, but we have to be realistic, no one has the appetite for talking about the future whilst there is so much uncertainty.

 

Please keep yourselves safe and best regards

 

Avalon Camps - Committee

 

 

Posted 29th October 2020

 

 

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Please click on the link below to see the Avalon Camps brochure - from this you will see how the Camps started and what the children do whilst with us.

 

Avalon Camps also have their own website - https://www.avaloncamps.org.uk

 

 

 

 

Avalon Camps Brochure 2019.html
HTML document [20.4 KB]

 

 

 

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AVALON CAMPS 2019

 

 

What a fantastic time we have had at Avalon Camps this year! Everything we do, from setting up camp to the two weeks with the children, then the dismantling, relies on help from volunteers. The weather can often be an issue but this year it was really kind.

 

Four to five days of setting up, saw so many helpers. 18 patrol tents were erected within a day! Likewise, the kitchen and dining equipment were completed quickly because so many people turned up to help.

 

The Young Leaders arrived on consecutive Sundays and were immediately put through the induction process. This was followed by dinner which gave them the opportunity to meet with the volunteers they would be working with throughout the week.

 

Monday morning the coach took the Young Leaders to Bristol to meet the children. Often a scene of mixed emotions as some of the children do not want to leave home. However, once they arrive and see the camp, they are full of excitement for what lies ahead. So begins a week of new experiences, friendships and fantastic food.

 

This year the weather for Camp 1 was almost perfect except for one day of rain. Unfortunately, for Camp 2 the weather was rather mixed, but this did not dampen spirits and the children were involved with lots of indoor craft work, fun games and activities. And would you believe we even managed a morning wedding ceremony before breakfast, performed by the children and our guest parson Rev. Robbie Jones!

 

On both camps every day had an excursion planned. This year we visited Secret World for the first time, what a fantastic experience that proved to be! The children were able to get up close to so many wild animals and birds and were given the chance to understand the importance of the work they do. Secret World will now be a permanent feature of Avalon Camps.

 

Stephen Moss AKA ‘The Mothman’ set his moth trap on Monday night which was opened on Tuesday morning. The children were so involved and interested to see such a variety of moths. Would you believe that over 200 were inside.

After swimming on Wednesday, we had a BBQ and pizza party. Thanks go to Sylvia and Richard for transporting their BBQ and to Will Clarke and Craig D’Ovidio and their families for sharing their pizza oven and pizza toppings for the children to create some very unusual offerings. The evening was rounded off with the most delicious cakes provided by Ann Hanlon and her WI bakers. Mary Berry eat your heart out! We mustn’t forget the arrival of the ice cream van on Friday to the great delight of everyone.

 

It would be appropriate to send our thanks to Marg Cornish for her kind donation of eggs every morning for breakfast, Roger Duckett for organising the donation of dairy products from Yeo Valley and Wyke Farms, Mike and Tina at the Village Store for organising our daily bread supply.

 

After all the great experiences, the time comes for the children to leave and that is always a very emotional time for all concerned. Including the Young Leaders, who work so hard to develop a special bond with many of the children.

 

It goes without saying that the security of the camps at night is at the top of the list and this year we have been fortunate in recruiting more night security volunteers which has helped to spread the load. It is sensible to provide some space for these volunteers and we are grateful to Highbridge Caravans for providing us with a comfortable touring caravan to use.

 

Of course, the Health and Safety of everyone on camp is a priority. To this end we have renewed certificated First Aid Training for 11 people; we have purchased a separate hand washing station for all kitchen workers; and Wessex Water has kindly provided all our drinking water.

 

For many years Tim Wheal has maintained our electrical installation, ensuring that it meets required standards. His ‘patented’ mobile phone charging station is the envy of all the Young Leaders. An updated version is on the cards!

 

But this is not the end of the story. What you don’t see is the work that begins some weeks before the camps commence. For example, the static caravan was recently fitted out to provide 3 self contained bathrooms complete with shower, wash basin and toilet. But now, of course, more waste is produced, so where does it all end up? OK, so on to project number 2- installing a new cess tank. Stuart House Construction came to the rescue excavating a large hole to accommodate the new tank which turned out to be more work than originally anticipated! JD Pope & Sons stepped in to provide 2 large loads of crushed concrete to help fill the hole. Followed by Iain Jones who fitted all the connections and Hey Presto! After a lot of cooperation, the new installation was complete. Phew! Best laid plans, however, sometimes go awry, it soon became apparent that the tank filled up faster than expected but James and Amy Griffin, Griffin Toilets, quickly emptied it on a very regular basis.

 

As we started to set up camp and began to remove the tents from the container, we were horrified to discover that some damage had been inflicted by invading mice. On further inspection we identified their means of access. To add insult to injury we found that the roof leaked! It was then that we decided to invest in a new container for tent storage and to this end one was delivered just before the end of camp. So now all our tents, pillows and blankets are safely stored away. Special thanks go to Somerlap Timber for supplying a ‘post pallet’ which was further modified by Amesbury & Puddy who are always on hand to help when needed.

 

All this has incurred significant expenditure so we must send a huge thank you to all of our supporters who make this possible. A special thanks must go to Sarah Doyle, who only last year joined our committee, and has been instrumental in raising a large amount of money through her co-workers at Barratt Homes, Bristol Division.

 

As always, the camp would not be the success it is without the hard work and dedication of all our wonderful volunteers. The Camp Managers, Camp Leaders & Young Leaders. The laundry team, the sandwich makers, the cooks, the washers up, the tent erectors, the team fitting out the marquee, night security, John & Carol Iddles for taking many photos, the list goes on.

 

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR MAKING OUR AVALON CAMPS SUCH A SUCCESS.

 

 

 

 

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AVALON CAMP - 2018

 

 

Well Avalon Camps 2018 has come to an end. The sun shone and the rain came but in the spirit of Avalon Camps we dealt with it in our own inimitable way.

 

It was hugely disappointing that we had to close Camp 2 early due to the bout of sickness. In my memory it is the first time this has happened and we will learn from the experience. What caused the sickness is difficult to determine, but we are convinced it was not the food they ate as there was no connection between those who were sick and those who were not sick with what they had eaten.

 

There were complaints that the chlorine in the pool was very strong, we had to flush out one or two people’s eyes due to irritation and some children had skin rashes. Coincidentally, the first Tent Leader fell ill immediately after returning from the swimming pool.

 

It could possibly have been a bug that was brought into camp, but the mystery here was the speed at which it affected people. Fortunately, the ten children who were ill were feeling much better the next day, although it took the Tent Leaders a little longer to recover.

 

A special thanks must go to Kath Hanlon who was our Florence Nightingale. She was up most of the night looking after the children, along with three Tent Leaders who had not slept at all. A special mention for Luke Blewett who only recently joined our volunteers ranks. He turned up for sandwich duty, to find we had a ‘little problem’ and was a real strength in organising our morning helpers to clean up and decontaminate areas of the camp.

 

Also, we must mention the children who were little stars, not once did they complain about being ill, no tears, they were fantastic.

 

You may ask what happens on camp?

Well apart from the logistics of erecting 20 camping tents, a marquee and food storage tent, installing all of the cooking equipment, fridges, freezers, serving tables, dining tables and the kitchen sink, there are also the camp beds, sleeping bags and pillows. All this is done by a band of trustee volunteers who are now known as our very own ‘A Team’.

 

The Young Leaders arrive on Sunday afternoon and after a brief introduction, they have three training sessions. The first is our own Induction Programme during which we explain all that is expected of them to prepare for the challenge of looking after 32 children for a week, then we cover Safeguarding which is presented by an outside organisation, and for the first time this year we had a session on Behaviour Management also delivered by an outside organisation.

 

What do the children get up to during their week’s holiday?  

After we collect them from their Bristol schools, they have lunch followed by a long walk up Crooks Peak, which we always hope will tire them out so they will get to sleep early (never really works!!!).  Then it’s back to camp for some games before they have their supper, more games, followed by a bed time story and then we settle them down for their first night under canvas.

 

Up bright and early on Tuesday!!!! Then its time for the cooked breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, beans, toast and jam, then they have cereals, we call it a Somerset breakfast, which they have every morning and love it.

 

Then we load up the coach with a picnic lunch, water drinks, sun cream and sun hats. And off to Lower Stock Farm Wrington for a farm visit, where the children see farm animals, go pond dipping, make dens in the woods, eat marshmallows around a camp fire and have their picnic. And this year they had a surprise, when Liz our guide bought out her pet Barn Owl, which amazed the children, especially when the owl coughed up a pellet!! Back on the coach for the ride back to camp in time for some organised games, and a lovely two course dinner.

 

This year Stephen Moss came to camp and set up his moth trap on Tuesday evening. Stephen returned to camp early on Wednesday morning to reveal to the children an array of moths, you would be amazed at the number and variety of moths that were caught. The children were encouraged to let some of the moths settle on their fingers and some of the larger moths would stay on the children’s hands. Thank you, Stephen, for coming along to both camps, it was an enjoyable learning experience.

 

After breakfast the children took part in an Orienteering Exercise organised by our own Carol Iddles, ably supported by her husband John. Carol & John had set out a number of courses for the children to tackle and it was fascinating to see them running around the field with an electronic dibber to dab the control points on the various routes they followed. Many thanks to Carol & John for giving up their time and for doing two Night Security stints as well.

 

After a picnic lunch, the children went off to Cheddar Pool for some fun time in the pool and a chance for the children to have a good shower!!!! Back to camp for more fun games and a BBQ and Pizza Night courtesy of Craig D’Ovidio, Will Clarke & Co, they have now got it off to a fine art and had two pizza ovens on the go. Well done to you all it is much appreciated. 

 

Thursday is the highlight of the week, when the children go to Crealy Park. Although for a change this year Camp 1 went to the West Somerset Railway for a train ride to Williton, the first time the children had been on a steam train. Another first was a visit to Tropiquaria at Watchet. We think the highlight of this visit was letting the children hold a large snake, and Freddie one of the Tent Leaders who admitted to being terrified of snakes plucked up courage and held one as well, for which the children gave him a big cheer.

 

Friday was another first for the camps, after breakfast it was off to Wookey Hole. The children had a great time and really enjoyed going down the caves. In the afternoon there were more on-camp games and groups of children were rehearsing for there Saturday concert. Then they had a lovely dinner of meat balls and pasta in tomato sauce. This was followed by a surprise visit of an Ice Cream van with chimes ringing out as it passed down the side of the marquee. The look on the children faces was an absolute picture, and they could have what ever they liked, flakes, sprinkles and juice.

 

Saturday is a day spent at camp with the highlight being a great ‘Sunday Roast Dinner’ with all the trimmings. Then it is off to the Church Hall for the Camp Concert and this year it was one of the best. Then sadly we have to say good bye to the children and take them back to Bristol.

 

Finally, we must not forget Jonswood Farm Eggs for supplying all of the eggs for our scrambled egg breakfast. Amesbury & Puddy for always being there to help, their patented replacement water boiler tap was perfect. Yeo Valley & Wyke Farms for supplying our dairy products, Highbridge Caravans for loaning us a caravan for Night Security and Holt JCB who very kindly donated the cost of hiring the marquee.

 

A special mention should also be given to Campbell (Southwest) Ltd. who were very generous in converting one of the bedrooms in our new caravan into twin showers. Prolec Contracting Ltd who did the electrical work and Quadrant Contract Flooring Ltd who supplied and fitted the new floor covering. The work was more complex than at first thought, the Camp Leaders really appreciated the nice hot showers as did the children that needed a shower.           

                    

None of this would be possible without the army of volunteers that give up time their freely for Avalon Camps.  Without all your help Avalon Camps would not be the special holiday home it is for our disadvantaged children. They love coming to stay with us and there are lots of tears when they have to say goodbye. These children are amongst the least fortunate in life, and through no fault of their own have very often been dealt a pretty raw deal. The dedication and hard work that you all do really matters, you help to give them a holiday for just one week but the difference it makes lasts a lifetime, as will the memories they make on Avalon Camps. You should all feel rightly proud of what you have achieved.

 

Many thanks again for all your support, whatever your contribution, we couldn’t do it without you.

 

Avalon Camps - Committee    contact@avaloncamps.org.uk

 

 

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