After Wet Summer, Dry Week for British Summer Camp
![After Wet Summer, Dry Week for British Summer Camp After Wet Summer, Dry Week for British Summer Camp](https://www.ucg.org/files/styles/full_grid9_breakpoints_theme_top_hat_narrow_1x/public/image/news/after-wet-summer-dry-week-for-british-summer-camp.jpg?timestamp=1512418557)
Eleven campers and six staff members arrived for seven days of friendship, learning and fun. Although mostly resident in the British Isles, campers represented five different countries— Scotland, Switzerland, Malawi, Italy and Thailand. English was the common, though not necessarily the first, language for all.
Campers, staff and occasional visitors toured local attractions such as Poole's Cavern, a cave complex known since Roman times, and Buxton museum and outdoor market. They also participated in walking, swimming and racing go-karts. Football, rounders and volleyball were played on the paddock next to the Field Centre; games, painting, crafts and initiative training took place indoors.
Yvonne Patterson, a member of the Sheffield congregation, visited to teach the group encaustic art (hot wax painting), with some very beautiful results. One evening camper Tinyade Chonde cooked a tasty pasta dinner for everyone.
Evenings ended with forums during which campers asked questions and talked about subjects that were on their minds. Elders David Fenney and David Payne led discussions on the positive and negative elements of music, what exactly is bad language and why is it wrong, why do we affirm and not swear "in God's name," how to love our enemies, the confusing difference between Scripture and what is taught in school and how to handle questions about military service, which is still required in some countries. Forum closed with a prayer and a favorite hymn chosen by campers or staff.
A highlight of the week was the day almost everyone attempted "Go Ape"—a treetop course of ladders, rope and cable bridges, other obstacles, zip lines and a Tarzan swing, where the participants could leap off a 40-foot-high ledge, before swinging into a cargo net.
Everyone was attached at all times to safety lines, and there were less challenging alternative routes through the course. The age-limit excluded the two youngest children from attempting the course; however staff member David Stebbins, at 70 years of age, is believed to be the oldest person to have finished "Go Ape" at Buxton.
Peter Hawkins led hymns at the Sabbath service, and two split sermons by David Fenney and David Payne covered thanksgiving in prayer and a photographic tour of the Holy Land linked to accounts in the Bible.
The campers, none of whom had attended UCG summer camp before, all bonded well despite the language differences and were able to learn a lot from each other. End-of-camp comments reflected their enjoyment of the food, making new friends and fun activities.
On the final evening, after the Sabbath service and a special dinner, everyone participated in the entertainment—songs, skits, mimes and a percussion group. The evening was rounded off with a campfire under the stars.