Making it your campsite

It may have been a while since we updated you on the campsite and what’s new, but it’s not been a while since we did anything there!

So where were we?

The ongoing refresh and improvements have still been ongoing throughout the winter and spring. As we took two weeks off early in June, we had time to reflect on what we’ve completed since our last update.

You may recall at the end of last summer, we told you about drainage repairs, car park usability, fire strategy, tiling and ceiling repairs, USB charging, fire safety and first aid. About providing sanitary products, creating additional storage, asbestos removal, new electrics and lighting, permanent way-finding signage, replacement insulation and ceilings in Brownsea Hut, introducing a fridge room for campers, and future plans for the hut’s use, new altar fires, woodland management, and the campfire circle… now it’s time to look at how these have progressed, and been developed further.

Since then much of our efforts through the winter and early spring months have been concentrated in the interior of the buildings, but not exclusively. Maintenance can be needed on anything from changing bulbs to replacing memorial benches… as we have with Frank and Edna Harris’s.

In the Shower Block

The decorations are well progressed. All of the walls and ceilings have been redecorated now. There’s still some work to bring the doors and windows up to the same standard, but it’s coming along nicely.

Whilst the space was always clean, the age of some of the fixtures and fittings would raise questions as to whether it felt like it was. We have replaced all the shower curtains, toilet seats and toilet brushes, and got rid of the broken or rusty toilet roll holders, all adding to the feeling that the place is clean and hygienic.

Whenever the floor in a WC is wet, people will wonder about its origins, not to mention worry about clothing getting wet. Whilst leaks are not nasty, they don’t instil confidence, so we are working hard to identify and eliminate the passive water leaks throughout the building.

In Brownsea Hut

Further to what we told you about before, new lighting brings a more inviting space. We’ve also added external lighting, fire detection and emergency lighting circuits.

We’ve noticed the damp on the low-level plaster, so have embarked on a new DPC and damp-proofing to eliminate this in the future.

The new kitchen is fully fitted now, thanks to Howdens Joinery in Beckenham for donating everything, including the units, appliances and all, even the kitchen sink!

Screenshot

There’s also a remarkable landmark here. We have had this site in our local Scouting since 1930 and, for the first time ever, it has hot and cold running water!

But it doesn’t have drainage yet, so there’s still that spirit of adventure, the element of camping! The water runs into a bucket that has to be taken across to the shower block to be tipped down the drains.

As with the shower block, all of the walls and ceilings have had an initial coat of paint to freshen the place up. Final decorations can now start.

Refreshing compliance checks, all the new electrics have been tested, and new fire extinguishers have been installed.

Getting around safely

Wayfinding and signage is now pretty much in place, making it easier than ever for new groups to come on site and know where things are.

The materials we keep outside the stores have a new permanent fence to show where it’s safe to be.

The field’s south boundary not only has a consistent and continuous fence again, but it has also had a new hedgerow planted along its whole length thanks to the District Scouts Environment Badge Day.

Flora and Fauna

This isn’t the only place either. The Woodland Trust kindly gave us 400 tree saplings for this hedge, but these have also allowed us to infill repairs and extend some other hedges around the site, mainly planted by Scouts on badge work or service projects.

Tree felling through the woods has continued. We are now coming to the end of our second year of this managed removal of affected trees, and we are already seeing new shoots from the seed bank in the soil.

This year saw a bumper bloom of bluebells and the orchids seemed to be thriving too.

Wildlife-wise, we seem to have more badger diggings on site, a beautiful fox has been hopping over the trees in the woods and walking through the field, and there are definitely pheasants wandering through too.

The buzzards, woodpeckers, owls and red kites are all active this year again too.

Around the field

We now have 14 sites identified around the camping field. Most have an altar fire in situ with a new grill in place.

There are two altar fires left to be built, and the BBQ site is progressing well and will be finished over the summer.

Each site has its own picnic table, and we now have two sites with multiple fixed tables to accommodate whole groups: Site 6 and Site B, the BBQ site, at opposite ends of the field.

Campfire Circle

The campfire circle that we showed you before has developed. We’ve added more logs to sit on and started carving the camp leader’s chair.

The new permanent gate marks the entry point, and new trees have been planted to close off the areas either side of the gate.

To look forward to…

In our next update, we will tell you about how the site is becoming more relevant for every section and can provide adventure and new challenges for all.

If you haven’t been down to the campsite for a while, come and host a BBQ, group fun day, environmental activity in the woods, or a campfire, weekend or longer camp.

Let us know what we can do to help you make the most of your Eleven Acres camp.