Once again this year, Oxted was the venue for our annual summer camp. We are very fortunate in having exclusive use of a field within some woodlands managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust. This year, we undertook to complete several badges, including a new Cub badge - Astronomer. We therefore based the camp upon this theme and the sixes were named Jupiter, Mars and Saturn. We also worked towards the Global Conservation, Mapreader, Camper and Adventure badges as well as the Outdoor Challenge and Nights Away awards. The camper and adventure badges involved lighting fires and cooking tea, building bivouacs in the woods, pitching and striking tents and other camp-based activities.

The boys’ first job on arrival was to pitch their tents, the leaders having set up the rest of the camp on Saturday. On Sunday afternoon we made Six signs for the tents and also made badges. In the evening, following Scouts’ Own, we went for a torchlit walk through the adjoining woods in the dark and heard more about “drop-down spiders”.

On Monday we visited the British Wildlife Centre at Lingfield. There were many indigenous species of wildlife to see including snakes and deer, and the centre specialises in treating injured animals which are, if possible, reintroduced into the wild. In the afternoon we constructed bivouacs (shelters) made from natural materials in the woods. Owing to the wonderful weather we were experiencing, we were able to test them for their waterproof qualities! In the evening we had our first practice camp fire.

Tuesday was the day of our annual visit to Tor Hatch at Shere, a private house, to use the swimming pool in the back garden and the trampoline. After swimming, we had a picnic lunch and then back to camp to cook beefburgers or veggie burgers over open fires.

On Wednesday morning, we rose very early and set off for Lingfield again to meet up with the 1st Lingfield & Dormansland Scout Group to join them in their Centenary Sunrise Ceremony. We all gathered at the top of a hill at the local nature reserve overlooking Lingfield to join in the ceremony with the Lingfield Group and simultaneously with many other Groups and Districts nationwide (and at local time worldwide). Our hosts then prepared a breakfast of hot dogs and a drink for us all.

On our return to camp we continued working towards our badges including a Global Conservation badge session with the local Countryside Ranger who we helped to re-locate tree guards around young trees growing in the woods to prevent rabbit and squirrel damage. In the evening we had a go on the aerial runway constructed by Ben and Alan, followed by our second practice camp fire.

On Thursday we visited the Tandridge Leisure Centre at Oxted for swimming. In the afternoon we had our camp sports including further sessions on the aerial runway, followed by field games and then a wide game.

Our last day was Friday and we visited a neighbouring farm where we saw donkeys, quail, ducks and geese and then watched a demonstration of spinning. In the afternoon we visited Woolworths at Oxted to buy presents with left-over pocket money. Friday evening came all too soon, and we welcomed the parents to our camp fire where we were able to present the winning six, Saturn, with their prizes. Well done Saturn Six: William Singer (sixer), Matthew Coates (second), Jack Rosenthal and Ciaran Mohr. Cub of the Camp was Ciaran Mohr, and the Chess Trophy was won by Jack Rosenthal. Connect 4 champ was Scott Marshall.

My grateful thanks to all who helped in any way towards organising and setting up camp, and in particular the leaders at camp: Sheila, Sally, John, Eric, Margret, Alan, Ben, Michael, Harry and Alex.