Camp 2000 - Wellington Country Park, Riseley.
27^th - 28^th May 2000.

Click on the thumbnails to see full-size picture.

"Camp 2000" was the name given to the Millennium camp for Reading Central, Pang Valley and East Reading Districts and was held over the above weekend. Hundreds of Scouts attended from the three Districts and looked set to have a fantastic time with a huge array of activities on offer over the weekend including a mobile computer suite connected to the internet.
 
I was running the Laser Challenge base which took place in the semi-darkness of two marquees (see 1st picture above). Two teams of 10 Scouts battled against each other with laser guns and body packs among a maze of obstacles made from bales of hay (see 2nd picture above). A couple of hundred Scouts came through the base on Saturday and during each session we played two games of "steal the base" in which the Scouts enjoyed 'shooting' each other with the lasers. I had a few helpers over the weekend including those picture in the 3rd photo above - Helen, Miriam & Angie who helped suit up the Scouts, brief them and marshall the games.
 
Unfortunately the weather was, how shall we say, "slightly inclement" and after some initial rain on Friday there was a certain amount of rain towards the end of Saturday. During the night there was a significant amount of rainfall which completely flooded a couple of sites and looked in danger of encroaching on several more. Some Scouts went home to dry off and returned in the morning, a small number did not return. On the Sunday morning the District Commissioners regrettably took the decision to cancel the rest of the camp due to the flooding of several sites and the amount of mud on the site generally. So gradually (and grudgingly) everyone took down their tents and left the site (see 4th picture above) apart from a few die-hard leaders and Ventures.
 
The early finish of the camp meant that not everyone got to try all the activities but I think everyone enjoyed the things they did get to have a go at. On the Saturday night I got the chance to launch myself down the 150m aerial runway connected to the pulley by a rope attached to the rear of the harness. I should point out that this activity is not covered by Scout Insurance so I was undertaking it completely independently and taking full responsibility for the risk. Due to the length of the connecting rope it was not possible to create any tension between me and the zip-wire before jumping off into space at a height of over 10 metres. It was one of the scariest and most exhilarating things I've ever done, and I've been skydiving! I immediately had to re-climb the tower and have a second go.