Short Breaks
Camp Evaluation 2011
Tile Barn Outdoor Centre, Hampshire.
12th – 15th August 2011
CCAP Short Breaks Camp Evaluation 2011: Tile Barn Outdoor Centre
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CCAP Short Breaks Camp 2011 Evaluation
1. Background
The 2011 CCAP summer camping trip took place at Tile Barn Outdoor Centre;
a campsite and activity centre in the new forest operated by Hampshire
County Council, during the weekend of Friday 12th – Monday 15th August
2011.
i.
A group of 13 youth participants were present, consisting of ten
young people from Charlie Chaplin Adventure Playground and three
young people from The Michael Tippett School (TMTS). The young
people were aged between 13 - 19 years of age with a range of
differing needs and abilities, five of whom had a level of need
requiring a 1:1 staffing ratio; the remainder of the group was made
up of those requiring 1:4 ratio.
ii.
The staff team was a collaborative of experienced staff with
hindsight of previous camping trips and those who hadn’t previously
attended camp. There was an
excellent mix of skills within the
staff team; drivers, those with
catering skills and those who were
particularly good at keeping spirits
up, being positive and organising
fun, spontaneous activities for the
young people to keep them
occupied.
2. Actions
Activities were planned at various locations around the area of the campsite.
i.
Beaulieu Activity Centre
The first morning of the trip saw the group attend the Beaulieu
Activity Centre, located deep within the New Forest and a short
drive from the campsite. The young people were given an option of
three different activities, based upon their age, ability and level of
confidence. All activities were designed to encourage confidence
building and developing team work. To enable the group to settle,
the young people and those of
lesser confidence took part in a
series of challenges that required
problem solving and cooperation
with team members. The first of
these challenges was to follow a
rope across and through various
obstacles as a team whilst
blindfolded. The second challenge
was to use planks balanced on parallel wires to bridge a gap and
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the third challenge was to transport a bell across a low ropes
course without it ringing. The young people who felt more confident
and more physically able were given the option of taking part in the
‘leap of faith’ challenge, which involved climbing up a high pole and
jumping from a small platform on the top to try and catch hold of a
trapeze. This activity required the young people to push themselves
and try to use their courage and self-confidence to attempt the
challenge. The activity also required other group members to offer
support and encouragement to the person taking part in the activity.
The last group took part in the ‘high ropes’ course, a very
challenging obstacle course in the tree top that required the young
people to really push themselves in terms of their comfort zones.
The afternoon was used as an opportunity for the young people to
familiarise themselves with the campsite, which included wooded
areas for exploratory play and grassy open spaces for sports and
games. In the evening there was a barbeque and campfire, a
chance for the young people to relax, share food together, socialise
and enjoy the peace and quiet of the countryside.
ii.
Calshott Activity Centre
The following day the group attended Calshott Activity Centre, a
purpose built centre located on the coast, not far from
Southampton. The young people and staff were divided into groups
which took it in turns to take part in
various activities including inclusive
cycling and rock-climbing. The
inclusive cycling took place inside a
professional velodrome, which was a
wonderful experience for the young
people. The facilities were excellent
and the equipment was ideally suited
to our service users, providing a selection of different bikes,
including recumbent and hand bikes to suit every level of ability and
need. The climbing wall was also very
impressive,
with
different
routes
available with varying degrees of
difficulty. There was also a winch
system that could be used by young
people with mobility issues in order to
give them the opportunity to take part in
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the activity. In the afternoon session the young people were due to
participate in a kayaking activity; unfortunately the weather
conditions made it unsafe to take to the water. However, the group
was able to take part in a tobogganing activity on the indoor ski
slope as an alternative,
which turned out to be a
great success and was
enjoyed by the group very
much. The young people
could use either inflatable
rings or small personal
toboggans, which again
allowed participation of
young
people
with
different levels of ability and experience to take part. There was
also time to spend some time on the beach before heading back to
the campsite.
iii.
Avon Tyrrell Activity Centre
The following morning the group was
able to fit in one more activity before
heading back to London, which
involved travelling to the nearby Avon
Tyrrell activity centre to do a thirty
meter long zip wire over a lake. This
activity was a fitting end to the whole
trip as it really pushed the young
people to overcome their fear and
build their self-confidence.
3. SUMMARY
There were various elements of the trip which contributed to its success.
i.
Location
The choice of the New Forest as a location for the trip was excellent
in many ways. The outstanding natural beauty of the area was a
very special part of the camping experience with picturesque
forested areas, quaint villages and areas of heather covered
scrubland populated by wild ponies. For the majority of the young
people it was the first time they had visited the New Forest, and for
many the first time they had been camping. The surroundings were
greatly appreciated by the young people and staff alike, making a
massive change from the urban streets of south London.
ii.
Facilities and Security
The newly refurbished campsite was a very positive aspect of the
trip with excellent facilities. This included a brand new 5 star toilet
and shower block with full disabled access that was warm and
clean and the campsite also incorporated CCTV video surveillance
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iii.
for added security. Because the security onsite was so good, the
young people were able to have a high degree of freedom to
explore the site without staff having to restrict their movements to a
great extent. We were also lucky to have a whole half of the
campsite to ourselves, as fortunately there were no other groups
staying there at that time.
Special mention should also be made of the excellent staff on the
premises, the Tile Barn staff were on call 24hrs and were very
accommodating to all the special requirements our group needed,
including allowing us to have access to electricity on site and giving
us use of an all-terrain wheelchair that they had on the premises.
Another positive was the activity centres that were used during the
trip. All of the staff were well trained and professional, the range
and scope of experiences available was excellent and facilities at
the centres were ideal for the needs of our group. There were high
levels of health and safety measures in place so that the young
people could experience risk taking in a safe and secure
framework.
Staffing
One of the most positive aspects of the trip was the manner in
which staff worked as a team, responding to the challenges that
emerged. Everyone pulled their weight in which there was an
exceptional spirit of cooperation and teamwork throughout the
weekend. Staff fulfilled different roles based upon their particular
skills which ensured that all logistical requirements and the needs of
the young people were fully met.
 The drivers coped very well under difficult conditions
entailing much travelling with the majority of activities booked
being off-site and journey times ranging from twenty to forty
minutes. This made it important for driving staff to work
solely in a supportive role rather than engaging in 1:1
support so as to not overload them with additional
responsibilities. Failure to adhere to this may have impacted
on their energy levels, decreasing their ability to stay fresh
and focussed for transporting staff and children safely in a
responsive manner.
 The catering core staff were in charge of the cooking,
preparation, cleaning, back-packs and health & safety
responsibilities for the group on and off-site. All staff worked
as a solid unit to maintain all aspects of health & safety, the
personal wellbeing of the young people and staff team alike.
It was essential to maintain a positive attitude in terms of
individual and team dynamics and this was a key contributor
to maintaining the ‘fun-factor’ and providing entertainment
and care for the young people.
Every member of the team worked extremely hard and managed to
maintain a positive outlook and attitude despite challenges faced
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iv.
v.
especially fatigue. The staff were also prepared to share roles and
responsibilities when needed which was another important factor in
the success of the trip as a whole. There were inevitably some
challenges that were faced during the trip that needed to be
overcome.
Due to major building and renovation work office facilities were
limited at CCAP. It was a challenge to select the best of the
available camp options and choose in which areas to compromise.
The camp trip was planned at relatively short notice, which created
a number of challenges that had to be addressed. Initially, finding a
location that met all of the requirements of our group proved to be
difficult, especially since our group had such a unique set of
requirements including 24hr care needs. Many places that might
have been suitable were already booked up on the weekend we
planned to travel. A number of potential options were determined;
Youlbury Scout activity Centre in Oxfordshire was originally booked
for the camp weekend. However a result of a site Risk Assessment
visit on 3rd August it was felt that Youlbury Scout Centre was wholly
unsuitable for use by our group and did not offer the range and
quality of facilities required for such a mixed and complex group of
young people. Although assurances had been provided that there
were fully accessible disabled toileting and shower facilities on the
site, it emerged that these were located a long way from the
campsite itself, only accessible down a long, bumpy path that was
not accessible to those in wheelchairs. What’s more, the facilities
were filthy and dilapidated, with on-site activities that would only be
suitable for those with the highest levels of confidence and ability.
This created a very big problem, as a whole new location and
schedule of activities had to be organised at the last minute
meaning that getting everything done it time was a bit of a rush. It
also highlighted the difficulty choosing a site without first visiting the
location, as information provided about a potential location can be
misleading and definitions of inclusion and accessibility highly
diverse. Eventually, the best option was chosen at very short notice
to re-organize the whole camp weekend in less than five days. Tile
Barn as an alternative option seemed to meet all of the exacting
requirements of our group, having thoroughly investigated the
facilities by phone and email. Upon the site visit to the location, it
was discovered that the site was inclusive and accessible to our
service users.
The biggest problems encountered on the trip itself related to
transport, and the unreliability of the vehicles used. One of the
minibuses being used for transportation with young people and staff
broke down a short way into the outward journey on the A3 in
Tolworth. This created a safeguarding and logistical nightmare,
having to safely evacuate children (including a wheelchair user from
TMTS) and staff from the broken down vehicle to safety on a busy
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road. There was not enough space on the other two transport
minibuses to accommodate all of the staff and young people. As a
result of this, a number of staff were forced to travel by other means
to the site and the schedule for activities was disrupted. In fact by
the time the whole group were able to arrive at the location of the
activity centre, it was too late to do the planned activities which had
to be rescheduled for another day. A similar problem was
encountered on the return journey, which again made our departure
time much later than planned and caused our arrival time back at
the playground considerably later than anticipated. Further
problems were caused by the reliance of the transport on satellite
navigation, which due to the remote nature of the location didn’t
function on occasions. Unfortunately the campsite wasn’t well
signposted and was hard to locate, which made the initial arrival
time at the campsite much later than planned and caused the young
people to be stuck in transit for an unfortunate amount of time.
4. Conclusion
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The challenges faced provided the opportunity to learn valuable
lessons for the future but ultimately enabled the CCAP team to work
and problem solve together - a great learning tool!!
One of the most important lessons gained from this experience was
the need for adequate planning and organisation time for a trip of
this kind. The organisational, logistical and practical requirements of
such an endeavour should not be underestimated, and sufficient
leeway to mitigate against unforeseen setbacks should be tied in.
More specifically, a site reconnaissance visit prior to confirming
locations is definitely a crucial requirement of any such trip even
though this can be a time-consuming task.
Lessons were also learned about transport requirements for a trip
such as this one, ensuring that there was adequate breakdown
cover and insurance for all vehicles used and carrying out full
inspection of the vehicles by a mechanic before embarking. Always
having clear directions to the location and back-up maps in case of
technological malfunctions would be another wise investment.
Despite the challenges faced, the trip was overall a great success and
there were numerous positive outcomes that resulted for the people who
participated in the trip.
 The activities that the young people engaged in provided
opportunities for learning new skills and developing self-confidence.
Specific tasks were focused on the principles of encouraging team
building and group participation which is another skill set that
participants took away from the experience. Young people were
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able to explore their physical and mental boundaries within a safe
and secure context. In this way, the experience served to empower
and broaden the horizons of the young people who took part.
The young people also learned a great deal about social
cooperation and sharing, having to cohabitate in tents for the
duration of the trip and learn how to resolve disputes amicably and
share a living space and facilities. Strong friendships were made
between the young people and existing friendships strengthened
through the shared experience. Furthermore the young people and
staff were able to form stronger relationships as a result of the
interaction over the weekend
In terms of expanding knowledge of camping, self-resilience and
the outdoors the young people benefited immensely, having access
to natural environments for exploration, play and adventure. For
many of the young people it was their first or certainly most
intensive experience of the great outdoors and living without the
creature comforts of home
There were also positive outcomes for the staff that participated on
the trip, returning with a greater sense of unity and team
cohesiveness and having had experience of problem solving,
staying positive in the face of serious challenges and overcoming
adversity.
It should also be recognised that the trip gave parents of young
people who attended much needed respite from the challenges of
caring for their young people. Many of the parents expressed their
gratitude for having the chance to have some time to themselves
and do things that they wouldn’t normally be able to do because of
their responsibilities to look after their young people.
Most importantly, the young people who took part had an enriching,
fun and empowering experience and returned to London exhausted
but glowing, full of stories to tell their friends and family and lots of
enduring memories.
5. Recommendations
Location:
 Choose a campsite that is fit for purpose considering the unique needs
and characters of the service users taking part. Risk can be mitigated
against by choosing a site with a high level of security. This can then
allow the young people to have a higher degree of freedom when on
site.
 Identify a location which is within reasonable distance from a range of
different high quality activity centres and adventurous opportunities.
 Carry out a full risk assessment and site visit of the proposed location
as early as possible. Specific recommendations would be at least 8
weeks before departure or as soon as service contracts have been
authorised.
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Bookings should not be arranged until all the above criteria have been
met to ensure that there will be no financial implications for the service
provider in case of last minute cancellations for any reason.
Transport:
 Identify a suitable location near the trip destination for hiring a minibus
for use as backup transport in the eventuality of mechanical
breakdown.
 Ensure that there are maps distributed to all drivers in case of satellite
navigation malfunction.
 Ensure all transport vehicles travel in convoy at all times to guarantee
that no one vehicle can get lost.
 Prepare written instructions for planned routes in case of poorly
signposted roads or locations.
Equipment:
 Identify an exact inventory of equipment that can be provided by the
campsite / activity centre so that the amount of equipment needed to
take to the location can be reduced as much as possible.
 Ensure that all electrical equipment taken meets the specific health and
safety requirements of the campsite / activity centre (e.g. extension
leads must be PAC tested).
Staffing:
 Select a staff team consisting of sufficient qualified drivers to share
responsibilities.
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