H.G.C. (O)

The HGC(O) or "Hopeless Guiders' Camp (Oxfordshire)" will be held on the first weekend in September.

Doreen's husband has agreed to do pickups from local railway stations. If you contact her directly, she will give the URL to get a map of the area. and email directions from the M40 and the M4 nearer the time, to anyone who asks.

The site has loos with basin, and a hut with cookers. Doreen lives opposite. If it is warm enough, she has a swimming pool in her garden - actually, the pool will be there even if the weather is freezing cold. The cost is 80p per person per night, plus 25 quid per night for the use of the hut.There seems to be no reason why Guiders may not sleep in the hut. So the camp will cost 2 quid (I think) for the glory of camping there, plus food, plus activity stuff, so it's unlikely to be more than a tenner. If anyone doesn't want to trust our food, she is welcome to bring her own and pay less.

There will be sessions on Lucy's Hopeless Guiders' Trainings, including:

It is suggested that people should bring their own lightweight tents if they have them, as Doreen can't provide tentage for several hundred!!! although if you CAN'T bring a tent, Doreen's Guides have two patrol tents, and she have access to some lightweight ones.

Plans are for cooking a main meal each day, plus Sunday breakfast centrally, but what do you lot think? We may do hike fires round the back of the hut - the front grass patch is rather too nice to damage.

[BTW : BYOB = Bring Your Own Booze ]

Programme Hopeless Guiders' (Oxfordshire) Camp :

Friday: Arrive in the evening, find place to pitch tent. Challenge: Find the nearest pub

Saturday: Anytime: Arrive and organise sleeping, for example pitch tents.
10:00 - Drinks
11:00 - Colours and Welcome - DECENT icebreaker - any ideas (Clause 24)
11:30 - Training on Colours & Ceremonial, including National Anthem and composition of Union Flag (Clauses 1, 2, 5, 10 & 25)
12:45 - Prepare sandwiches from ingredients provided and want to bring your own. Hot soup if the weather's like that.
13:00 - Lunch in patrols
14:00 - Knotting & Lanyard making (Clauses 4, 14 & 22) & other crafts - Ally's flowers from tights - while discussing the Brownie Renewal (if we've heard anything by September), and possibly even the Guide Renewal - sort of rest hour.
15:00 - Camping Skills: turfing & Buddy burners, dampers & S'mores (Clauses 16, 18 & 20)
16:50 - Afternoon tea 17:00 Prepare dinner for embers cooking
17:30 - Swimming* if warm enough, with crafts in parallel. Maybe box oven skills for cake and bread making.
18:30 - Dinner - Lucy's charcoal chicken stuffed charcoal, Vegetarian alternative: Doreen's Linda McCartney Foil Dinner. Those ladies who wish to try Clauses 7 & 12 may do so.
19:30 - Prepare Sunday nosh for the haybox - also porridge.
19:45 - Silk and patch trading - perhaps bring OLD Guide badges as well.
20:30 - Whistle signals (Clause 3) How to teach Facts about Guiding (Clause 11), also Lucy's "Who wants to be a Guiding Millionaire" quiz - it's suitable for all ages &abilities & great fun! However it takes a good hour to play
21:45 - Camp fire (Clauses 10, 19 & 23) Brownie Ring & other Brownie Guide Traditions (Clause 26)
22:30 - Brownie Bells, Taps (can we have Pipe Down from Sea Rangers?)
22:40 - Bore 'em stiff with videos

Sunday:
7:00 - Get up - anyone for a swim?* Scout's Pace for the super hardy (Clause 8)
8:00 - Breakfast in Patrols
9:00 - Colours & Guiders' Own
9:30 - Training on pitching a ridge tent (Clause 15)
10:55 - Elevenses - prepared centrally
11:05 - Lucy is preparing a Wide game, based on compass (Clause 13) and trails (Clause 6) to find the stuff to make starters and puddings. There was mention of Ready, Steady, Cook.
12:00 - Doreen's willing to cook a Linda McCartney Spag. Bol. in a hay box, so you can look at it during the day- but if someone has a better idea ...(if the veggies aren't fed up with Linda M)
13:00 - Scoff
14:00 - Wide Game to include Pioneering (Clause 17) and Semaphore (Clause 9) including the Phonetic Alphabet - this could be set as pre-camp homework
16:15 - Strike tents, get stuff into cars
17:00 - Closing ceremony & Taps - Daytime Taps

Doreen (who is organising the camp) needs to know the following :

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