Below you will find, in no particular order, all the items you need to find out about taking your Section Camping or as Day Visitors to the Viking Experience Event. This can also be found on the website - please let everyone in your Group etc know about the website - this is THE place to find out up to date information about the camp etc.

www.westwirralscouting.co.uk

We would also like to let you have some information about how we'd like your Group / Section to help us help you - please read all of the information on these pages - we realise there's a lot but please bear with us;-

Short Term Lookahead Items

a)      We would like to remind you that we were looking for your final numbers accompanied by full and final payment by the end of the month, that month being May 2011.

b)      We would like to know if you can help with some of the camp logistics. As such we would be grateful if you could let us know if you have any of the following equipment 'spare' which we could use for the camp. The more we can utilise existing equipment from within the District the less we have to obtain from elsewhere.
Party or other large Tents -  Mess tables -  Bench Seats –  orange netting fencing & pins

c)      Please ensure that your Youngsters know that they are expected to have a good time. They will be expected to provide confirmation that they are having a good / great time to the rest of us in the form of smiling and laughing. Any one found not smiling / laughing will be subjected to intense questioning, sorry I meant to say intensive tickling, until their face assumes the correct display of enjoyment. Please ensure they are aware of this guideline.

Medium Term Lookahead Items

d)     Every Group attending has been allocated a camping area, please click here for layout. These will be marked out prior to your arrival – please keep within these areas to avoid mixing with adjacent ‘Viking’ groups who may not be entirely friendly.

e)      You will have been allocated an activity base which we would like you to run whilst you are on site. Generally all equipment etc will be provided by the Camp Organisers. Please click here for the list of the bases, and whose running what. It would be great if you could get this up and running by 1000 hrs. You will need to man it throughout the Saturday until 1700 hrs, and Sunday 10:00hrs to 15:00 hrs - don’t worry we give you an hour off for lunch both days. At the end of each day we would be grateful if you could pack the activity away as much as possible.

f)       It would be fantastic if each Group / Section attending the camp could make a shield before the camp to present at the Opening Ceremony. The shield can be any size and made of any material and should represent YOU - the only restriction we would place on you is that it should be round.

g)      You have hopefully gained the impression by now that the theme of the camp is VIKING's, and as such we'd like to invite your Group / Section to attend in costume (that's Viking costume rather than Walt Disney characters). For some ideas on types of costume please visit the web site Links page

h)      It would also be impressive if each Group attending could bring a ‘flaming torch’ to the Viking Campfire – this can be a artificial ‘torch’ made out of crepe paper and carpet inner cardboard tubes. The idea is that these torches will be ‘donated’ to the camp fire at the start of the singing. If you would like help with ideas for this please contact Chris Carlson.

i)        Due to the numbers camping and the close proximity of the tentage etc there are to be no open fires on the camping areas.

j)        All rubbish is to be bagged and disposed of off site by the individual Groups.

k)      Car Parking – there is a limit to how many chariots / cars we can allow on site, and as such all Groups who are camping will be limited to a maximum of 3 cars each, with day visitors 1 per group. Please park sensibly in the car park, i.e. if you are staying all weekend then your vehicle can be boxed in by others. Please fill in the car park pass (please click here to download a copy) with your on site contact details, and display this in your windscreen at all times. Each Group should park 1 car on the right hand side of the drive (i.e. dead easy to get out), this vehicle being your designated off site vehicle.

l)        Permission Forms;- these have been sent out separately. Each Group is responsible for obtaining their own completed One Day Activity Authorisation / Nights Away Permission, with permissions/consents from the parents / guardians for the various activities etc. To clarify the position, we (the Organisation Team) will not be collecting copies of the forms in ourselves, it is down to individual section leaders to ensure they have all the relevant forms.

m)    Can we also remind you that you will need to bring enough tables, bench seats, plates and cutlery for all your Group members for the Viking Banquet, this includes your day visitors as well as campers.

n)      We have now allocated your section to the time tabled activities, and you will be provided with a copy of this upon arrival. It can also be downloaded from the website. Please keep us informed of any last minute changes in expected numbers, both up and down, so we can do our best to accommodate these within the time slots available.

o)      Bouncy Castles / Inflatable’s – last time there was some concern reported in the press generally re the use of Bouncy Castles. This not really justified for properly organised people like what we are. We do not need you to have Permission Form to go on a Bouncy Castle of a Giant Inflatable, however this may be a Group requirement, in which case we can provide you with a sample form.

p)      Day Visitors will be collected from, and dropped off, at the Cat Public House car park adjacent to Greasby Library. Please park sensibly in this area so as to minimise any disruption to the pub and / or local residents.

q)      Please ensure that your Youngsters know that they are expected to have a good time. They will be expected to provide confirmation that they are having a good / great time to the rest of us in the form of smiling and laughing. Any one found not smiling / laughing will be subjected to intense questioning, sorry I meant to say intensive tickling, until their face assumes the correct display of enjoyment. Please ensure they are aware of this guideline.

Long Term Lookahead / During Event Items

r)       Please note the following restrictions, in the interests of safety. There will be no vehicle movements allowed on the main drive and car park between the following times due to arrivals and departures

Sat morning – 08:45 hrs to 09:45 hrs

Sat evening – 19:45 hrs to 20:15 hrs

No unauthorised vehicles will be allowed on the camping field between 19:00 hrs Fri through to 18:00hrs Sunday.

s)       Drop off and Pick up times – in order to minimise the amount of vehicle movements at any one time we have assigned each Group a designated 20min slot for arrivals and departures. (please click here for details). Please let your parents etc know these times, and ask them very nicely to adhere to them as much as possible. Also if you can encourage car sharing this will help ease any traffic congestion on site. Please note – no parents etc picking up / dropping off children are allowed to park up and then wander off on to the field to make sure little Johnny or Jane is ok, ready to leave etc etc, All drivers must stay with their vehicles, and depart site as soon as possible.

t)       Risk Assessments – these are available to view and download off the web site, copies will be available from the Camp Organisation Team during the event. Please ensure that you read these, particularly the ones which apply to the bases being run by yourselves.

u)      Also it will remain the responsibility of the individual section leaders to ensure that if little (or big) Billy (or Jilly for that matter) cannot go shooting or handle spiders / snakes then they don't do it. The adults running the individual activities will not check prior to the youngsters taking part. The exception will be the rifle range activity where leaders need to bring their forms with them when they have their time slot.

v)      We would like a contact mobile number for one or more of your Leaders on site just in case we need to get in contact with yourselves quickly. Please can you advise the Camp Organisers of your contact details upon arrival at the event.

w)    Quite a lot of the activities require your young people to be supervised whilst attending it – this is more for the benefit, and sanity, of the non Scouting adults running the activity, who have enough trouble wondering why we go to all this effort in our own free time, and need to spend their time running the activity and not looking after any ‘errant’ child. Please ensure that you provide this supervision.

x)      Whilst smoking is allowed on site this should be out of sight of the Young People and ideally not done in public areas. There is to be no smoking at any of the Activity Areas.

y)      Any partaking of alcoholic beverages on site should be in accordance with the District Drinking policy, a copy of which can be found by clicking here.

z)      First Aid – each Group will be responsible for their own First Aid provision. If there are any accidents these should be reported to the Camp Supervisors as soon as practicable.

aa)   Groups are advised that the Bouldering Wall which is on site can be used by the Young (and not so Young) People, however supervision is to be provided by Groups when they are using it.

bb)  Groups are advised that the Assault Course which is on site can be used by the Young (and not so Young) People, however supervision is to be provided by Groups when they are using it.

cc)   All Groups are advised that there is a Toilet Cleaning rota (please click here), please be aware that you need to bring your own cleaning materials etc for same.

dd) Scouts and Explorers who are camping will have a fire Lighting competition on the Sunday. Teams are to consist of 3 Young people, and they will need to provide their own knives for this activity (to make kindling from wood supplied)

ee)   Please ensure that your Youngsters know that they are expected to have a good time. They will be expected to provide confirmation that they are having a good / great time to the rest of us in the form of smiling and laughing. Any one found not smiling / laughing will be subjected to intense questioning, sorry I meant to say intensive tickling, until their face assumes the correct display of enjoyment. Please ensure they are aware of this guideline.

ff)    Brian Magnor is our ‘Official’ Camp Photographer, and as such if you require special Group / Section photos please speak to Brian;- he’ll be the one walking round with a camera – after the camp each Group will be given a CD of all of the photos taken, and these will then ultimately be uploaded to the website. If you have any youngsters who you have been advised are not to appear in photos it will be your responsibility to advise us which photos cannot be used.

All leaders who reach this point will receive a reward and should request this award from the Organisation team at the static caravan. Don’t get too excited as this reward will only be in the form of a gentle slap on the back, but at least it will provide confirmation that what we’ve asked you to read has been read.

Seriously, if you have any questions etc about any of the above please do not hesitate to get in contact with Alan Bennett

0151 606 0335

07920 496 929

alan.bennett@bamnuttall.co.uk