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Renegades: The Renegades release the tent-sion
The Renegades release the tent-sion!
Leather may be smacking willow and hay fever may be in overdrive, but the real harbinger of summer is the first Renegade camp of the year.
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And what a camp it was! Thanks in no small part to the generosity of Henry Nicholls for the use of his field, the children had more a lot more fun than they had sleep!
“The kids had a ball,” says Group Leader Gareth Miller. “We collected King Alfred cakes for fire lighting, went walking in the woods and made our own walking staffs, not to mention there was plenty of good, fresh food prepped by the parents whose help was deeply appreciated.
“But the highlights for the children were the manic trailer rides, which always go down a storm, and the giant water-pistol fight with our own powerful Renegade water-guns. There wasn’t a dry child in sight, but fortunately they soon drip-dried in the sun!
“We had planned to do archery, canoeing and zip-wiring but they had such a riot we ran out of time and – as usual – the second night’s sleep was very, very quiet.”
The Renegades have also been regularly on the water as the fleet of canoes are one of their most popular activities. “The kids have been capsizing the canoes as part of their competency and learning to be safe on the water. I had thought I’d have to persuade them to get into the canal water but nothing of the sort! We couldn’t get the canoes into the water fast enough for them to turn them over, shouting ‘Again, again!’ Hysterical,” says Gareth. “None of this is possible without the generous behaviour of the Wey & Arun Canal Trust – we love them –and our very own Ric Davies, our canoeing star.” The Renegades continues to be in need of a home, if anyone can help. Ideally, we are looking for an existing building with a good amount of external space that we can refurbish, or a field where we can put up a green, off-grid building. If you have any ideas or thoughts, please get in touch with Gareth on 07801 862550. The Renegades is a Registered Charity. Membership costs £10 a month. Please contact Gareth Miller on 07801 862550 or Damian Dixon on 07484 130189 for further information. Vanda Rumney
Photo, top: Nothing’s better than a camp fire… Bottom: Except, perhaps, deliberately capsizing a canoe!
