Year 8 Bushcraft Leadership Camp – Cornbury Park, Oxford

Year 8 have had the best possible start to their final year at Elstree, with a three-day residential camp to a stunning ancient oak forest just forty minutes from school. This camp was a fantastic next step in the boy’s outdoor learning. The focus of the camp was ‘leadership skills’ but it built on all the wonderful experiences that the boys had gained from their Year 7 Elstree Award summer camp last term. Fears were overcome, new friendships made and a focus on listening to others encouraged.

On the first day, the boys walked for 45 minutes to our campsite in the middle of Cornbury Park. They had a fire lighting lesson and then were thrown in at the deep end and told to work in their ‘tribes’ to make a fire and cook their lamb kebab and vegetable lunch.

The boys then threw themselves into the shelter building activity especially when they were told that they may be able to sleep in them! Tribes were formed, with identities found on this first day. Tribe flags and songs were being chanted all around the wood, it was a great atmosphere.

Team building and valuing each person’s opinions is important at this age. At one point a boy said, “Sir, I never really noticed before how nobody actually listens to the detail of the words that people are saying.” How profound and possibly how true for us all.

The campfires in the evening were a truly special place with wonderful stories told and songs shared. Highs and lows as well as valuable experiences from the leadership tasks were also discussed.

The next day brought heavy rain but spirits were not dampened, in fact quite the opposite! We went for some outdoor swimming with 85% of the boys deciding it was a good idea to go for a dip in the lake in the rain.

The boys seemed to love this combat style game called ‘predator’. Mr Williams and Mr Pilkington also got in on the action but had to find larger objects to hide behind!

The food was fantastic, the Bushcraft staff had endless energy and the boys were brilliant. Words and photos cannot explain the amount of good this trip did for these boys. They came back to school much tighter as a year group, leadership skills harnessed and dirty!

AWP