Louie (our camp nurse) gave me the card from his camera today so that I could copy the photos he has taken over the past seven weeks. I have posted some of the ‘mud pit’ pictures from forth week tonight as I think the camp camera battery had died so we missed taking any; but there were many other great and hilarious occasions that already seem like distant memories – Color war, Capture the Flag, the Talent Show.

Normally I look at photos on a day by day basis and it was wonderful to actually look back across the whole summer and to see the remarkable differences in some of the campers. I am not exaggerating to say that some of the physical changes in the campers since the first week are remarkable. Bellies have disappeared, dress sense and amount of make-up worn has completely changed and face shapes have altered as bone structures become more apparent.

We’ve also been noticing the other changes in campers. Postures have become better as campers have improved their core stability and become prouder of their bodies. We are hearing more laughter (sometime raucous) and shy, quiet campers are finding their voices and becoming positively cheeky! Ever camper has become more confident in their own abilities and secure in the knowledge that they can push themselves hard and still achieve their objectives.

Tomorrow is the start of ‘Wellcoming’. With a homecoming theme we have three days of fun activities planned ending in the dance on Wednesday night. Tomorrow kicks off with ‘wear you PJs’ day and a whole camp game in the evening. As ever there are points and prizes to be won for extra steps, extra effort and team spirit.

I look forward to having even more fun photos to put up.

Jude.