Summer camps: a parent’s guide

8:40am Tuesday 8th July 2008

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THE summer holidays are fast approaching and parents across the county are starting to wonder what they are going to do with their children for six weeks. But with the host of summer camps on offer, both locally and nationally, parents need not despair. Activities range from sports, arts and crafts and drama, and some even offer to take your children off your hands completely by providing boarding facilities for the duration. Here is a selection of the summer camps available this year:

NEW ELIZABETHAN SCHOOL

THE New Elizabethan School in Hartlebury is hosting four summer camps during August.

The camps are designed for working parents to be able to drop children off before and collect after work, Monday to Friday each week.

The multi-activity camp is for those aged six to 12 and includes crafts, acting, dancing, singing, computers, sports and more. Each week the children will be taken on a local trip on the school bus.

The stage school camp is for those aged eight to 16 and offers budding stars a chance to work on their acting, dancing and singing skills. As well as performing, the children will learn about backstage production through a weekly trip to a working theatre.

The sports camp is for those aged eight to 16 and includes cricket, basketball, football, hockey and athletics. It is run by qualified sports coaches and aims to improve skills in a variety of areas, in team and individual sports. Each week a Premier League football player will be coaching a special session as well as other sports professionals.

The badminton school camp is for those aged nine to 17. It will be run by ex-international England player Adrian Casey, who is also former Worcestershire county junior coach. The course will take place at Stourport Leisure Centre but the school will be the collection and pick-up point, and it will provide all transport and lunch arrangements.

To book on a camp call 01299 250258. Discounts are available for siblings.

CATHEDRAL CAMPS

A UNIQUE programme of summer holiday camps gets under way next week to help protect the nation’s religious heritage.

Cathedral Camps, which are run by UK volunteering charity CSV, will see people cleaning spires, clearing graveyards, painting railings, polishing altars, oiling doors and surveying tombstones.

Campers can explore behind the scenes at many of the nation’s favourite cathedrals, including Worcester, and some will get the chance to sleep on the pews and in the aisles of selected churches.

The camps are open to those aged 16-25. Worcester Cathedral will be taking part in the programme from Wednesday, July 16, to Wednesday, July 23.

The camps are subsidised, though participants make an additional contribution of £100 towards accommodation, food, tools, equipment, instruction, supervision and materials.

For further details and to book, log onto cathedral camps.org.uk.

ATE SUPERWEEKS

MALVERN-based ATE runs summer camps (Superweeks) for hundreds of eight to 16-year-olds across Britain. Youngsters are picked up from cities, including Worcester, by ATE volunteers and taken to country manors, Hogwarts-style boarding schools or even castles where they will be treated to a week packed full of fun activities.

On every Superweek children play hundreds of games they’ve never heard of before, make weird and wonderful crafts, sing songs around the campfire and make friends from all over the country. Some Superweeks have an additional focus, and on these holidays children can make and run their own musical, construct a robot or hone their football skills, all with the help of an expert in the field.

ATE’s founding cirector Chris Green said: “Although holiday camps can just seem like a form of childcare, ATE holds a strong belief that a supportive residential holiday is an important part of every child’s development.”

ATE is a not-for-profit educational trust. All staff on the Superweeks are volunteers.

Superweek prices start at £315 for seven nights. This includes accompanied travel from Worcester to any of ATE’s centres across the country. More information can be found on ate.org.uk or by ringing the ATE office on 08454 561205.

SUPER CAMPS

SUPER Camps, one of the UK’s largest summer camp operators, will be running an activity day camp in Worcester at St Mary’s Convent School.

Katie McIntosh, Super Camps’ regional manager, said: “As a parent, the thought of packing the whole of the summer holiday with entertainment and fun can be an extremely daunting task. Together with working full-time, the prospect of summer can seem stressful and far from enjoyable.”

The camp offers children the opportunity to take part in activities that combine sport, arts and play for as long as the whole holiday or as little as one day.

A day camp costs between £29 and £32.

Super Camps’ activities include swimming, karting, trampolining, cooking and art. Children also get the opportunity to play and have fun with other children of the same age which can help their development skills.

For more information, visit the website supercamps.co.uk

SHELL STEP

TIME is running out for students and businesses in Worcester to take advantage of this year’s Shell Step summer placement programme, which creates bespoke work experience packages for students and small businesses.

The deadline for applications is Friday, July 18.

Last year 661 students and businesses took part in the scheme nationwide.

Placements are individually tailored to the businesses’ needs and students’ skills and career ambitions to bring tangible benefits to both parties.

To find out how to get involved in the scheme, students and businesses visit shellstep.org.uk.

*Throughout the summer holidays your Worcester News will be looking at the best places to go and things to do in Worcestershire for families.