Summer Camp 2018 took place on Salisbury Plain in August 2018. Details of Summer Camp 2019 will appear here soon.
Application
Not yet open.
Attendees
Senior Troop is generally for cadets aged 13 and over but some cadets of this age may be put in Junior Troop if they are relatively new due to the type of activities being undertaken.
Cost
The cost of camp is usually £100 per cadet. This cost includes:
- All transport to, from and at camp.
- All accommodation (stone and tent!).
- Three meals a day for all cadets when located in the camp .
- Rations for when cadets are on exercise.
- All equipment (save for minor personal kit list items).
- Attendance at external and adventure training activities.
- All insurance, safety and other administrative expenses.
- Special camp T shirt.
Please note the staff who attend do so from their spare time (and generally this means their work holiday entitlement) and receive no pay whatsoever for attending. We have compared our cost with other week-long activities and think our fee represents good value for money.
Payments, Cancellations and Refunds
All payments including pocket money and subscriptions must be paid by the deadline date. If you are not able to pay by the deadline you must contact us at portsmouth@volunteercadetcorps.org to arrange a dispensation otherwise your place will be given to another cadet on the waiting list. If paying by cheque please make payable to Portsmouth RMVCC and if paying by BACS please state Camp and your child’s surname and VCC number in the reference.
Please note that due to the fact that we have to place booking for facilities and activities well in advance, and are unlikely to receive any reimbursement for fewer attendees, we regret that refunds for non-attendance of camp will not be given after the date stated. If you wish to cancel your child’s attendance before then, we will refund your payments less the deposit and any charges we are unable to claim back from external providers. If you cancel your child’s attendance we will offer that place to another cadet as soon as possible.
Movement Orders
Details of how the cadets will get to and from camp will be issued in late July. Any parent/guardian who wants to drop their child off at camp later or collect them earlier must email the Admin Office so we can discuss suitable arrangements. We regret that we cant offer a reduced fee for reduced attendance. Advance Party details will be issued in due course. Only those cadets contacted by the Training Officer will be on the Advance Party so if your child is not contacted they will be on the Main Party.
Travel, Equipment, Clothing and Administration
The Administration Instruction letter providing details of transport arrangements, equipment and clothing lists and other administrative and financial information can be found here. Make sure we have all the relevant medical information we need including any last minute updates before Camp. We also need some cadets to complete additional information for some of the adventure training activities planned. Details have been posted on our Facebook pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please see below some FAQs to help you:
Can I visit my child at Camp?
No; we find a complete break from parents/guardians is the best way to offset any homesickness. We regret that our action packed training programme doesn’t allow for a visitors’ day.
What if I need to contact my child?
Emergency contact numbers will be in the Administration Instruction letter. Please only contact us in the event of an emergency as our staff will be extremely busy supervising the cadets and making sure they are enjoying camp.
Can cadets take their mobile telephones?
We would prefer it if they didn’t. We know that social media is an intrinsic part of a child’s life these days but taking a mobile telephone to camp could lead to a number of problems. Whilst we do all we can to supervise the cadets and ensure discipline we can’t guarantee the security of valuable property all the time. Also, in the rare of event of something happening at camp (eg: an injury or homesickness) we would rather parents/guardians find out about from the staff so they get a full and accurate picture rather than hearing about it from a brief ‘tweet’ or Facebook post.
Can I bring my child to Camp?
Preferably not. However, if you are unable to get your child to Whale Island for the Main Party please let us know as soon as possible. We can discuss alternative arrangements but please be aware we can not provide additional transport to and from camp. Also, if your child arrives at camp late or departs early we are unable to reduce the cost of attending. Please note, some senior cadets may be invited to travel to camp a day early on the Advance Party.
When do the cadets go to Camp?
Dates will be published soon. They will depart from HMS Excellent in the morning and return mid-afternoon.
Does my child need a packed lunch for the journey to camp?
Yes, but no fizzy drinks please. They can bring up to £4 in extra pocket money for the journey.
What do the cadets wear during the travel to and from camp?
Cadets and staff in the Main Party will travel to and from camp in smart civvies (collar and tie).
How do I know what to pack?
See our Admin Instruction letter once published. Please email us at portsmouth@volunteercadetcorps.org if you have any questions.
Will my child require bedding?
Yes; they need to bring a sleeping bag and pillow case for camp; they may also like to bring a single sheet to use as a mattress cover. An additional pillow and pillow case may also be brought as long as it fits in their luggage. If your child has a history of bed wetting please also provide a suitable mattress cover and let us know on their camp medical form (we will treat this information as confidential).
Will my child need cutlery.
No but they should bring a plastic mug (not their nan’s best china!) and a KFS set (knife fork spoon) for use in the field.
Do I use my expensive luggage set?
No; your lugage will be loaded onto a coach and then carried into camp. It will be placed in a barrack block and probably covered in dust and mud. Therefore, please use robust but not expensive or valuable suitcases etc. Please do ensure they are labelled with the cadets name, rank and number, and that a spare padlock (with two keys) is given to staff in a sealable plastic bag (also labelled) when mustering.
Do I need to provide medical and contact information about my child?
Yes; if you have not already sent us a parental consent form please do so. If in doubt, email us for clarification. If we do not have your child’s medical and next of kin/point of contact information, they will not be allowed to attend camp. Please see our Forms page for the forms required. Please also use the consent form to let us know if your child can’t swim and/or if they have any dietary requirements.
What happens if my child doesn’t want to do all the activities?
We strongly encourage our cadets to ‘Meet The Challenge!’ and give all the activities a go. They will be helped and encouraged by our staff and their fellow cadets. However, if a cadet genuinely doesn’t want to try something (for example, a high ropes course during adventure training) then they will not be forced to do it.
With all these cadets in close proximity what happens about bullying?
We are delighted that the vast majority of our cadets all get on with each other as part of our Cadet Corps Family. However, sometimes a bit of banter gets out of hand or there are arguments between cadets. The cadet NCOs act as the first ‘managers’ in controlling this, and if they are unable to deal with an incident they will escalate to the staff. We do not tolerate bullying of any kind, and if a cadet is found to have bullied another cadet we may ask for their parents or guardians to come to camp to collect them and take them home. We only do this as a last resort however.
Why do I have to wait for my child to be dismissed once they get back from camp?
It is important that all of our stores are cleaned and put away so they are ready for their next use. It is also important that our vehicles, especially those borrowed from other organisations, are spotlessly clean before being returned. We believe the cadets should take responsibility for this, along with the staff, as this is all part of teaching them the basic principles for adult life. For some staff, camp doesn’t stop there, and indeed our stores team work very hard for several weeks going through all the equipment and making sure its clean and repaired ready for the next time we need it.
If you have any questions about Summer Camp please email them to portsmouth@volunteercadetcorps.org.
