Activenture 2007

Knackered but well worth it!

I have just returned home from very tiring but fantastic week in Ashdown Forest. I have been volunteering on a residential week that provides respite care and adventurous activities for young people for 8-18 with a wide range of special needs.

All staff and helpers (under 18's) on this week are volunteers. I used to be part of this wonderful experience as a teenager but had dropped out of touch. Thanks to the persistant nagging of a friend I went back last year and couldn't belive that I had put it off for so long. This week gives so much to the young people that we care for - we have children up trees, down zip lines, through muddy obstacle courses, in canoes, swimming pools, mud puddles and God only know what else- regardless of thier physical or special needs, everyone gets to particpate.

Many of the young people say it is a life changing expereince and it is. But what struck me this week was the things that I as a volunteer take away from this place. I was talking to a friend on the phone about the 'joys' of staying up overnight to provide night time care and his response was - 'my god I hope they are paying you well for this'. He was amazed when I reminded him that it was purely voluntary. Later I felt sorry that the only reason he could see for doing this was pay. Then I reaslised he has never been here, he has never felt part of the family which moves in and takes over Hindleap Warren for the Summer. Even just arriving driving down the long drive evokes a wash of memories- of good times, freindships, pratical jokes, lost teenge crushes, an overwhelming sense of achivement and accomplishement. A sense of peace just seem to settle over you - until you hear a scream , see two teenagers ( or more likely staff ! ) running across the car park in the middle of a water fight or prank and decide to go and join in the mayhem :-)

I attended last year and I enjoyed it but didn't know a great many of the staff, so was not quite as enthused and I ummed and ahhed about going back this year. This year that was so different! Sitting in the reception whilst in conversation with another member of staff, trying to work out why he seemed so familair (-and was looking at me strangely as if he knew me!) I finally cottoned on that I had known this guy as a 15 year old- apparently I haven't changed! Add in meeting friends that I had made last year and making several new ones in addition to the now 4 other members of staff who have known me since a teenager, it made me realise why I come back.

Time after time after time- it's the people that make place like this - and yeah it may sound cheesy - but thank God I had the chance to be part of the Activenture family- You don't realise how much you missed it till you get it back!