Debs McCahon and Huw Hickman presented Woodcraft Folk’s latest Supporters Update. The quarterly events are designed to update supporters and volunteers on news from across the movement, everything from centres, groups, funding and staff! You can watch a recording of the webinar at the bottom of this article.
The duo celebrated how well Woodcraft Folk centres have bounced back following COVID disruptions, with all centres hosting more groups, children and young people than 2019! In particular, Biblins Youth Campsite has had its best year ever, achieving its Adventurous Activities Licence early in the year and it has hosted over 20,000 bednights throughout 2023. The increase in activities supported a new staff role, Alex Norman (Biblins Activities Co-ordinator) and has seen groups engage in climbing, canoeing, bushcraft, archery and many other team building activities on site. See their website for more information.
Huw also shared some of the impact evaluation gathered at Cudham, which saw:
- 100% of children had fun visiting the centre and had opportunities to try new things
- 83% of children achieved a sense of belonging and left with improved confidence and self-esteem
- 66% of children experienced improved mental health following their visit to the centre
- 66% of children learnt new skills and were more active following their visit
Following the successful completion of AGM at Venturer Camp, Debs shared detailed information about Woodcraft Folk’s income and expenditure. A full copy of the accounts can be found here.
Other news:
- 13 new groups opened across the country from Plymouth to Stirling!
- The end of the Green Influencer Scheme in Bradford and Leeds
- The arrival of Clare Thompson (Lockerbrook Centre Manager), Amanda Baxter (Lockerbrooks General & Domestic Assistant) and Hannah Mook (Height Gate Centre Co-ordinator)
- 293 Venturers attended Venturer camp, 43 more than in 2019
The updated ended with a summary of plans, which included:
- A young members recruitment campaign to be launched in October
- A postcode targeted volunteer recruitment campaign, working with a small number of Districts to test new approaches to volunteer recruitment, again please like and share
- The production of the first national centres strategy – setting targets and defining the purpose of Woodcraft Folk centres
- Plans for this year’s Big Give Christmas Challenge, which seeks to raise £20,000 to support camps and outdoor adventures in 2024
Join the next Supporters Update on Monday 4th December at 7pm, details and joining link here.