Summer Camp 2026

Hackney Woodcraft Folk District Summer Camp

UPDATED 16th July 2026

Sun 19th to Sat 25th July 2026 at Park Farm, Lurgashall, West Sussex

https://www.woodcraftparkfarm.co.uk/

For Hackney Woodcraft Folk's District Summer Camp 2026 we will be based at the wonderful, Woodcraft run, Park Farm.

Bookings for this camp have closed and everyone with a place has been notified. 

Please make sure you check the camp WhatsApp group for all the latest info.

If you have not camped with Hackney Woodcraft before, or just want a reminder, please have a look at our website guide - or ask your Group Coordinator about anything you are unsure of.

Donate towards Camp Costs

We estimate Summer Camp will cost us £10K to run and we are asking you to donate £140 per YP to help cover that.
For details on how to donate and suggested reduced donations please click here: LINK

Group Travel

Train tickets have been bought and plans are in place.
If you / your YP is travelling on the train you will hopefully have confirmed that with Bridget.  If you are not sure, check please check the WhatsApp and contact here directly.
We will meet at Waterloo Station on Sunday 19th at 10am, on the benches opposite platform 15. PHOTO

Please watch the WhatsApp chat for info about train groups.
On arrival at Waterloo, check-in with your train group lead so they know your child is there.

• Everyone will need a packed lunch. If they bring that in a small reusable box, that would be helpful for use on camp.
  Please note this is a NUT-FREE CAMP.
  Please do not send sweets or other snacks for eating at camp.

• All medication (including over-the-counter pain meds) MUST be handed to Chloe at the station. Please put it in a bag with WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS.

Return Travel

We expect to return on Saturday 25th to Waterloo Station at around 4pm.  This may change slightly depending on travel logistics and trains. We will post updates on the WhatsApp chat.
We expect all Young People to be collected from Waterloo by an adult.  If that will not be you (i.e a relative is collecting or they are going home with someone else), please let your travel group lead know.
It is not OK to expect leaders / other adults to escort your child home without you making a personal arrangement with them as this breaches our safeguarding.

Van Load

We will be loading the van on Saturday 18th at 10am - please do come and help, particularly if you are not attending camp.
This is also an opportunity to drop off Sleeping bags / roll mats if your child will struggle to carry these.  Make sure they are in a bag (preferably waterproof - it may be raining when we arrive) and are clearly marked with a name.
Equally, if not more important, please come and help unload the van on Saturday 25th - probably around 6pm.
The store is at St Agnes Cl, London E9 7HS - MAP

Kit

Tents are provided for all young people and the camp is fully catered.

Adults will need to provide their own tent - but if you are struggling please let us know as there are often spares within the district.

A full kit list is here:  - GoogleDoc   /    PDF

Please try to involve your young person in packing and make sure everything is labelled.  


They will need to carry their bag on and off the trains, so please pack into something appropriate - a rucksack is ideal.  Hard cases do not work well in tents.

If you have sleeping bags / bed rolls that are too bulky to carry there may be space available in cars / the van.  Contact your group lead or bring to the van load.

If you are missing any kit, or are unsure, please ask on the chat -there is often kit available to borrow.

Headline items everyone should bring: 

• A white / cream / light coloured T-Shirt for Tie-dying

• Warm clothing for evenings / nights

• Lots of socks— they get wet!

• Waterproofs - coat and trousers (don't believe the weather forecast)

• Walking shoes/boots

• Sandals / crocs / sliders - for wearing around the site - we discourage bare feet which get injured.

• Sun Hat (believe the weather forecast)

• Sun Cream

• Swimming costume (plus armbands/ floatation aids if needed)

• Water bottle at least 500ml— with name on!  


• Packed Lunch for Sunday.

EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE LABELLED WITH A NAME PLEASE

Wellbeing

Now is also the time to update us on any *medical or social info* about your child that may have changed since you completed the form.

You MUST tell us if they have been ill, or attended hospital in the past two weeks.

Please contact your age group lead in the first instance.

(A list of group leads is below - check Whatsapp for contact details)

Phones  and Gadgets

This is a gadget free camp - please actively make sure your child does not bring their phone / tablet / game boy / gramophone with them.


Do encourage them to bring small games to share - particularly on the train.

Communication while we are at camp

Please do not expect to hear lots of updates or see photos while we are on camp.  If it all goes quiet, it’s because we are busy having a great time with your kids.

If you do need to contact us for any reason, you can put a message on the WhatsApp, or you can contact your group lead.

However, if you can try and trust us that we will let you know if your child is not OK, it does reduce the burden of having to reply to lots of people - and we mostly will not have our phones on us.

Support

We take the welfare of your young people really seriously. If you have flagged anything on the booking form which we need to know about, you'll be getting a call in the next couple of weeks to talk this over so that we can be sure we have all the info and know how best to support your child.

We will also contact everyone to find out about friendship groups and who your YP might like to share a tent with.  

There is more info about how we support young people on camp here: SUPPORT

In the meantime, if there is anything you feel we ought to know about, that you have not flagged on the booking form, please do get in touch with the Camp Lead for your group - even if you are coming on camp yourself.  This might be around behaviour, anxiety, any concerns about coming to camp, allergies, food or sensory issues, bed-wetting, friendship worries.

• Clapton Elfins - Lauren S

• Clapton Pioneers - Aoife

• Hackney Lea - Bridget / Amalia

• Haggerston Elfins - Byron

• Haggerston Pioneers - Annette /  Neil

• Stone Newington Elfins - Tim P

• Stoke Newington Pioneers - Hannah

• Venturers - Alice

Please be aware that we will do everything possible to ensure that your young person has a safe, joyful and successful camp, however if they are unwell, or if their behaviour is such that we feel we cannot keep them, and others, safe on camp, you will be asked to come and collect them. Therefore, you or someone else needs to be available to do this at short notice.

Keep an eye on this site as we will update it with more info as plans come together,

Blue Skies

Camp Coordination Team