Children's Camping trip to Winchester August 2003 I was going to say "I hope it doesn't rain", which is a classic saying for the English. However, one can be wrong, as you all well know! As the soaring heat shines down on the righteous, we ventured our way to Winchester. This was the old capital of England with a wonderful Cathedral and home to King Alfred the Great and much later the author, Jane Austin. It was also visited by Oliver Cromwell and now by a group of 12 Kids from the Walworth Road and new capital of London. What a contrast!! We stayed on a campsite called "Folly Farm" in Crawley and I must comment on the most wonderful reception that we were given by the proprietor, Mrs Pickup. She had erected a marquee for the children and gave us home-made cakes and fresh eggs, the children were delighted. We quickly put up the tents and made sure that everything was out the sun, (because it was a cool 38c!) and I had to watch out for the children with the heat. Thanks to the Senior Instructor at Winchester College, Sensei Simon Budden, the children managed to have a much welcomed swim at the College Pool. After an hour of water skills, the children made their way to the Dojo for practical skills and to let off even more steam. After this, everyone was ready to return to the campsite where we had a BBQ planned for that evening. By about 10.30pm all appetites were sated and it was time to sleep. I don't know about you, but I can never sleep the first night and I think everyone was feeling the same. After about 2 hours of listening to the sounds in the night, I managed to get to sleep only to be woken by Nigel (our wonderful cook) snoring!! Naturally, when I asked him the next day he said "that it was his 10 year old daughter", to which I responded "she's got a very deep voice for a 10 year old"!! This was our routine for the next three days. I think that some of the children were able to experience an increase in their confidence and a renewed friendship, that they otherwise would have missed, if they had not had the opportunity to visit such a wonderful place, such as Winchester. I would like to thank Sensei Simon Budden for everything that contributed to making these children happy. George Andrews. Home | Articles | Archive List