Our Poacher Adventure (part 1)

For the parents of Guides going to Poacher, the last time they saw their girls was when we were cramming the coach full of too much stuff!  You'll be glad to know that we squeezed it all in and we arrived at Poacher happy and full of excitement for the days ahead.  Although the sky was overcast, we managed to put up our tents before the rain came (even though the high winds did slow us down) and ate our lunch whilst our marquee was put up.  The kitchen was set up and jobs completed (water collected and gas connected) and eventually we headed off for the opening ceremony.  We marched in with the rest of our subcamp, having got to know some of the other Guides and Scouts while we were waiting.  24 countries were represented at Poacher and it was really poignant watching the flags being raised.  We were also introduced to some of the key members of the Poacher team and had a message from the Chaplin.  Some of our girls feature in the Poacher opening video, which you can find on the Poacher 2017 website

Fortunately, the rain held off until after the opening ceremony but then it seemed to rain for the rest of the evening.  The first night at camp is always one of the most difficult in terms of sleeping and it wasn't helped by the constant sound of rain on tents but we woke the next day to clearer skies and a day full of activities ahead.

Activities at Poacher are allocated on a random basis but girls are free to swap and collect more activities or simply go and queue for an activity.  It took a little while to get used to the ticketing system but by the end of Sunday, most girls had got into the swing of things.  Another highlight from Sunday was a visit from Bear Grylls, who arrived by helicopter and did a back flip onto a giant inflatable.  I am told that when Skip heard the helicopter arrive she took off at high speed to track Bear down (apparently, she has never run so fast!) - you can see some of her pictures on our twitter feed.  Connie, one of the Rangers, managed to get her necker signed.

Our girls have already experienced a range of activities, although some like Hot Air Ballooning have been hampered by the weather (the rain and high winds have continued throughout the first half of the week) and none of our girls managed to be selected for this activity.  However Kirsten, one of our Rangers, did get selected for Gliding which was an amazing activity and Wren has some photos of this on her camera, which we hope to post when she returns from camp.

Here are some of the comments from the girls about some of the activities they have done:

Lucy:

The first activity I did was Sailing and it was so good!  The wind was really strong which made it more exciting.

Alisha:

I enjoyed learning about the African culture, when I had a go at playing on the African Drums.  It was really good and the sounds and rhythms were amazing.

Lily:

Although the weather has been unpredictable, I have had so much fun at Poacher.  My favourite thing I have done so far is Go Karts, it felt like I was going so fast but looking back at videos it was embarrassingly slow!

Kirsten:

I really enjoyed Gliding, something I wouldn't normally be able to do.

Gabby:

I really enjoyed doing the Inflatables as I could keep going on them with my friends but I hated being chased by wasps when eating my food!

Lucy:

I have really enjoyed getting to know Kirsten and Gabby really well.

Anna G:

Poacher is amazing.  The food Wren does is amazing and always filling.  The activities are really fun and nothing like we have done before.  Getting to the middle of the week, our tent is getting a little bit messy but it's nice to be all snuggled in and the fairground is amazing.  Thank you everyone and see you Saturday.

Anna R:

It is really good fun at Poacher.  I love the food and all the activities are brilliant.  The atmosphere is really nice and everyone is so kind and friendly.

Georgina:
My time at Poacher has been amazing, I have done so many activities like zip line, zorbs, segways and much more.  As well as physical activities there are also mental ones and there is a Poacher Challenge badge.  There are also off-site trips.  I love Poacher!

Lottie:
This camp I have really enjoyed the Freefall Stuntbag because it was a challenge.  I have loved the camping and activities.

Elizabeth:
I have really enjoyed going on the Rock Climbing and Abseiling Wall because I challenged myself with heights, this was a great achievement.

Katie G:
I have really enjoyed Poacher so far. Crate Stacking has been super fun and I got to do it with my friends.  All the birthday surprises (balloons, cards, presents) were amazing.

Izzy L:
I have found all my activities amazing!  Inflatables were really fun, especially with friends.  I also loved Cave Bus and Crate Stacking.

Rebecca, Neve and Lauren:
We love Poacher.  There are tons of fun things to do.  We plan on going Scuba Diving.  Our favourite activity has been Crate Stacking.

Joanna, Abbie, Abby, Marissa and Leo:
Scuba Diving was amazing.  The instructors were very nice and patient.  Cave Bus was good, as well as Cave Challenge.  Inflatables meant that we could do activities in our group of 5.

Sarya:
I had fun on the Freefall Zipline, Bowling and Go Karts.

Lara:
I really enjoyed the Micro-quads, as they went really fast.  Luckily, I didn't fall off!

Elisa:
I have had fun, it has all been amazing!

Sarya, Lara and Elisa have done so many activities - they have really got into the spirit of Poacher, getting up early to get all the best tickets.  They have done three badges already - well done girls!

Katrina, Lucy and Caitlin:
Today we played the African Drums and they were more fun and interesting than we expected!  We also did some dancing during the activity which we were a bit embarrassed about!  Luckily, none of us had to dance in the middle!  Lucy said "I loved learning the different rhythms"  Katrina said "I learnt a new skill" and Caitlin "It's my first time on camp and I'm really enjoying it"

Carmela: 
The funfair was amazing but the lines were too long!  The Inflatable challenge was great.

Anya:
I learnt that the best tickets come out in the evening, that was how I got an Aqua Park pass.  When I went, it was incredible.

As you can see, the changeable weather has not dampened the girls' spirits!  There have been a few ups and downs but there is always someone there to look after anyone feeling a little home sick or tired.  We had Christmas Day on Wednesday (a notorious 'dip-day') with Christmas jumpers, tinsel, crackers and an evening meal in the Bistro.  The girls have met Guides and Scouts from all over the World and have swapped some of those swaps you might have seen them making at home - in particular, there have been a few visits to the girls from Australia, who are in the UK for 3 weeks.

Not all the girls had a chance to comment in time for this post but hopefully we will have more feedback for our next post.

Don't forget to keep checking our twitter feed for more pictures and updates.

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