Thursday 4th August 2011
Camp full of energy
WITH an average of four weeks holiday per year for us employees, and more than 10 weeks of school holiday for them, if you work it’s a logistical nightmare. What to do with your children over the summer is a guilt-laden and financially destructive conundrum.
So when asked if my two sons wanted to try out Camp Energy in Summertown I jumped at the chance, then wondered if I’d made the right decision.
It may be set in 70 acres of Summer Fields private school, and boast an indoor and outdoor pool, large playing area, tennis courts, astroturf, hockey pitches, bushcraft, go-cart track, a river for canoeing and kayaking and an indoor sports arena, but would it be too exclusive, would everyone there be called Tarquin and Camilla and would it make my children feel like poor relations?
The atmosphere at Camp Energy was great; friendly staff, an amazing agenda, a stunning location and some surprisingly normal looking children.
When I picked the boys up at the end of the day it was hard to extricate them, they were having so much fun. What they’d been up to was even harder to unearth because getting adjectives out of a 13-year-old boy is like pulling teeth.
The warm up ice-breaker had been dodgeball and ‘sharks and fishes’ which is like bulldogs but without the rugby tackling, then a football and rounders tournament, a swim in the freezing outdoor pool with slide, rounded off with a game of wink murder and a treasure hunt.
It was my son who put it best: “I was expecting a load of posh stuck-up kids but when I arrived all the children were really nice.”
On the second day, the boys chose the specialised football course. Their idea of heaven.
As we were leaving, all happy with the experience, which for £33 per child per day, wasn’t as damaging as I’d expected, my younger son said. “I just wish we could go for the whole week and then I could have done the canoeing, bushcraft and go-carting.” I’d better start saving for next year then.
Camp Energy runs until August 26 for ages 4-13, which is divided up into 4-7, 8-10, 11-13. Half day is £17, full day £33, week £149. 10% sibling discount.
Specialised courses include cricket, soccer and dance. Camp Energy also runs over Christmas and Easter. Go to www.campenergy.com or www.facebook.com/Campenergyuk 
by Katherine MacAlister
