Read our Spring Newsletter 2024 here

Read it all in our Spring 2021 Newsletter

So over the past months the team of six have spent every Tuesday and often many other days dealing with the list of suggested improvements. Obviously, apart from a Government grant, the campsite income was reduced, so most of the time was spent reusing or reworking existing materials.

Our present Mayor of Woking had been to the campsite before when we were considering changing our old activity room, the DRT Hall, but this had been a few years ago. Now was the time to invite her to see the changes.

So, Tuesday 29th September was a very special working day with the Mayor of Woking, Cllr. Beryl Hunwicks kindly giving up some time to visit the campsite to meet the team of six.

The Giant’s Chair at Birchmere Scout Campsite

The Mayor spent time catching up with the campsite’s improvements over the past years especially the two new activity rooms, Birch Lodge and The Retreat, the work being undertaken at the moment and the plans for the future. She was taken on a tour of the campsite, where she was particularly impressed with the campfire area with its “Giants Chair”. The Mayor then saw the recent changes which the team had achieved. She was very keen to hear about the planned new adult toilets and showers that would be in place by the spring of next year.

All too soon the visit was over and after a full hour and a half The Mayor departed for her next venue. The members of the campsite team were really heartened by Cllr Hunwicks’ enthusiasm and support for the campsite, and indeed for Scouting in Woking as a whole, and thanked her for spending time with us at Birchmere.

So, with no campsite bookings for the foreseeable future, all the previously budgeted site improvements were dusted down, tools were dusted off, dodgy back muscles stretched and work began.

Digging the trench for the new standpipe

Birchmere has always been a great location for small camps, but recently we have seen more and more bookings for larger and larger camps. This meant making some major improvements to our waterworks. So, we now have a vastly improved septic tank drainage system to help avoid any “unpleasant” little moments. We’ve also added a third standpipe on the north side of the campsite, so you shouldn’t have Cubs or Scouts grumbling about long walks with heavy Jerry cans!  Plus, there is a smart new outdoor washing-up station complete with hot water (the luxury!) to make dish and pan washing easier on field camps. Since this is slap next to the campsite gate it’s also a perfect anti-Covid hand washing point as well.

Our new activity rooms – The Retreat and Birch Lodge – have been spruced up with fresh coats of paint, thorough cleaning and shiny new tiles in the kitchen areas. The inside of both halls now looks really smart and we’ve improved the outside as well by widening the special needs ramp to The Retreat to create a larger wheelchair turning area.

The Throne at Birchmere Scout Campsite

The beloved camp fire circle has been hugely updated with a second row of seating sufficient for the biggest of camps. As a further extra, a campfire leaders “Throne” has been created to add to the atmosphere (and no doubt, noise) at campfires. This is now an amazing campfire area!

We still have work to do when finances permit. On our list are improved adult shower and toilet facilities, to eliminate the early morning / late evening queues of showercap wearing leaders, and we are hoping that a delayed grant assessment for a campsite defibrillator will be approved soon.

Birchmere is now an even smarter “Proper Little Campsite”.

Read it all in our Spring 2020 Newsletter

Even though it still remains a Proper little Campsite there have been many important upgrades over the years. New toilet blocks, have now been complete and the two refurbished Activity Rooms set up a couple of years ago are well used and receiving great acclaim and feedback from visiting camping groups.

The future for the campsite is also being actively considered. We are now near to agreeing a new 25 year lease with our landowners, Surrey County Council which will allow for a long-term secure situation for the campsite and the option of pursuing major grants for future upgrades and improvements. This new lease will be a major improvement from the last, in that the lease site will now include Woolgars Wood, where we have our existing campfire circle, as a part of the leased site. It is at the moment, being “borrowed” from Surrey Wildlife Trust, the Wisley and Ockham Common land managing agents. The extra security for this wooded area will surely be a great improvement for the campsite.

The site has had its normal very hectic year with larger and more frequent requests for bookings. The committee is very aware that, to increase our usage, we have to continually upgrade the campsite infrastructure. Over the last year, time and money was sent on the septic tank system so that a more reliable and modern way of moving grey water from the old cess pit retainer to the septic tank was fitted. The earlier setup had occasionally been overwhelmed when there were large weekend camps, which led to restrictions in campsite numbers. Future plans for an increase in the septic tank ground water drainage system will also be embarked on to spread the resulting waste water more efficiently.

Over the past year we have seen the campsite be as busy as ever. The Campsite Management Committee worked tirelessly to maintain the site on a limited budget. The row of poplar trees on the M25 side of the site was reduced by a third to ensure that they remained safe in high winds. Our tractor has never ceased to ensure that we are concerned about its well-being with constant episodes of overheating when mowing. The tractor had received a major overhaul only a few years ago at great cost and to have to consider this again was worrying. Eventually, by replacing the radiator we have found that this may have been resolved and we are optimistic that the machine will work efficiently in the future. The toilet and shower facilities are regularly requiring updates and repairs, especially in our busy summers, but we are able to deal with this as and when they occur.

So what are our plans for the future? To allow for increased campsite use, the septic tank will require a larger drainage systems and the halls better drainage of their used water. It is planned to lay a new mains water pipe to the far side of the field. The Campsite has received a £1000 grant from the Members Community Allocation fund for the provision of an AED (a defibrillator) and we thank Cllr. Colin Kemp for this. A further £450 has been donated to allow this to be purchased and we are waiting for a final grant decision to allow a training unit to be bought. The AED will be for community and campsite use and therefore provide an important facility in our area. Finally, our priority plan is to provide a new set of leader’s toilet and showers. At a busy camp there can be occasionally in excess of 20 adults and their toilet facilities are severely restricted. This will provide a much needed extra amenity at our campsite.

One of the nicest parts of being a member of the Birchmere committee is to be part of the team that the campsite has to organise and maintain the site to allow it to be such in demand by booking units. The campsite, under the supervision of our warden, Steve Valiant, has constantly offered visiting camping groups a great outdoor space to stay. This last year a very special moment was the presentation of the County Commissioners Thanks Badge to Judi Oakley for over ten years’ service to the campsite as booking secretary. Her certificate read… “For services as Booking Secretary to Birchmere Campsite; being the welcoming voice of Woking Scouts to potential visitors. For your loyalty and assertiveness and for offering suggestions during changes to both site and campsite fees” It was signed by the County Commissioner for Surrey Scouts, Joe Rogerson.

Thank you Judi and, indeed thank you to all our great campsite management team. They put in an amazing amount of time and enthusiasm in really making this “A Proper Little Campsite”.