We are launching our Summer of Camps Selfies Competition and inviting all children and parents to participate. All you need to do is have some fun with our selfie boards on camp and enter for a chance to win a free place on one of our 2022 camps.
Each year, we strive to improve our already amazing camps by making them even more fun and engaging. And for 2021 we put together these new selfie boards! We thought of children using them to capture a glimpse of their days on camp. They will take these memories home with them to revisit over years to come.
When our selfie boards samples arrived at the office, our colleagues tested them straight away. It was both to make sure they worked, and for a bit of Euro 2020 sweepstake related fun. It was then that we thought we could put them at even better use.
What if parents and youngsters can also join into the fun and enter a competition? As our much awaited summer camps 2021 start today, we launch our new Summer of Camps Selfies Competition!
Win a free place on camp with our selfie boards
Grab the selfie board on camp and take a few photos of your child and friends to enter our competition for a chance to win a free place on camp for 2022.
Once you have taken the photos, follow the next steps:
Post as many photos as you’d like on your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram profile. Remember to make the post public on Facebook, so we can see it and record your entry. We will record one entry per person, to give everybody a chance to win.
Tag us as @ActivateCamps across social media.
Use the hashtags #ActivateCamps and #ActivateYourSmile
Tag a friend.
It’s that simple! You have now entered the competition and will be in the draw for mid-September (we wanted to make sure all parents will have enough time to enter).
We will announce the winner by the end of September. Good luck, and see you on camp starting this week!
Summer camps start next week, but that’s not the only way to interact with Activate over the next couple of months. We are also launching our new sports app! Try it for free with your child at home to get them excited and boost their confidence ahead of camp. All bookings will have access to a free 14-day full version trial of the app.
What makes our sports app great? Why choose it over all other apps available out there?
16 years of top camps experience – condensed in a sports app
The app reflects our experience of more than 16 years of running active and inspiring sports camps. It offers our knowledge as the leading provider of sports camps for children across the UK using age-specific fitness, sport and challenge activities to develop children across a wide range of functional movement and sport specific skills.
It comes packed with options to boost fitness levels, sports skills and confidence. Once you have signed up to the free trial, you can watch all the activities available in video format. Then, all your child needs to do is follow the on-screen instructions to complete the activity.
Give the Skills Challenges a go and track your fitness and skill stats progress.
Step by step guide to our sports app
Now that you booked a place for your child on one of our camps, you gain access to the sports app. Follow the next simple steps and start using it!
Download the app. Use the link https://activatecamps.myamaven.com/app. You need Safari browser to download it on an iPhone, and Google Chrome on android phones.
Go to the app now installed on your phone.
Click “Get started” and add the app icon on your home screen.
Create and account.
Register your account.
Start using it!
Watch the video below for the full process in a visual form.
As days are rolling fast towards the start of our 2021 summer camps, we are all buzzing with excitement during preparations. We have put our heads together for new ideas to keep children excited and engaged on our best camps yet!
Whether multi activity or sports related, each of our camps will be fun packed this summer. From our brand-new workbooks to our Ambassadors and star visits, children have a lot to look forward to this season.
Take memories back home with our new workbooks
With the experience of 16 years of running amazing camps behind us, we wanted to make this summer even better. Camps are returning after a difficult, challenging year, when children and parents alike felt the strain of the pandemic. As the overall context has improved, we have been focusing on how to also improve what we are doing.
Children have always taken away lifelong memories from our camps. They make friends with whom they share great experiences together, taking challenges and having a good time.
In 2021, we are launching our new workbooks to both entertain and keep our young participants engaged. We designed them packed with great games and sports related information, but also with a view to help them keep their memories fresh year after year.
Sports and activity kits for summer camps 2021
Meanwhile, our Operations Team are pushing on to get all kits ready for camps. Sports related equipment, such as cricket bats, gloves and balls, hockey and lacrosse sticks, and more need to be checked, packed, and shipped.
With both the cricket season and Euro 2020 on right now, having the game on as background sound helps! While checking and packing, our colleagues keep updated with what is happening in their favourite sport.
As an addition to on-camp sports and activity kits, with all the necessary equipment for children to make the most of their summer, we recently launched our sportswear kits too. Parents can purchase them ahead of camp to give their child that feeling of already being part of the team.
With four designs available for summer camps 2021, for Activate Camps, The Cricket Academy, Hockey Masterclass and Netball Fever, we will be looking to add more in following years.
Ambassadors will inspire children on summer camps 2021
Heather Knight visited our camps as a star visit previously, and is now one of our two The Cricket Academy Ambassadors.
We couldn’t be prouder of Heather Knight as one of our two The Cricket Academy Ambassador this year. Last week she led her 100th game as England Women’s Cricket team captain. Children and on camp staff alike will be looking forward to meet Heather on summer camps 2021!
All our sports camps Ambassadors are thrilled to inspire our young participants this summer. Jamie Knight will demonstrate and teach some of his best tricks on Freestyle Soccer Camps. On The Cricket Academy camps, Dom Bess will share his experience. And Tamsin Greenway will meet children on our Netball Fever camps.
Check out our previous blog about our sports camps Ambassadors for 2021.
A summer so different than last year’s hopefully lies ahead in 2021. While activities options are beginning to open up, uncertainty still looms over travelling abroad. With this in mind, we thought of the 10 best things to do in the UK over the summer holiday 2021.
Many of us are looking forward to making this coming summer as good as possible.
It feels like there are two sides to it. On one hand, we now have the freedom of choice with restrictions beginning and hopefully continuing to relax. On the other hand, we want to make the best choices of places to go while the nation is still getting vaccinated.
We put our heads together to inspire you with our best ideas for this summer holiday 2021. These are our top 10 suggestions to help you choose what is best for you and your family this season.
Legoland Windsor Resort
Adventure parks will keep the whole family busy and entertained, and Legoland UK have returned with more to offer this year. They launched their new LEGO® MYTHICA: World of Mythical Creatures experience as a new attraction.
Why not book a staycation at Legoland Windsor Resort? Choose a stay here instead of the holiday abroad that sounds trickier to do this year.
Alton Towers
Just as the Legoland Theme Park, Alton Towers offers the option to book a proper UK short break. The Woodland Lodges and CBeebies Land Hotel feature among the five themed types of accommodation available. With the waterpark, golf and luxury spa adding to the adventure park experience, a stay at Alton Towers promises to keep the whole family happy.
National Motor Museum, Beaulieu
Mixing medieval history with the history of motor vehicles, Beaulieu showcases an impressive collection of old and new cars. Motor vehicles lovers will spend the whole day here without noticing the time pass. There is even a suspended train line that goes around the grounds. From up there, visitor can take a peek at the gardens at Beaulieu.
Why not stop here on your way to your staycation on the South – Southwest coast?
For lovers of old trains and locomotives
You could be heading up North instead. If you love trains and train engines, two places will compete for your attention. We love them both and decided to recommend them both, despite the fact they compete with each other. Or maybe just even more so because they do.
(Photo courtesy of National Railway Museum)
Describing themselves as the “home of iconic locomotives”, National Railway Museum in York is free to visit. From Stephenson’s Rocket to Queen Victoria’s Saloon, The Railway Collection boasts nearly 7,000 objects. It also hosts the visiting Flying Scotsman, the world’s most famous locomotive, which has returned on tracks in 2016. What a treat for all lovers of train engines!
Photo of steam engine at Grand Central Railway – Loughborough, Leicester, courtesy of @Adrian Peakman.
If you rather fancy an experience on old trains pulled by steam engines, stop in the Midlands. Take your family on a daytrip to Grand Central Railway – Loughborough, Leicester. Each station on the line with its own specific history and old architecture, they worth visiting and taking your time to explore them. Now the attraction is open Saturday and Sundays, with pre-booking necessary.
History and natural beauty with National Trust
Since we are talking about historical attractions, we need to mention National Trust. Spread across the country, National Trust estates, gardens, natural parks and areas do not only satisfy one’s hunger for history, they also offer a great opportunity for walks and staying active.
Many of the estates boast splendid gardens, such as Bodnant Garden (photo) in Wales. If you decide to spend a staycation on one of the popular spots on the Welsh coast, why not stop and visit these gardens on the way?
Zipworld adventures
While we are talking about Wales, its old slate caverns also mix history with the opportunity to have some active fun. Zipworld features a great number of rides and different types of adventures that will easily entertain the whole family. Among these, ziplining over quarries, bouncing on nets in the old cavers, the Tower Coaster ride, the Forest Coaster, Treetop Nets and the Quarry Karts all sound very exciting.
Cosford Royal Air Force Museum
On this tour we’ve put together of attractions South to North, with a detour to Wales. Let’s return to London with a stop in the Midlands again – Cosford Royal Air Force Museum is free to visit and open again. Admire the fascinating aeroplanes on show while learning about their history and the stories of the people who made them, flew them, maintained them.
Cosford RAF Museum often organises events to keep the whole family engaged and entertained. For this summer holiday, they are running theSummer of Fun ‘n’ Flight programme with activities such as Crazy Golf (22 July – 30 August) and Trampoline Trailer (11-20 August). Check their website before visiting so you can plan and make the most of it.
Bletchley Park and Alan Turing
Travelling back down towards London, this next attraction is a must for the brainiacs amongst us. Drenched in history and mystery together, Bletchley Park marks a crucial moment in the turn of WWII and computing science too. Take your computers loving child on a tour of this fascinating place where they will learn about the story of Alan Turing and his achievements.
Summer camps for summer holidays 2021
If you want to give your child the chance to spend time with their friends rather than with the whole family, our camps are the perfect opportunity to do so. On our multi activity or sports camps, they will not only have lots of fun with their friends, but also practise and improve their skills.
Our star visits and our coaches are looking forward to welcoming children on camps. They will help our young participants make lifelong memories while staying active and inspired.
Just like so many of the UK attractions above, our camps give great choice of both activities and bookings. We aim to meet your family’s needs in terms of numbers of days your child wants to spend on camp. When we designed our multi activity camps, we focused on flexibility – give children and their families as many choices as possible to make it the best camp experience.
Our sports camps are great for sports crazy children, whether into cricket, netball, lacrosse, football or hockey. Mixing professional coaching with challenges to help them be at their best, summer sports camps will get your child that step further into being better at their favourite sport.
Looking forward to welcoming children on our summer camps starting in July!
What makes us all feel like we are really part of the team, we matter, we are all doing it together?
Even before we step on the cricket field or netball court, wearing the club colours and emblem means a lot to us sports people. At Activate Camps, we know how much being part of the team matters for adults and children alike.
Since the very beginning, we designed our sports camps with this vision in mind. We brought top coaching to help sports crazy children improve their skills while having great fun. In any team sport, a big part of the fun and excitement comes from playing together with friends. That togetherness keeps children enjoying the game while they stay inspired and motivated.
Wear the summer sports kits, be part of the team!
We are now adding another team related element to our camps. Before launching our summer camps this year, we put our heads together to see how we can improve the feel of everything we already do. And we thought of summer sports kits!
Just like any of us playing our favourite sport, children will put on their kit and feel like they’re already part of something special. We wanted to give them something to get them excited as soon as summer arrived, before they have even set foot on camp!
With this thought in mind, we designed our summer sports kits for our young participants. Check them out now on the new section on our website where you can order ahead of summer camps.
See The Cricket Academy outfit and drawstring bag below. We have similar summer sports kits for Hockey Masterclass and Netball Fever too!
Our teams wear their summer sports kits with pride
Wearing your team’s jersey has always made sports people feel they were part of it all. As they prepare for the season ahead, our coaches and staff are getting excited already with their summer sports kits arriving.
One of our new on camp staff members, Sophie, wanted to share her excitement with us.
“As a new member of staff this year, the staff kit made me instantly feel a part of the Activate team. It was smart, comfortable and suitable for the ever- changing English weather!”
All our teams are buzzing ahead of summer, gear and summer sports kits ready. They look forward to welcome children to the team soon!
All our Activate Camps Sports Ambassadors share elite level experience, love for sport and dedication to inspiring others. With Dom Bess, Heather Knight, Tamsin Greenway and Jamie Knight representing our sports camps, we plan to make this summer our best yet!
All our coaches and star visits are already buzzing ahead of the coming summer camps season. Our Ambassadors will be adding their stories of excellence to our 16 years of experience in inspiring children across the UK. They will represent The Cricket Academy, Netball Fever and Freestyle Soccer in 2021.
The Cricket Academy inspired by two Activate Camps Sports Ambassadors
Any cricket crazy child who dreams of playing over 100 times for England can look up to Heather Knight. She recalls how competitive everybody in her family is, particularly her mum whom she admired for her performance in squash.
Children loved having Heather Knight star visits on camps in previous years.
Competitiveness and dedication marked Heather’s earlier years of training and have stayed with her through the years. Her career saw a big boost in 2010 when she was called to play for England on tour in India, replacing an injured team member. Heather was 19 at that time. She opened the batting and scored 49 for England in her first game.
While she continued to play domestically first for Devon, then for Berkshire, she led England’s team to winning Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2017. It was her first World Cup as England’s captain.
Throughout her professional cricket career, Heather pushed herself to always improve. That dedication and drive to always be at your best is what she aims to give children as an Ambassador for The Cricket Academy.
Dom Bess has been doing star visits for Activate Camps in previous years too.
Competitiveness is one of the traits both our cricket Ambassadors share. Dom Bess fondly remembers how both he and his brother have always pushed towards better results.
Dom’s ambitions saw fulfilment when he took 6 for 21 on his Championship debut, at Taunton, in 2016. Two years later, at 20, he bested his previous results in his Test debut against Pakistan, with 3-33.
Now, he is looking forward to sharing his experience and skills with children across selected cricket camps with us.
Freestyle Soccer Ambassador Jamie Knight will teach children his best tricks
Jamie Knight demonstrates freestyle football tricks for us in video content we will put out there soon.
Jamie Knight looks forward to visiting all ourFreestyle Soccer Camps, an amazing camp with a mix of football and freestyle football. He will motivate children to persevere with their practice and perfect it to the best of their abilities. Jamie is keen to demonstrate those amazing freestyle soccer tricks that make it such a spectacular sport!
Our Activate Camps Ambassador has spent the past 15 years training anywhere from two to four hours a day. Alongside his successful performing & commercial career, Jamie has a huge passion in teaching freestyle football and inspiring young people. In 2017, Jamie set up the UK’s only freestyle football school workshop company – Freestyle Football Workshops. Since then, he has visited over 300 schools, football clubs & holiday camps.
Did you know the following facts about our Activate Camps Ambassador for Freestyle Soccer?
Jamie is a two times Guinness World Record Holder, former World Top 10 and UEFA’S Official Global Mascot for EURO 2020.
Jamie has now performed and competed in over 30 countries across the world.
He performed in pitch performances at the 2017 & 2018 UEFA Champions League. Finals and at the opening the 2018 Laureus World Sports Awards in Monte Carlo
Our Activate Camps Ambassador starred in an advert alongside Lionel Messi.
From Netball Superleague to Activate Camps Sports Ambassador
Not many Netball players boast Tamsin Greenway’s results. As a multiple Netball Superleague winning player and coach, Tamsin has won the Grand Final five times! She played no less that 67 times for England, winning a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2010. The same year, the team also won silver in the 2010 World Netball Series.
With this record behind her, Tamsin helped launched our Netball Fever camps in 2016, see top photo in this article. She has developed our Netball Fever 3 days programme, on which we also based our brand new 5 days residential camp experience. Tamsin offers a wealth of knowledge and support to our Netball Fever programme, allowing your child to learn from the best!
What are the most important residential camps benefits that your child will get from such an experience? It sounds like a very valid question to ask. We started with this question in mind when we put together our residential camps programmes.
Being the leading provider of active and inspiring childcare in the UK for 16 years has taught us a few valuable things. Everything we offer our young participants is based on both experience and feedback received through all these years.
While these things that we’ve learnt, tested and perfected, make us the best, we also love sharing them to help you and your children make the best decision for their summer adventures away from home.
Let’s look at the top 5 residential camps benefits to any child looking for their camp experience of a lifetime.
Gain more independence on residential camps
Does sending them away from home on their own for the first time sound scary to you and your child? That very first leap towards being more independent may feel slightly frightening at first. Spending the day on a camp near home usually comes across as more familiar than going away for 5 days.
Any such thoughts and nervousness melt once the child arrives on location. They meet new friends whom they can get to know properly. They familiarise themselves with the new environment which they progressively make their own. And they return home with great memories and a big sense of achievement.
Dealing with new situations and environments, while meeting new people and having lots of fun doing activities is one of the best ways to promote independence at any age.
Take more ownership on residential camps
“With great freedom comes great responsibility” – so the saying attributed to Peter Parker/Spiderman goes. Spiderman fans will know this quote already. Whether into superhero movies or not, most children enjoy the freedom they gain on a residential camp.
An enhanced sense of freedom, mixed with engaging in meaningful activities, encourages children to be more responsible. Taking ownership of their choices and actions follows as a natural result.
Being given more responsibility always contributes to personal growth and development. When you add adventure and fun to it, you have the best mix to boost your child’s confidence. With that newly gained confidence, children often get better organised, make better plans, and achieve more in the future.
Adventure and learning on residential camps
We design and plan our camps always thinking of what children will learn with us. Many of our young participants already practise their favourite sport, such as netball or lacrosse. They might already love cooking. By participating on our camps, they will face the challenge to always be better at what they are doing. They learn new ways to improve their skills, new techniques, how to better evaluate their own results.
It might all sound very knowledge orientated. While this is true, so is that fact that children learn a lot better in a fun environment that nourishes their sense of adventure. Our coaches and camp leaders know how to make every task fun and exciting.
Children return from camps with great memories of their adventures with their friends!
Create deeper bonds with friends on residential camps
We all know how different meeting friends at school or work, and doing something fun together outside official hours is. What about learning and improving skills while enjoying adventures together with your friends?
A residential camp mixes the best of both worlds. Children continue to learn a lot, without that obvious emphasis on the didactic process. They also spend a lot more time with their friends than in the exclusive company of adults. They share their achievements, questions and sense of wonder together.
Friendship bonds always strengthen when we share amazing experiences together. It applies to children as much as it applies to adults.
Inspire each other on residential camps
When children develop deeper bonds with their friends, they tend to help and inspire each other more. As your child achieves better results on our camps, they will be encouraged to help their friends too. Everybody benefits from doing activities together.
At Activate Camps, we know how important it is to inspire children through the activities we offer. In our experience, an inspired and motivated child will engage better, challenge themselves more and aim to achieve more.
It is a fundamental human trait that we find inspiration in people who are close to us. Yes, we always learn from leaders. Learning from our own peers often feels more meaningful.
Here at Activate Camps we have now developed our first residential camp programmes with all of the above in mind. Check out our residential camps page below and book a place for your child today!
This summer will be our biggest summer of camps in the last 6 years. Over 140 sport specific and multi activity Activate Camps will welcome children across the UK. Among these, we proudly announce three new venues joining for our summer camps 2021 – Pennthorpe School, Wells Cathedral School and Woldingham School.
Together with our venues we strive to make every camp an exciting opportunity for children. Here, they meet old friends and make new ones, persevere to continuously improve and learn from our coaches and star visits. This summer, our venues turn into playgrounds where serious games are rolling for everybody’s enjoyment and benefit.
Let us introduce the three venues that are joining in this summer.
Students’ confidence – a priority at Pennthorpe School
While we share similar values with all our venues across the UK, one aspect stands out at Pennthorpe. Just like we inspire and motivate children to be at their best, Pennthorpe too aims to boost their students’ confidence. Continuously learning from mistakes and improving makes a difference both on the sports grounds and in the classroom.
When it comes to sports and staying active, children enjoyed 372 sporting fixtures at Pennthorpe during the previous school year! We are looking forward to contributing to that this summer.
An abundance of sports at Wells Cathedral School
Wells Cathedral School informs us that children here compete in matches starting with Year 3. They train and test their skills regularly in hockey, rugby, netball, cricket. The school prides itself in encouraging pupils to discover what they excel at and develop those skills.
This summer, our coaches will welcome children here on Multi Activity Camps, Triathlon Masterclass, The Cricket Academy and Hockey Masterclass. We look forward to giving our young participants at Wells a great time at these summer camps 2021, mixing high quality coaching with lots of fun!
Four types of summer camps 2021 at Woldingham School
One of the top 100 independent schools in the country, Woldingham School hosts a wide range of camps for us this year. We are running no less than three types of Multi Activity Camps, Triathlon Masterclass, Netball Fever and Ultimate Lacrosse Experience at this new venue for our summer 2021 camps.
Children booked on our camps at Woldingham will enjoy sporty fun and great coaching surrounded by 700 acres of beautiful Surrey countryside. That sounds like something to look forward to.
Over 1000 participants enjoyed their Easter break with us in 2021. Our Easter sports camps proved a great success after the uncertainty we all experienced at the beginning of the year.
We made great memories, met top sports people and enjoyed staying active!
Our Multi Activity Camps, Netball Fever and The Cricket Academy revived venues across the country this Easter break.
Turning sports practice into great fun at our Easter Activate Camps across the country.
Activated with star visits stories
Young participants engaged with our inspirational star visits.
They metAlex Tudor, Graeme White, Lauren Tait,Megan Thorne and Ashleigh Jay. Their presence at different venues gave the children the opportunity to make great memories and take away gold nuggets of top sports experience and stories.
Coach Max Everett, who hosted Alex Tudor’s visit in one of our Easter camps, talks about the value such visits bring:
“Having a star visit Activate Camps is an amazing opportunity for the kids. They are able to ask questions and learn from former and current professional players. It’s not only the kids that can get star struck but also the coaches!”
Fun and motivation at high level in Easter Camps
Ex-England international cricketer Alex Tudor joined our participants both on the pitch and in a Q&A session.
Watch him bowl, in the video below, with each group so batters could test their skill against him. They all engaged and it felt like a big game unfolding right there, at our venue!
Later, Alex Tudor shared his experience, talking about what it takes to get to that elite level of cricket. Children and coaches alike were captivated by his stories.
Check out our Alex Tudor video highlight of the whole week of sports camps.
Stay tuned to our social media channels. We will have a lot more video content with our star visits and Ambassadors for you soon.
Covid safety at the forefront of Activate Camps
After a lot of uncertainty and strain we all felt through this pandemic, our sports camps brought back the cheer, the inspiration, the focus for everybody to be at their best.
We kept our camps Covid safe with measures in place to reduce virus related risks. With the same Covid related safety in mind, and the prospect of making further great memories while improving skills, we are looking forward to our summer camps now.
They are a summer camp blog that provides helpful resources for parents looking to find the best camp for your child. Discover resources on how to afford camps, help kids/parents/counsellors how best to deal with homesickness, helpful tips on preparing your child for camp, and much more.
Expertise from experience camp consultants provides information that will allow you to select the best camp for your child.
Summer Camp Hub strives to be the #1 go to source when it comes to all things summer camps. With most of them having grown up attending summer camps they have all made a lot of memories that they will never forget. The activities and all the new friends they made will stay with them forever.
They conduct in depth research on their summer camp guides to make sure you are getting the latest and most up to date information regarding summer camps. They know just how fun summer camps can be and the lifetime of memories that are made at these camps that is why they do their best when it comes to writing articles.
