Latest Cottage news:

Come Rain or Shine at Cameron’s Cottage

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:26:00 GMT

I’m Laura, I work for the RSPB and I run Cameron’s Cottage. I started working here in 2024 and in the Autumn decided to write a seasonal update of all of my goings-on. Here we are more than a year on with edition 6, Winter!

Winter has given us plenty of rain, rain and more rain, but there have been days of soul-refreshing sunshine dotted about in between. On these days, I was reminded of the beauty of winter; the crimson red of holly berries, the raindrops hanging off dew-drenched leaves and the feeling of crisp cold air on my face and in my lungs. It all reminds me that life still exists even when we don’t see if around us. I’m writing this in mid March, and Spring is bursting into life all around me – it won’t be long before Cameron’s Cottage is once again busy with the laughter and chaos that only young people can bring.

Spring is in the air

Before the seemingly endless rain and flooding in the New Year, the weather decided to be favourable and shine upon us over the Christmas period. For me, this was a great blessing, and I took many a walk around the New Forest with my family. Having struggled to get into work for all the floods, it’s a relief for both us and for nature that the worst of the storms and rains seem to have come and gone – at least until later this year!

Thought outside of our usual delivery season, Cameron’s Cottage hosted a handful of hardy young people this Winter. Winchester Youth Counselling came for an evening of fun fire lighting around the firepit – learning traditional methods of fire lighting to create a hot chocolate and toast marshmallows. It got dark very quickly, but this only added to the ambience – using the fires warmth to keep cosy and its flamelight to see just well enough to pop another marshmallow on a stick.

The National Park Authority brought a group of Young Carers to Cameron’s Cottage – who undertook a jam-packed conservation weekend, spending much of their time cutting back rhododendron and surveying the lake and streams around the cottage. We also squeezed one final rhododendron management session in with the Kings Trust before the end of February – which the young people really got into and helped to create a roaring fire – plenty warm enough to keep us all toasty in the chilly February air.

I have been spent the Winter networking with people from similar outdoor organisations and completed a 6 week qualification in Young People’s Mental Health

Despite the grey days, my time has been anything but boring. I have been spending the Winter learning and networking with likeminded outdoor centres and organisations. I spent a full-on 6 weeks completing a qualification in Young People’s Mental Health – something that I’m really keen to weave into the activities we deliver at Cameron’s Cottage. Being out in nature is a great way to boost young people’s moods, almost without them realising it! But I want to also help them realise they can regulate their own mental health and build resilience by seeking out nature and green spaces in their own local patch – which will surely help them manage the ups and downs that life will inevitably bring.

I have also been working towards undertaking a sabbatical this year – using connections I’m growing to visit a few other outdoor centres and knowledge share with them. I’m picking organisations which excel in different areas – working with young people who have additional needs, residential packages, pastoral care etc.

With Spring in the air as I write this, and the rays of the sunshine on my back are noticeably warmer than in the months gone by; I have enjoyed reflecting on how Winter has treated us, and look forward to what joy and adventures the Spring and Summer months have to offer.

Until next time,

Laura

Book a stay: https://bit.ly/cameronscottage

Volunteering with us: https://bit.ly/cameronscottagevolunteering

Winchester Youth Council

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 10:48:00 GMT

A wonderful night time excursion...

It was such a pleasure to have Winchester Youth Council bring a group of young people to participate in nocturnal activities last week. The RSPB led them on a night time walk in the woods and reserve to experience the silence of the woods. The sound of their footsteps in the leaves and the odd rustle or distant hoot or chirp was all they could hear plus the smell of damp trees and woodlands.

They returned with a few objects they found in the woods to Cameron’s Cottage to do some bushcrafting as well as light a fire and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate

Autumn wonder at Cameron’s Cottage

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 10:23:00 GMT

I’m Laura, I work for the RSPB and I run Cameron’s Cottage. I started working here last year and in Autumn 2024 decided to write a seasonal update of all of my goings-on. Here we are a year on with edition 5, Autumn!

As Summer quickly moved into Autumn, the woods surrounding Cameron’s Cottage came alive with colour – from leaves, to fungi, berries and everything in between, nature’s masterpiece was putting on an impressive display. Even while cleaning your teeth, young people could admire this beauty – see the view from our bathroom window!

And just like nature’s last bold act before the quiet of Winter, Cameron’s Cottage was too coming alive with a new wave of intrepid Autumnal explorers. September and October were busy with multiple residential trips and the beginning of November saw the last few day visits of the year. I’m writing this on the first day of December and Autumn is slipping away right in front of my eyes. For me, it’s now time to look ahead to Christmas, the wonders of Winter and planning for 2026 – I must remember to wear my thermals tomorrow!

But back to the slightly more balmy Autumn, where rain only disrupted plans a couple of times and where the sun’s dappled warmth was enjoyable through the golden shades of woodland oak and beech. A definite highlight for me was a sunny morning walk through the woods with a local university group, where fungi were seemingly popping up in front of our very eyes. There were so many of them and so many kinds! It made my day when I spotted my first fly agaric of the season – a firm favourite and a personal indicator that Autumn is surely here.

Behind the scenes I have been working hard to build a following on social media. Instagram has been a particular success, with 538 followers to date! Followers seems to enjoy nature themed content and practical ways to get involved in learning about and looking after the natural world. Showing a Facebook audience of home schoolers and forest schoolers how we use The Lost Words book to teach young people about nature has been a particular hit!

It's been great to have a new way to engage with young people and see their experiences at Cameron’s Cottage – both to follow along with their nature journeys and also a brilliant way for us to reflect using this valuable source of feedback. Here’s one young person who shared a video of his time at Cameron’s Cottage via his Instagram handle mustelid_man. See his post here.

I’ve also been working with the RSPB’s EDI team to raise awareness and improve how Cameron’s Cottage works with young people with Hidden Disabilities and accessibility needs. With initial discussions complete, this work will form a chunk of what I do this Winter – so more on this to come!

With the last group of the year been and gone, I am grateful for an amazing and fruitful 2025 and look forward to what 2026 is going to bring.

Free to be Kids

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 09:21:00 GMT

I met Free to be Kids a while ago to discuss possibility of a camp at Cameron’s Cottage. It was therefore wonderful to finally welcome their groups of young people for a stay.

Free to be Kids is a charity that helps London children who are struggling with complex disadvantages, to feel included. They support young people from vulnerable backgrounds.

They brought 2 separate groups to Cameron's Cottage during the October half term who said they were made to feel very welcome and loved being completely immersed in nature. This feeling of security and safety made their young people feel very special and cared for. They specifically said the Cottage was warm and cosy and really loved the communal area as a hang out space, especially the chalk board where you could draw and contribute, as well as read quotes made by other groups.

Chalk board in Cameron’s Cottage

The RSPB ran all the activities which included nature rich walks, shelter building as well as wildlife creative sessions. They loved the activities which offered them a new respect and appreciation for nature.

"Overall just to say a massive, massive thank you to yourself and the team. We're beyond grateful for the chance to access your beautiful site Providers and organisations like yourself make it possible for groups like us to provide a safe and nurturing space for vulnerable young people who otherwise would not have these opportunities! Thank you so much.”

Group Leader

Summertime at Cameron’s Cottage

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 10:59:00 GMT

I’m Laura, I work for the RSPB and I run Cameron’s Cottage. I started working here last year and in the Autumn decided to write a seasonal update of all of my goings-on. This is edition 4, Summer!

In the last edition of this blog, I wrote of how busy April and May had been and early June brought the last of that particular busy spell. Summer has since been a little quieter, allowing for moments of reflection between incredibly rewarding group visits and activities.

The group visits to the cottage have been rewarding

My frequent visits down to the lake were a highlight as I could watch the toad tadpoles developing with every visit! Another highlight was seeing a cacophony of bats on each evening walk I led. Watching the young people be amazed and enthralled by this nocturnal display was so heartwarming – and the excitement from knowing bats were flying low all around us, almost touching our heads at points, was contagious and I couldn’t help but laugh with glee alongside them.

Behind the scenes I had also been working on setting up Facebook and Instagram pages for Cameron’s Cottage to engage young audiences in the nature around them, display some of the goings-on of recent groups visiting the cottage and inviting young people to take action for nature in their local green spaces. July saw the launch of these two accounts and I’ve been enjoying creating videos and taking photos to build an online platform for young people to engage with.

Things picked up again at end of July as we busily prepared for the New Forest Show. The 3 day event is a great opportunity to share what we do with the wider public and local community. Jayne and I designed activities to engage with families and made display boards to aid conservation conversations about our work and our nature reserve.

August brought a small flurry of residential stays and day visits to Cameron’s Cottage, and somehow the team were able to squeeze in some well-deserved holiday! I’m writing this in the beginning of September, with fond memories of the whirlwind year 2025 has already been, and excited for what adventures Autumn brings, especially as while writing this I’m seeing the first signs that Autumn is on its way!

Romsey Young Carers

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 09:38:00 GMT

We were delighted to once again sponsor Romsey Young Carers to spend time in nature, away from their daily responsibilities. Young Carers are young people whose lives are affected by caring for a family member who has a long-term illness or disability. Romsey Young Carers provides safe spaces for their young carers to discuss concerns, get support and have fun.

The first group consisted of 15-18 year olds who enjoyed their stay at Cameron’s Cottage, immersed in nature, walking, pond dipping and participating in team building games as well as a bat walk and a BBQ around the camp fire. The bat walk was definitely a highlight.

"During my stay at Cameron’s cottage I was able to decompress around the sounds, sights and smells of nature. We had the opportunity to explore the wildlife that surrounded Cameron’s cottage and we even got to create our own fires to make hot chocolate where we used the natural resources around us.

"Overall I had the most amazing time being able to catch up with friends and my brother expressing the love of nature and the lovely cottage stay " - Gracie

"At Cameron's cottage I enjoyed seeing my friends and having the opportunity to relax, enjoy nature and create stronger bonds with other people. I feel it was very beneficial as I am very busy working a full-time job and dealing with lots of adult responsibilities so having the time to just not worry was great. My favourite activity was going to the lake and finding bugs and eating lots of food. I also enjoyed late night uno and playing pranks on everyone". -- Ella

"Thank you so much to everyone at the Cameron Bespolka trust for enabling us to stay at the cottage and experience its surroundings, to be immersed in nature whilst learning new skills. We felt truly enriched and recharged by the end of our stay.”
Keren, staff Romsey Young Carers.

We were also so pleased to sponsor their Family Fun Day at Cameron’s Cottage. The group consisted of the parents as well as the young carers and provided a perfect place for them to spend time outside together with their parents. A highlight was the campfire where they could play games.

"Our family day at Cameron’s Cottage was an amazing opportunity that enabled all of us to spend quality time together in a supportive environment, away from the pressures of daily life. The activities – from exploring local insect life to learning practical skills like fire-making – were good fun and encouraged enjoyment of nature. For my daughter, who has caring responsibilities, the day offered both respite and the chance to simply enjoy being a child. Experiences like this have a significant positive impact on her wellbeing, family relationships, and confidence, and I am very grateful that Young Carers had the support from Cameron’s Cottage to make it possible" - Alison

A huge thank you to the RSPB for organising such amazing activities as well as giving these young people some down time to enjoy their surroundings and friends.

Young Writers Camp

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 11:45:00 GMT

Another group of enthusiastic and creative young people arrived for the 2nd Young Writers Camp. It was such an honour to create a space for them where they can share an interest in nature and writing.

They were able to forge friendships with like-minded individuals, learn from experts and have time to write in the beautiful New Forest. Hosted by Emily Hunt and Andrew Millham, the weekend was a unique experience and enjoyed by all.

"A fabulous weekend. Refreshing to spend time in nature and learn useful tips for writing. I feel much more confident about writing now, especially with so many helpful workshops."

The aim of the camp was to provide young people with the opportunity to connect with nature and enter a space where they can focus on writing and nature. This was achieved by Emily and Andrew inviting a group of inspirational authors. They talked about the various options you had as a creative writer: do you want to become an author, a blogger, a journalist, a communicator to the public or to write government wildlife policies.

"It has been a huge help and has given me loads more ideas and tips which will definitely help develop my writing for exams and also my future career...also getting to meet so many young, like-minded people has been the highlight of my time here."

Writing and communicating about nature, wildlife and our environment is hugely important as well as meeting like-minded young people and having the unique opportunity to speak to such experienced writers.

Thank you to Andrew and Emily for organising and thank you to all the amazing speakers:

Roger Morgan-Granville,
Andrew Millham
Stephen Moss
Jeni
Alicia Hayden
Emily Hunt
Kabir Kaul

Cameron’s Cottage has a perfect outdoor classroom. The Cottage can sleep 19 and is a perfect place for young people to come together.

Leaside Trust’s Youth Club

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 15:04:00 GMT

The trip to Cameron’s Cottage is a highlight of the year for the Leaside Trust’s Youth Club. This year was no exception, with 8 young people booking their places to attend the camp.

They arrived and were greeted by the staff from RSPB and had a wonderful afternoon taking part in problem-solving games. The young people were split into pairs and one of them was blindfolded while the other had to lead them through an obstacle course or through the woods. This was a new challenge for many of the young people and some of them took to it incredibly well and very quickly while others had to think about things a little bit more and figure out that that their partner couldn't see gestures while they were blindfolded.

"It has become apparent that the annual trip to Cameron's cottage is one of the favourites of our youth club members.”

Leaside Trust leader.

The next activity included the spiders’ webs and a slack line and set challenges for the entire group. This really helped them to bond and gel together, and it was great to see how inclusive they were with everybody having a role to play in solving the problems.

After an excited evening and an early night, they got up the next day and the first food team prepared breakfast before they headed out into the woods for a morning of den building. There were many different styles on display some of which were almost effective at keeping the water that the staff were pouring over the top of the dent on the outside! We left the dens up for a couple of days and over the free time the young people went and added to them or took some branches down to scavenge the materials to extend other dens and they ended up almost with a village of small houses where they played in quite happily.

After lunch they went outside and learned how to light fires with a Flint and steel and the youngsters then used Kelly kettles to boil up water and make themselves some hot chocolate this was one of the favourite things that they did so far.

While we still have some daylight, we headed over into the SSI to plant some camera traps in the hope of catching footage of some of the exciting and interesting animals that live in the woods around the cottage. We left them there until the final day... Unfortunately, the only thing that we caught a glimpse of was a little rat scurrying around in the undergrowth, but we did get to see some footage that other visitors had caught, and it was great to see the variety of wildlife in the area.

This was a very busy day it turns out as once it got dark, we headed off into the forest again for a long nighttime walk with bat detectors. We managed to locate several different sites where bats were active and even caught a glimpse of 1 hunting and catching a moth in our torchlight. On the walk back they found some amazing beetles before enjoying some marshmallows by the fire.

The next day was also equally busy, and they spent the first half until lunchtime bracken bashing in the woods. Bracken is a problem for native Woodlands as it carpets the floor and stops lights from getting through and other plants from growing. The youngsters took great delight in bashing it with sticks and breaking it down so that other things had a chance to grow.

They spent an afternoon enjoying craft making activities using natural materials, leaves and sticks. And finally a poetry session where everyone's thoughts were put together to make a story that was read out to the whole group.

This was followed by our final activity, which was a big, long walk around the perimeter of the woods. We saw ticks up close with a magnifying glass and even found the rest of Mr stinky (a skeleton of a deer who died there last year the skull had already been recovered and we brought most of the rest of the bones back to be reunited and put him all together again!)

"To have the opportunity to bring our young people here and expose them to a world that many of them simply wouldn't have access to will have an ongoing and positive impact on them for many years to come.”

Leaside Trust Leader

Over the course of the week, about half of the kids kept a journal with sketches and phrases of things that they've been up to in the week, and they even drew a map of our nature walk so they could find their way home if they got lost.

As we have come to expect from spending time in Cameron's cottage, the activities were fantastic, and each child had an amazing time. For one or two this was the first trip away from their parents outside of a school trip, for others it was the first time being in such an environment and interacting so closely with nature. There was a noticeable difference in their willingness to help each other, work together and avoid skiving as the week progressed - testament to the benefits that they got from the activities they took part in.

The facilities, activities, location, staff and benefits of spending time in Cameron's cottage are phenomenal. We are lucky at Leaside that we are surrounded by open space, however it is very different to being in the middle of the woods where you can hear the creatures in the nighttime and the sounds of nature drifting on the breeze.

BTO Bird Camp 2025

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 10:42:00 GMT

We've worked with the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) for quite a few years now. In fact they were our very first partner when we sponsored the first young birders camp they organised in Thetford, back in 2015.

Today they run multiple camps throughout the UK. These camps introduce young people to more in-depth knowledge as well as learning new skills in conservation. Most of the participants are already keen ornithologists and conservationists and these camps are perfect for meeting other like-minded friends.

We were therefore thrilled to sponsor the first camp to Cameron’s Cottage for 14 participants aged 13-16 years old. BTO felt that Cameron's Cottage gave a holistic approach to connecting young people with nature, based in the heart of the New Forest.

The young naturalists explored surveys such as Garden BirdWatch, WeBS, and BBS, and used BirdTrack to record their daily sightings. A Bioblitz – complete with pond dipping – introduced them to the diversity of taxa around the site and encouraged hands-on discovery.

Two ringing demonstrations with the New Forest Ringing Group gave the participants the rare chance to see birds up close. Licensed ringers shared their expertise, adding rich context to these unforgettable encounters.

They were thrilled to be inspired by local organisations: Wild New Forest brought extensive ringing knowledge, while Thomas and Eleanor opened up the fascinating world of Nightjars and Laura from the RSPB Cameron’s Cottage team brought invaluable insight during the Bat Walk and Bioblitz, helping to deepen everyone's understanding of the site.

They also learned about nurturing creative connections to nature. Jane from the RSPB team led a nature art and writing session that encouraged participants to reflect on their experiences, explore different ways of engaging with the natural world, and prioritise their mental wellbeing.

Spring-boarding into the busy season!

Wed, 11 Jun 2025 08:59:00 GMT

Hello again! I’m Laura, I work for the RSPB and I run Cameron’s Cottage. I started working here last year and in the Autumn decided to write a seasonal update of all of my goings-on. This is edition 3, Spring!

The Cottage Chronicles will be a seasonal update, written by me, of what we’ve been up to at Cameron’s Cottage. I’ll try to include the highlights, some stories from recent groups and my general musings of what the last few months have been like.

The weather has definitely picked up since I wrote the last blog. Feb/March brought us our first residential groups of the year and since then it’s been a whirlwind of great weather and happy young people. Spring arrived in full force and it was wonderful to see the cottage and surrounding woodland come alive with wild flowers – seeing the bluebells was a particular highlight! With wall-to-wall sunshine for most of April and May, our busy season kicked off with a bang. A highlight was definitely doing a reptile survey with a group of young conservationists and finding a pair of common lizards basking in the sun.

And wildlife has been all around us! From moths to toads, goshawks to buzzards and everything in between, young people have been treated to an amazing array of wildlife.

At the start of May, we also welcomed Jayne our new Visitor experience Officer who will be delivering activity sessions to groups all through the Summer and Autumn. Jayne will be with us for 6 months and has great experience of working with children and young people both in a school setting and in the outdoors.

It was a fun and engaging, full-on day, which concluded with me achieving the Bushcraft Assessment Level Two Qualification

A highlight for me over these Spring months was to head back into the woods and complete my bushcraft training, being assessed on the topics I had learnt and trained on last Autumn. This photo below shows the shelter, fire and pot hanger I made, all using bushcraft skills and techniques and culminated in me making myself a cup of tea right there in the woods! It was a fun and engaging, full-on day, which concluded with me successfully achieving the Bushcraft Assessment Level Two Qualification. A fabulous day on all accounts!

May has been jam-packed with several groups visiting the cottage, and while I was hoping to get this blog written earlier, I am glad to have touched the lives of so many young people, hopefully starting their journey in becoming keen nature lovers and wanting to help nature thrive where they live.

June and July are looking a little bit quieter, though bookings are still coming in for our Summer season. If you, or anyone you know might be interested in booking a stay at Cameron’s Cottage, particularly for June or July, please do use the links below for more information.

Booking a stay: https://bit.ly/cameronscottage

Volunteering with us: https://bit.ly/cameronscottagevolunteering

Until next time,

Laura

New Forest Young Carers visit Cameron’s Cottage

Fri, 23 May 2025 16:46:00 GMT

We were delighted to sponsor the New Forest Young Carers to enjoy a day in nature at Cameron’s Cottage.

They spent the day engaged in numerous outdoor activities, namely collecting branches and building dens, various team building activities and whittling tent pegs and mallets (which they used to make their dens). All activities were brilliantly led by the RSPB.

It’s always a pleasure to see groups enjoy the beautiful peaceful surroundings at Cameron’s Cottage and we are particularly pleased to work with so many Young Carer Organisations. Young Carers look after someone in their family with a long-term health problem or disability. It can often be isolating being a young carer and New Forest Young Carers Organisation has a supportive team who offers them support to ensure they are well looked after.

New Year at Cameron’s Cottage

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:53:00 GMT

Hello again!

Although sunny outside today as I write this, it has been a cold, windy and rainy few months since I wrote the last blog. Cameron’s Cottage doesn’t host many groups of young people over the Winter, so it’s been strange to see the Cottage so quiet after a full-on summer! But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy. With less of my time spent on planning bespoke activities for groups and delivering sessions, I can bring my focus to improving current systems and devising new plans for an improved 2025 season. In addition to many other things, I have worked on finding new volunteers to help out at Cameron’s Cottage, started planning for a sensory trail around the woodlands of Cameron’s Cottage and begun research for an interpretation wall inside the Cottage to display information around how the renewable energy powers the cottage.

My other important task this season has been to create and implement a new marketing strategy, to encourage new and repeat bookings to the cottage. This has been in the form of creating a new promotional leaflet, contacting local group leaders and organisations, visiting local careers and volunteer fairs and working with other RSPB colleagues internally for a range of media and press opportunities. Keep an eye out for a Cameron’s Cottage social media page, hopefully coming soon!

I have worked on finding new volunteers to help out at Cameron’s Cottage, started planning for a sensory trail around the woodlands and begun research for an interpretation wall

And the hard work is starting to pay off, new bookings and return visits are trickling in as the calendar starts filling up for March onwards.

A definite highlight for me over these winter months was an unexpected snow flurry, turning Cameron’s Cottage into a scene from a Christmas Card! I was totally unprepared, having left my coat behind, but being caught out in the snow was a small price to pay for a magical memory and some fabulous photos.

Now the days are getting longer, and the first signs of Spring are appearing, I look ahead to the first of this year’s groups visiting Cameron’s Cottage and making lasting memories in nature.

If you, or anyone you know might be interested in volunteering with us or booking a stay at Cameron’s Cottage, do use the links below for more information.

Volunteering: https://bit.ly/cameronscottagevolunteering

Booking a stay: https://bit.ly/cameronscottage

Until next time,

Laura

Cameron's Cottage Residential from Leaside Trust

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 14:20:00 GMT

Please read this excellent blog from Leaside Trust in Hackney after their visit in October.

It’s always such a pleasure to fund groups of young people from London so that they can experience a residential trip to the countryside and Cameron’s Cottage in the RSPB reserve, is a wonderful place for them to spend some time in nature.

Read blog post

New Beginnings at Cameron’s Cottage

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 15:36:00 GMT

Hello everyone!

For those who don’t know me, I’m Laura, I work for the RSPB and I run Cameron’s Cottage. I started working here in June and it’s been a busy few months since then!

It’s looking very autumnal outside as I write this; and I love using nature to reflect on the recent times gone by. Summer is a busy time for all, Cameron’s Cottage included, but Autumn sees a quieter pace of life, a sense that nature is winding down, ready for Winter. Like the trees losing the last of their leaves, the Cottage has seen the last of its residential visitors for the year. But that doesn’t mean there’s not work to be done! Like busy squirrels, the Cameron’s Cottage Team are gearing up to use this quieter season to plant some metaphorical acorns - planning and preparing for next year.

Since I started at the end of June there have been 24 visits to Cameron’s Cottage, some part-week or full-week residentials and some day visits. That’s more than one group per week! Like I say, it’s been busy!

We’ve made natural shelters, whittled mallets, discovered wildlife, explored nature by night, brainstormed conservation issues, forest-bathed, partook in teambuilding challenges, cooked on the open fire, written nature poems, designed nature art and so much more.

It’s hard to pick one highlight, my role is incredibly rewarding – I love seeing young people coming out of their shell through the medium of nature. We teach them about conservation and wildlife, but what they take away is so much more than that, it’s a confidence in who they are, a strengthening of team building skills, an appreciation of conservation work and a new-found understanding of how nature improves our wellbeing. I find, for urban groups, this is most prominent. For some individuals this has been their first time in a woodland.

“As an inner-city youth organisation, a key goal is to enable young people to get out into more natural environments. It’s fantastic to be ‘off-grid’ and for the young people to learn so many new skills in a largely outdoor environment. Many of our group have never been in a forest type environment so it was helpful they learnt more about the area and how to respect the environment.”

A stay at Cameron’s Cottage is so much more than a visit to a nature reserve, it’s a time of firsts and of new beginnings for so many – myself included! It’s a blessing to watch so many young people take part in these ‘nature firsts’. Whether that’s their first time in a woodland or developing a desire to pursue a conservation career, this is how I know Cameron’s Cottage is quietly changing lives.

To sum up just how much fun we’ve had, let’s hear one young person’s take-away:

“One of the best weekends of my summer.”

Let’s hope there’s many more ‘best weekends ever’ to come!

Until next time,

Laura

New Members for the RSPB Management Team

Mon, 07 Oct 2024 12:48:00 GMT

We are delighted to welcome to new members to the RSPB's management team, Visitor Engagement Officer, Linda Ronald and Learning Officer, Laura Pringle.

We will let them introduce themselves:

Linda: Hi, my name’s Linda, and I’m the Visitor Engagement Officer at Cameron’s Cottage. My background is mostly in support work and welfare within the education system, from primary schools to sixth form colleges, and I began volunteering with the RSPB as a residential volunteer for five months at the RSPB Old Moor reserve in South Yorkshire at the start of this year. What a fantastic change of direction! I’ve always loved being out in nature, and have learned so much more this year through the RSPB. The more I learn, the more fascinated I am by the wildlife and habitats around us, and the more passionate I feel about protecting and promoting our natural world. I’m loving being part of the Cameron’s Cottage team and welcoming guests to this unique and peaceful space. It’s a privilege to lead sessions where young people can enjoy being active, exploring nature and experiencing the beauty and calm of the forest.

Laura: I am excited to have joined the team as Learning Officer for Cameron’s Cottage in June this year. I have been with the RSPB for 5 years, firstly as a volunteer then in as an employee working in a couple of different visitor facing roles since early 2020. I have spent the last 3 and a half years working for the RSPB in Dorset, with a large part of my time spent at Arne Nature Reserve. I enjoyed leading guided walks and family activities and doing all the behind the scenes planning this needed, but my favourite part of my role was definitely organising and delivering sessions to school groups visiting the reserve. Creating a space where children and young people could learn and begin to care for nature was the highlight of my role. Which is why I’m so excited to now be working at Cameron’s Cottage. This team has created an amazing facility and I can’t wait to continue to build on this work and grow Cameron’s Cottage and its ability to capture the hearts and minds of thousands of young people! I look forward to working with many of you and want to thank those of you I’ve already met for your warm welcome.

Young Writers Camp

Mon, 07 Oct 2024 12:12:00 GMT

‘An absolutely fantastic, inspiring and overwhelmingly hopeful weekend’ – as put by one of our attendees, the first ever camp for Young Nature Writers at Cameron’s Cottage was very special. It was such an honour to create a space for young people with an interest in nature and writing to forge friendships with like-minded individuals, learn from experts and have time to write in the beautiful New Forest.

Hosted by Emily Hunt and Andrew Millham, and kindly supported by Alasdair Robertson from Cameron Bespolka Trust, the weekend was a unique experience and enjoyed by all. The aim of the camp was to provide young people with the opportunity to connect with nature, connect with each other and enter a space where they can focus on writing and nature.

Here is what we got up to during the weekend:

Friday
Once everyone had arrived, we kicked off with some brief introductions and an icebreaker game – guess the animal/plant on your head… This proved to be more difficult than anticipated! Everyone settled in quickly.

For our first session, we welcomed Roger for his talk on nature writing and his experiences in the field. It was interesting to hear Roger’s unique perspective, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed his talk. This was an excellent opening to the weekend!

We then ventured out on a short walk and set up our moth traps for the next morning.

Following a lovely meal, we launched into our Open Mic session. The group assembled around the campfire, and Emily, Andrew, Stephen Moss and Roger Morgan-Grenville all gave readings, along with many of the attendees. This was one of the highlights of the weekend. A special mention goes to attendee Finn who recited The Trees by Phillip Larkin from memory!

We were also treated to some wonderful music from Andrew on his Irish bouzouki while we toasted marshmallows.

Saturday
On Saturday we were all up bright and early and ready for the day! However, we were met with an onslaught of rain – which caused some rescheduling, and thankfully cleared up in the afternoon!

First of all, we unboxed the moth traps, led by attendee Max who has an incredible knowledge of insects. Max guided us through the different species, and we had a great selection considering the weather. Then, with our table adorned with moths, Emily and Andrew led some moth-related writing activities, including turning a basic description into a poem and zooming in on specific parts of moth anatomy.

We then took part in a fantastic Writing in the Field session led by Stephen Moss. Due to the rain, we didn’t actually write ‘in the field’, but instead wrote about an experience in nature from our childhood. Afterwards, many attendees shared their work, and it was very impressive to hear what they had created in just an hour or so!

Thankfully, the rain stopped, and we were able to venture off into the woods for our roaming workshop. This consisted of three activities – a mindfulness activity from Andrew, writing from the perspective of a woodland species from Emily, and an activity from our guest Jeni Bell, comparing positive and negative experiences in nature. Being in the woods, it was inevitable that we were going to get distracted by wildlife while doing these activities… perhaps the most notable was Stephen’s firecrest sighting!

We then headed back to the cottage for Jeni’s session on confidence and empowerment in writing. Jeni spoke about finding your voice and overcoming barriers that may stop us from writing. The messages given in Jeni’s talk were very important, and it was a delight to be joined by Jeni for the day – the group loved Jeni’s enthusiasm and really connected with her sessions.

We then had a brief interlude between sessions, during which we lit the campfire and were serenaded by Alasdair on his low whistle.

In the evening, we were joined by Lucy Houliston, who gave a fascinating talk about bats. We learnt all about UK bat species, in preparation for our nighttime bat walk. Lucy also talked about the elements of her career that have involved writing, showing how she has used her writing skills throughout her jobs with charities and NGOs.

The bat walk on Saturday evening was a definite highlight of the weekend – picture a group of teenagers trekking out across the heathland in the dark! The bats put on a bit of a show, treating us to a fantastic view of a soprano catching a moth right in front of us. This was a wonderful end to the day.

‘The biggest thing this weekend has shown me is how much I want to learn, but it’s also confirmed that whatever I do, I want to work with people like the ones I met this weekend.’

Camp participant

Sunday
Thankfully, when we woke up on Sunday it was not a torrential downpour! We kicked the day off with a nature walk and bioblitz activity run by Emily and Andrew.

The bioblitz involved setting off in pairs and finding as many species as possible in half an hour, using the equipment chosen from the cottage – pond dipping kits, insect catching nets, etc. Embarrassingly, Emily and Andrew did not win… instead the winners were Rufus and Freddie, with a very impressive number of species!

We then headed back to the cottage for a talk and Q & A with Stephen Moss. This was packed full of interesting insights, and in particular explored Stephen’s incredible career.

Stephen’s talk was followed by Dominic Couzens. Dominic really captured the attention of the group, putting a smile on everyone’s faces. He gave some brilliant tips and advice to bring the weekend to a close, and a valuable insight into life as a writer.

Thank-yous
It was such a privilege to be joined by such amazing writers and speakers at the camp.

A special mention must go to Stephen, who generously joined us for the whole weekend. Being the incredible speaker and guide that he is, Stephen engaged and educated the group on many different topics. Meeting Stephen was an amazing opportunity, all of us hugely valued his company.

Thank you to Stephen, Roger, Jeni, Dominic and also Alicia Hayden who provided us with a recorded poetry activity.

Thank you to the Cameron Bespolka Trust for supporting and funding the camp - Corinne, Alasdair and Sienna. It obviously couldn’t have happened without them!

Thank you also to Andrew (Emily is writing this blog!), who helped Emily to organise and host the camp.

Comments
Below are some comments lifted from attendees’ reviews of the weekend.

‘This was one of the best weekends of my summer.’
‘The spirit of community and connections that the camp created was wonderful – not only between us, meeting so many other like-minded young people whilst receiving invaluable advice from established writers, but also allowing us to really connect to nature and our own writing through the fantastic writing activities, workshops, walks and talks. In short, an absolutely fantastic, inspiring and overwhelmingly hopeful weekend.’
‘The biggest thing this weekend has shown me is how much I want to learn, but it’s also confirmed that whatever I do, I want to work with people like the ones I met this weekend.’
‘I have really really enjoyed the weekend. You have created something so special here. I especially liked meeting other young people that read books, love nature and are generally lovely people! Thank you so much Emily and Andrew!’
‘I would list my favourite parts except I think it would just result in me rewriting out the itinerary.’
‘I’ve got so many new ideas and most importantly feel a lot more confident and validated in my writing ability’
‘Thank you so much for all the effort you put in to organising this weekend! It’s been really lovely to meet you both as well as so many other like-minded people, and have the opportunity to spend some time in nature.’
‘I really loved the guest speakers and have learnt a lot; it's been a unique opportunity to get to know experienced writers like Stephen, and really reassuring to see how kind and enthusiastic they were.’
‘Immersed in the New Forest, I couldn’t have imagined the creative flow that was stimulated by the youthful team and wisdom of our guests.’

King’s Worthy Primary School

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 16:47:00 GMT

James was the winner of this year’s How can you Help Wildlife Competition as part of the Cameron Bespolka Wildlife Talk held at Winchester College last November.

His prize included his whole class spending the day in the New Forest at Cameron’s Cottage.

Throughout the day, the children took part in a range of outdoor activities, including den building and a nature walk. These activities required them to show off their brilliant teamwork and problem-solving skills.

Here’s what the children had to say:

I really enjoyed the den building in the morning because it was great how we all worked as a team! – Stella
When we went to Cameron’s cottage, I really enjoyed the nature walk because we got to look at different kinds of bugs. - Ameya
I loved the nature walk because we could discover different types of trees by their leaves! – Harriet
I enjoyed investigating the bugs at a closer distance. – Daisy
It was fun when we made dens! – James
I liked den building and investigating different types of bugs. - Tien

Romsey Young Carers

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 14:45:00 GMT

It was wonderful to see Romsey Young Carers enjoy a day out at Cameron’s Cottage in RSPB Franchises Lodge reserve in the New Forest recently.

They built dens, had a bio blitz, made fire with Kelly kettles to make hot chocolate and had lots of fun!

Young Carers are children and young people whose lives are affected by looking after someone in their family with a disability or long-term illness. It is therefore wonderful to sponsor these young people and see them enjoy their beautiful surroundings and participate in the many RSPB outdoor activities.

We feel very honored to help and will be welcoming many more local groups of young carers at Cameron’s Cottage this summer.

Young Bristol

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 10:51:00 GMT

Delighted to see Young Bristol Youth Group at Cameron’s Cottage for their first camp. Such great group who enjoyed their stay and got immersed in all nature and team building activities around the nature reserve.

Thank you on behalf of everyone from Young Bristol for the opportunity to bring our Outdoor Employment Programme along to Cameron’s Cottage – all the group really enjoyed their time with you!

Leaside Trust's Four-Day Adventure

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 15:08:00 GMT

We were delighted to sponsor 14 children between the ages of 9 and 15 from the Leaside Trust who checked in to Cameron’s Cottage recently for four days of activities and adventures in the New Forest.

The Trust, based in Hackney, is an organisation dedicated to delivering inspiring and engaging outdoor activities to young people. Their aim is to encourage children to stay in education, develop their confidence and build leadership skills. This was the Leaside Trust’s first every dry land residential outing all made possible for sponsorship from The Cameron Bespolka Trust.

Over the course of the four days the young members of the trust took part in a range of activities in the Forest designed to enhance their social and team building skills. The group arrived around lunch time on day one leaving enough time to unpack, sort out the cooking and cleaning roster before heading out into the forest for some blindfold teambuilding games, slackline walking and wood chopping. After dinner the group gathered round the open fire to toast marshmallows and boil water for hot chocolate in ghillie kettles.

A massive thank you to Corinne, the Cameron Bespolka Trust and the RSPB for hosting us and making the trip so memorable.

Day two saw the group clearing growth of invasive rhododendrons before building natural shelters from the branches. Next they learned how to make cordage from nettles and rushes followed by a short scavenge through the woods to collect material for making mobiles. After dinner they learned how to make bannock bread, baking it on an open fire they built in the woods.

The group spent time working in teams, working independently, doing solution focused activities ... we saw huge progression through the 4 days in all our young people

On day three the group spent the morning map reading and learning how to use a compass. Splitting into the groups, they headed out into the forest tasked with navigating their way to set points on the map. It proved a tough challenge crossing boggy ground, through thick woods and over fences to reach their goals. The afternoon was spent whittling wooden owls under the expert guidance of instructors Simon and Amanda.

All too soon it was the final day of the trip. The children packed, loaded the bus and cleaned the cottage before heading outside to finish up their wooden owls, split more wood and explore the forest for one last time. In all it was a great experience for the children. They had very limited access to their mobile phones and social media so had to find other ways to amuse themselves during their free time.