;

1st May 2002

Over 800 Scouts and Guides will be celebrating 20 years of adventure next weekend, (3-6 May), at a Romans and Reivers themed camp at The Scout Association's Hawkhirst Adventure Camp, Kielder Water.

Hawkhirst Adventure Camp, situated on the shores of Kielder Water Reservoir was officially opened by HM The Queen in May 1982, will be 20 years old this year. To celebrate the camp is holding a birthday camp for Scouts and Guides, most of whom will be from the North East.

The theme for the camp is Romans and Reivers because of the rich history of Northumberland in which Hawkhirst is located. During the camp the young people will have a choice of over fifty activities, some of which will be based on this theme, including mosaic making, games, spear throwing, Roman cooking, designing Roman shields and Roman military drill. There will also be the more usual outdoor pursuits on offer such as canoeing, climbing, archery, sailing, team games, raft races and grass sledging.

As part of the celebration a new staff building will be opened by Chief Scout, George Purdy, CBE, on Saturday 4 May. He will also be visiting the activities and meeting as many of the young participants as possible.

Hawkhirst Adventure Camp can be found on a small headland on the shores of Kielder Water and is perfectly placed to provide water and land activities for the 7000-9 000 people that have visited each year for the last 20 years. The Centre is used by not only by Scouts and Guides, but also by school groups and other youth organisations. A range of activities are provided all year round which are supervised by the full time staff, who are assisted at weekends and busy holiday times by a team of dedicated volunteers.