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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Guide Camp

199 replies

MoanyMum12 · 10/01/2019 22:52

To think that £40 is a ridiculous amount of money for Guide camp?!
Two nights in a tent for £40...

OP posts:
budgiegirl · 11/01/2019 00:31

As you already know, YABU.

I’m a cub leader and our camps are around £35 if we do our own activities, or £45/£50 if we pay for activities such as climbing/high ropes etc.

Per head I budget £10 camping fees, £15 food (6 meals plus snacks), £5 to cover leaders costs, £10 to cover all other costs/badges/activities.

£40 is good value, less than £1 per hour!

BringOnTheScience · 11/01/2019 00:42

OP ... sign up here please if you think you can do a better job. Thank you for joining the team 😘
www.girlguiding.org.uk/get-involved/become-a-volunteer

WhatwouldCJdo · 11/01/2019 00:46

£20 a night, 3 meals a day and bound to be activities (never known a guide camp to involve sitting in tent all day)...

Let me know where you go on hols or for a break and the costs, cos you must get some real deals.

BackforGood · 11/01/2019 00:53

Seriously. You are complaining about paying £40 for 48 hours babysitting that includes all food, accommodation, activities, souvenirs, badges, first aid supplies, loo roll, liability insurance, leaders' costs, leaders' expenses, crafts, leaders' residential training and first aid training.

This ^
I mean - seriously OP ???? Hmm

I presume you haven't been asked for the £397 the school will be asking you for to go to PGL for 2 days in about Yr7 / Yr8 yet then ??

independentfriend · 11/01/2019 01:01

Also, if you’re in difficult financial circumstances, and can’t afford it, there will almost certainly be funds available within the Unit/District for your daughter to join the camp.

Groovee · 11/01/2019 05:29

That's pretty cheap. Our last brownie Sleepover at Glasgow Science Centre was £30 for 14 hours.

Mumof1DS · 11/01/2019 06:15

Was also ready to give you a good explanation but I see that there are clearly many fellow guiders/scouters here.
£40 is good value, especially if doing any activity requiring specialist input - i.e archery/climbing/crate stacking etc.

Mumof1DS · 11/01/2019 06:17

Ooh, also, exactly what @Bringonthescience said... We need all the leaders we can get Grin.

... I heard it's only an hour and a half a week Wink

AJPTaylor · 11/01/2019 06:33

Good God.
Of all the activities that my kids have done over the years, guides/brownies was the best and cheapest by miles and miles.
I intend to repay it by volunteering properly when dd3 finishes ( We live rurally now and there are only about 10 guides so it would spoil her enjoyment although I do help out on a Rota at the moment).

Casschops · 11/01/2019 06:53

I help to lead a Guide Group. Your 40.00 is not going anywhere to make a profit. Included I that will be activities and food as well as camping fees and insurance. Some units spread the Guide Leader costs over the girls too as the camp could not go ahead without supervision and your unit leader is taking their own time to take your child away. We do not get paid and I also frequently use my own annual leave. It irks me when parents feel they are paying too much you are getting excellent value for money believe me. If you are struggling to meet the costs then please speak to your unit leader. Hope she has a nice time the memories she will make will last lifetime 😁

TidyDancer · 11/01/2019 07:05

OP, I'm not one for piling in when you're already been told YABU but boy am I glad you've been told. I run a brownie group and we have parents like you who make jokey (but not really jokey) comments about the costs of camp all the bloody time without thinking what's actually involved or acknowledging that we give up our whole weekends, and spend time away from our families, to give your girls a great weekend full of activities.

£40 is a bloody bargain and the only comment you should be making is 'thank you'.

00100001 · 11/01/2019 07:13

You have got to be joking OP?

Go and find yourself a campsite. Booked it for 2 days. The. Buy the food you need for the 2 days and the drink s etc.
Then find a couple of paid activities to do each day. Such as archery and Rock climbing. Maybe a crafty things and say... swimming.

Then cone back and tell us the cost.

We'll assume that you are borrowing everything else you need.

IceRebel · 11/01/2019 07:56

I'm glad transport isn't included. The last time I ran a trip which included transport we were late back due to traffic. Out of about 18 parents, over half moaned at us for being late. No thank you for looking after my child for 3 days, just moaning that they had been "waiting ages" "had other plans you know" etc etc. Sad

drspouse · 11/01/2019 08:13

But one parent will be late to pick up, making the leaders late home...

callymarch · 11/01/2019 08:18

£110 for 6 nights camp over an hour away and we had to drop off and pick up too. I think YABU and its a bargain

drspouse · 11/01/2019 08:18

Oh! And one girl will HAVE to go home before the canvas is struck and not do any work.

SushiMonster · 11/01/2019 08:46

Maybe you could voukenteer on an ongoing basis, and the. You would see where the money goes. Rather than just bitch about it.

BikeRunSki · 11/01/2019 08:49

Don’t even start me on the parents who think that their subs are used to pay me the run Cubs!

BikeRunSki · 11/01/2019 08:52

At only £40, I wouldn’t be surprised if the guide group funds are not actually subsidising the camp tbh.

IceRebel · 11/01/2019 08:52

But one parent will be late to pick up, making the leaders late home...

That's true. Nothing worse than being sat waiting with just one child ages after all the others have been collected. Child knows their parents are late, you've had no contact from said parent so try to reassure them. But you're secretly shitting yourself that they've got the date wrong, had an accident, and a million other scenarios.

Parent then turns up a hour late with a cheery hello, had fun? and leaves without so much as a thank you. You're so relieved you can now go home you don't say anything, but vow never to run a trip again....

... a year later you do it all over again because you know how much the girls will enjoy it. Envy

Theonewiththecat · 11/01/2019 08:57

You are bu thats a really good price. We've just had to pay £125 for a 2 night school residential.

MoanyMum12 · 11/01/2019 08:58

Okay, it is clear that I am being unreasonable! I would just like to add though, that I do help out on a regular-ish basis when my job allows, and I have offered to help out on the camp if they need it. But £40 for my DD, plus £40 for me (as they have said they need another adult) does turn it into an expensive weekend.

OP posts:
IceRebel · 11/01/2019 09:03

plus £40 for me (as they have said they need another adult)

If they've asked you to attend then you shouldn't need to pay. Do you have a DBS? I find it odd that they asked for parent helpers, usually trips away are leaders, assistant leaders, young leaders or trainees

BiddyPop · 11/01/2019 09:03

We charge €35 for 1 hostel trip, €45 for the second hostel trip (paid activities at that one) and €100 for 2 night summer camp. Reductions for siblings.

But that is also subsidized by the subs that come (what used to be €2 per week - it’s now €20 per term) during the year. A significant sum for overnights comes from that.

Overnight costs are the hostels/campsites (expensive),activities on 2 trips (we take them on hikes on 2 but the 2nd hostel trip needs a session before we leave, camping involves a lot of activities).

Food for everyone - fruit to snack on, substantial dinner as they’re hungry after all their activity, supper (hot chocolate and Lidl versions of penguin bars) when they are homesick and we need to keep them happy going to bed, cereal, juice and bread for breakfast, bread/ham/cheese/jam for lunches along with fruit and crisps, drinks (remember the heat last summer? trying to keep Cubs hydrated in that was fun!).

First aid supplies - you go through a surprising number of plasters with penknives, and various other incidences.

Firefighters (although I’d happily take a firefighter too!! Grin) and marshmallows for campfire.

Batteries for torches and kerosene for lamps. Gas for the gas rings. Usually buying an extra bag of ice for the most vital cooler as the blocks are never enough. Cleaning things and bin bags.

We have all the equipment gathered over years - marquee, tables and benches, axe and saw, gas rings, lamps. The pots and utensils for cooking, wash up bowls, serving bowls, etc. Which all have to be transported.

I use my personal coolbags as the Group cool box is not suitable for our use (Scouts go for 10 days and have a massive yoke). I use quite a lot of personal gear to make things easier and not spend Scouts money where possible.

We have tents, but the old ones were more than 20 years old so had to be replaced last year. On average, the Scouts replace 2-3 tents per year so the Cubs has done well to mind theirs so long. But a Cub tent is over €200, whole Scouts ones are larger so roughly €450 each.

I always need supplies of paper and pencils on camp for early risers or rainy days (and I do mind these to reuse as much as possible - but there’s always a few lost).

And sun cream - even though it’s on the list, there are always parents who don’t bother.

As a leader, I spend significant time, and significant amounts of my OWN money, on activities and gear for Cubs. Including getting personal gear different to what I would choose if it was just for my own use. And having spare waterproofs for those who didn’t bring theirs, or a hat for the kid who gets too cold. And a bag of sucking sweets to rally them all on cold days when things haven’t gone to plan - that never comes from Cub funds.

Leaders do not get paid. They take annual leave to bring Scouts and Guides away. They spend their own money on petrol. After getting to bed at 2am after all the hyper kids have finally settled for sleep, They wake up at 3 am because someone is homesick or physically sick and sort those out. And then again at 5.30am because it is bright and the kids are too excited to be awake and stay in bed. They may have to stay up for a parent to come and collect a kid, or even bring a kid home in the middle of the night.

They keep cheerful faces the whole time, organize the chaos 101 different ways, solve disputes about who is sleeping where, stop banter before it gets to bullying, teach the kids stuff and persuade rheum to keep going all the way to the top, celebrate their achievements, make sure to keep an eye on the quiet ones that they are ok too, .....keep everyone calm if something happens like a bee sting or slightly messy cut (nothing can panic 8-11 year olds like a little drama, and boy does it become a big drama fast even if there’s nothing to worry about).

And then they get to go home with their dirty gear and the bag of lost property. Hopefully to sleep rather than have 50 queries about lost property or “my child says....” to deal with. Or at least say hello to the rest of their own family.

Very very occasionally there might be 1 or maybe 2 parents will say Thank You (we usually bring 20-25 away).

£40 for 2 nights is very cheap.

How much would it cost you to bring your child away for a weekend, before you even add in all the skills that she will gain (including leadership, working in teams, dealing with adversity etc - not just how to pitch a tent and wash the pots) and the fun and friendships, from being in Guides.

Whatweretheythinking · 11/01/2019 09:04

I'm a leader also, I'm self employed I only close over Christmas and New year when we have trips it costs me £120 in wages a day to have cover or my DH has to book leave from his work to cover for me. We have parents that moan to us about the most ridiculous things.

My DD's have a school trip every two years for a pgl it's £180 for 2 nights but do moan about £40.

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