Our
2019 season was kicked off by a lovely group of eager participants
who came down the track to help us get the centre up and running for
the summer. We had folk from near and far (North America, Wales and
Iona) who came and braved the not-always-hospitable March conditions.
We were relatively lucky with the weather and there were lots of
smiles and laughter to keep us going (along with the plentiful scone
supply). Our guests brought a huge variety of skills with them
which we were lucky enough to benefit from and lots of tasks were
completed in their short stay - amongst those we now have two lovely
new signs up, a Very Well Organised Honey Store and a new boat floor
well on the way. An old shed was taken down to make way for a new
one and gave us lots of fuel for a spectacular evening bonfire on
one of the nights.
During the week our bellies were kept very happy with a supply of sourdough bread from a few budding artisan bakers in
the Camas crew, and during the Camas Challenge we experienced what one of our volunteers called: The Best Lasagne he had ever tasted thanks to some talented chefs in our midst! Days were usually finished
around the fire together with a hot drink, the firelight illuminating
some very happy and contented faces. There was also the chance to
enjoy some well-deserved time off with a visit to Iona and a walk to
Market Bay both fitted in during the week. We cannot say thank you
enough and hope you will all come back soon!
After
we waved our new friends off on the Saturday morning, we were soon
joined by the Welsh Contingent, a crew of voluntary
shed-builders from Wales, headed up by Camas regular Rob, who arrived
to help us build our new staff hut. What our willing helpers perhaps
hadn't bargained for when they signed up was for 60mph winds to hit
us on their first day – and yet they persisted! By the end of that
day against all the odds, a shed was definitely starting to take
shape and now houses a happy hut-dweller. We owe a huge debt of
gratitude to Rob and Co for all their hard work and while it was sad
to wave them goodbye we were all left feeling profoundly thankful for
all that people are willing to put in to Camas and excited for the
weeks to come.
An emerging shed.
