Wednesday 9 November 2016

Camp Avalon 2017 - A camp for young birders, naturalists and Minority Ethnic Teens

BLACK2NATURE
Friday 30 June 2017 to Sunday 02 July 2017

Shapwick Heath, Somerset Levels
Photograph taken by and copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig


Book onto this amazing nature camp for young people aged 12-18 years. Into it's third year, Camp Avalon has attracted a number of teenagers to the Somerset Levels near Glastonbury, to spend the weekend birding and getting involved with nature.  It is aimed at keen birders as well as those who have now experience of nature and have never been to the countryside or camped.  These are the links to Birdgirl's blog posts about the 2015 weekend.


This year we hope to again have a number of teenagers who are Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) and or live in the city's areas of deprivation. We have plenty to help to ensure that both groups are catered for. 

We will be filming for a BBC programme over the weekend with film crews coming on Saturday and Sunday.


BAME or inner city teenagers may be accompanied by an adult if they wish but do not need one to attend. 

Girls and boys in be in separate tents with adults. CRB checked adults will be with the teenagers at all times. All food with will be halal.

Camp Avalon - Friday Night


Camp Avalon Mothing Workshop
Copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Camp Avalon Mothing Workshop
Copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Camp Avalon Mothing Workshop
Photograph taken by and copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Camp Avalon - Saturday



Camp Avalon Sketching Workshop
Photograph taken by and copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Camp Avalon bird sketching workshop
Photograph taken by and copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig





Camp Avalon Photography workshopPhotograph taken by and copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig
Camp Avalon photography workshop
Photograph taken by and copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Camp Avalon - Sunday

http://bit.ly/1jueBlC

Camp Avalon Bird Ringing Workshop
Photograph taken by and copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Camp Avalon Bird Ringing Workshop
Photograph taken by and copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Camp Avalon Bird Ringing Workshop
Photograph taken by and copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Camp Avalon Sunday


Camp Avalon Birding Walk
Photograph taken by and copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Camp Avalon Birding Walk
Photograph taken by and copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Friday 30 June 2017 to Sunday 02 July 2017


Camp Avalon – Programme


The programme will be finalised shortly depending on final numbers. 


Friday 30th June 2017

All activities dependent on weather

6.00 pm – 7.30 pm (CS)
Set up tents & time to socialize

7.30 pm – 8.30 pm (CS)
Dinner cooked on fires at campsite


8.30 pm – 9.30 pm (HW)
Evening bittern walk at Ham Wall.  Meet at HWCP.
Led by Chris & Helena Craig

9.30 pm – 10.30 pm (AMC)
Looking at moths (dependent on weather)
Led by Adrian Spalding, British Entomological Society 

Saturday 1st July 2017

7.00 am – 7.30 am (CS) Breakfast at campsite

8.00 am - 11.00 am (AMC)
Bird ringing demonstration at Avalon Marshes Centre
Mike Bailey Chair of Chew Valley Ringing Station and BTO ringing trainer (with Chris Craig assisting)

11.00 am – 11.30 am (AMC)
Refreshment break
Avalon Marshes Centre

11.30 am – 1.30 pm (AMC)
Bio Blitzing Helena Craig

1.30 pm – 2.30 pm (AMC)
Lunch
Avalon Marshes Centre

2.30 am - 3.30 pm (AMC)
Wildlife film-making Workshop
Paul Collins and Alice Owens, young film-makers

3.30 pm – 4.00 pm (AMC)
Refreshment break
Avalon Marshes Centre


4.00 am - 5.00 pm (AMC)
Wildlife film-making Workshop
Paul Collins and Alice Owens, young film-makers

5.30 pm – 8.30 pm (CS)
Downtime and dinner cooked on fires at campsite


9.00 pm – 10.30 pm (MD)
Looking for Nightjar on the Mendips (dependent on weather)
Led by Chris Craig, Avon and Somerset, British and world birder

Sunday 2nd July 2017

7.00 am – 7.30 am (CS) Breakfast at campsite

8.00 am - 10.30 am (HW)
Birding at Ham Wall, searching for Great White Egret, Bittern and lots of other great birds.  Meet at HWCP
Led by Julian Thomas, Somerset birder, British and day lister and world birder (with Chris Griffin assisting)


11.00 am – 11.30 am (AMC)
Refreshment break
Avalon Marshes Centre

11.30 pm – 1.00 pm (AMC)
Bird Photography
James Packer, Chris Griffin and Brian Gibbs, Somerset County Recorder and bird photographer and
James Packer, who writes the blog The Somerset Birder and is a Somerset birder and bird photographer

1.00 pm – 2.00 pm (AMC)
Lunch
Avalon Marshes Centre

2.00 am – 3.30 pm (AMC)
Sketching for birders
John Gale, acclaimed bird illustrator for ID publications around the world as well as a bird artist

3.30 pm – 4.00 pm (AMC)
Refreshment break
Avalon Marshes Centre

4.00 pm Finish 


Key to locations



AMC – Avalon Marshes Centre, Shapwick Road, Westhay, GlastonburySomersetBA6 9TT, telephone 01458 860556

CS – The Isle of Avalon Touring Caravan Park, Godney Road, Glastonbury, Somerset, BA6 9AF, telephone 01458 833618

HW - Ham Wall RSPB Reserve, park in the new Ham Wall Car Park if open or Shapwick Heath Car Park opposite, Ashcott Road, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 9SX

MP – Stockhill Woods, Priddy, Mendips, Somerset BA5 3BE (drive through Wells and then follow A39 towards Bristol and Bath, turn left onto Priddy Road and at the crossroads (with the Hunters Rest on the corner) turn right, the woods are on your right and park in the pull-in before the car park).

HWCP – Ham Wall RSPB Reserve Car Park, Ashcott RoadGlastonbury, Somerset BA6 9SX 


Bittern, Shapwick Heath, Somerset Levels, March 2015
Photograph taken by and copyright Mya-Rose Craig


Cost

£30.00 per person including carers, including food and camping costs

Grants

Free places are available to those young people (and parents/family if they wish to come) from an area of deprivation or who are BAME. Camp Avalon recognises that there are almost no young birders from black or minority ethnic backgrounds and so hope that these grants will encourage disadvantaged young people to be able to attend. All equipment needed will also be loaned for the weekend.


Thank you to Avalon Marshes Centre for their support and to the birders who have offered their time in order to pass on their knowledge to young birders. 


Thank you to Opticron for the load of five pairs of compact binoculars to this project.



Thank you also to the Royal Bath & West Show Environmental Youth Award who have awarded £500 towards this project, as winners of the 2017 Bristol region and overall winners. 

Transport

Free transport is available to and from Bristol. The camp site is a 10 minute drive to Ham Wall Car Park. 



Shapwick Heath, Somerset Levels, March 2015
Photograph taken by and copyright Mya-Rose Craig 




How to Book



E-mail campavalonuk@gmail.com with your name, age, if an adult would like to come with you and any dietary requirements. Please also get in touch if you would like to get involved.


Hudsonian Godwit, Shapwick Heath, Somerset Levels, April 2015
Photograph taken by and copyright Mya-Rose Craig


Grass Snake, Shapwick Heath, Somerset Levels, April 2015
Photograph taken by and copyright Mya-Rose Craig





About the writer



Camp Avalon is the idea of Mya-Rose Craig, who also organised the events in 2015 and 2016. She is organising the 2017 camp with the organisation she has formed Black2Nature and hopes to attract more young birders and inner city teenagers.










Mya-Rose Craig is a 15 year old young birder, naturalist, conservationist, environmentalist, activist, writer and speaker. She is based near Bristol and writes the successful Birdgirl Blog, with posts about birding and conservation from around the world. She loved seeing Mountain Gorillas in East Africa and Penguins in Antarctica over Christmas 2015, her 7th continent. 



Mya-Rose is a Bristol European Green Capital Ambassador along with Kevin McCloud, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Tony Juniper, Simon King, Miranda Krestovnikoff and Shaun the Sheep! See the full list of Bristol Ambassadors. She has also been listed with the singer songwriter George Ezra and actress Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones as one of Bristol's most influential young people. Please like her Birdgirl Facebook Page and follow her on Birdgirl Twitter