EMW Camps offer a marvellous mix of fantastic friendships, awesome activities, brilliant bible-studies and terrific talks from the Bible. Whether you’re a camp veteran, or thinking of coming for the first time, you’re sure to find a warm welcome on an EMW Camp.
The Evangelical Movement of Wales is a registered charity, and has been running Christian camps for more than fifty years. All staff are Christian volunteers drawn from evangelical churches. These volunteers enable us to keep the cost of camp down to an absolute minimum. The staff/camper ratio averages just over 1:3, and each one is asked for a reference from their church leaders and a disclosure from the Criminal Records Bureau.
Each camper is placed in a tent or dorm with three or four others which has its own dedicated officer. The officer will lead Bible studies, be available throughout the week, and ensure that everyone in the group is getting the most out of camp. The camp chaplain will lead a talk on a theme from the Bible. The talks are suitable for campers of all ages, whether or not they regularly attend church.
Camps are deliberately limited in size (usually 35-50 children) so each camper can get to know everyone on the camp and even the quietest campers quickly make friends. Teamwork in games, challenges and light chores all help encourage campers to work together. Many friendships are made and often renewed at camp.
Every camp has a wide-range of activities that should please even the most uninterested camper. Sports, arts and craft, “It’s a knockout”, gorge-walking, trips to the beach, team-building games, table-tennis and swimming are just a few of the activities that leaders will consider. (Licensed activity providers are used for all outdoor pursuits activities.) Evenings are often given over to home-grown entertainment, with plenty of time for laughs together.
All this helps to make EMW camps something special for everyone. It’s why so many come back year after year. Book early, and make sure you don’t miss out in 2009.
A typical day on camp
Every camp is different, and every day on every camp is different, too! But your ‘average’ day will include plenty of good food; free-time for sports; games or just chilling out; a meeting where the camp chaplain will teach a passage from the Bible and apply it at a level just for you and your fellow-campers (we promise there are no boring sermons on camp!); then there’s an afternoon full of incredible activities - perhaps a trip off-site to the beach or even a theme-park, perhaps something more challenging like gorgewalking, rock-climbing or archery, perhaps some crazy games or an it’s a knockout; perhaps something quieter and more creative like glass-painting or T-shirt design; perhaps even a combination of all of these! Even then the day is not finished. There’s still time for a bible-study in your tent/dorm to give you an opportunity to study the bible with your officer and ask questions; then perhaps some evening entertainment - maybe you’ll make a guest appearance on the famous ‘Camp News’; before a late-night epilogue and a well-earned sleep. And that’s just one day! It’s no wonder campers and officers go home tired but happy.
Our venues
EMW Camps are spread over seven venues around Wales. In the North, Quinta is on the English border. It has enormous grounds, and even its own sports hall and swimming pool, and is ideally located for trips to themeparks and major attractions. Also in the North, but in the heart of ‘Welsh Wales’ is Bryn-y-groes in Bala. Bryn-y-groes also has it’s own grounds (and a new sports hall), and is just a few minutes walk from a leisure centre and Bala’s famous lake and mountains - perfect for caneoing and other activities. Not far away is a new site, Pentrenant Hall, near Newtown. It’s a smaller camp, so there will be a great atmosphere. The site is full of things to do, and it’s in the heart of the Welsh hills. In the South, Bryntirion in Bridgend is close to the M4, and equally close to some of South Wales’ best beaches and attractions.
The three outdoor sites at Dyffryn Ardudwy, Talybont and (new this year) Dolgoch Falls are all on Wales’ beautiful West Coast. Both Talybont and Dyffryn have indoor cooking and dining facilities, and there are hot showers guaranteed in the shower block - this is ‘outdoor’ camping in real luxury! Accommodation is in large ridge tents. Dolgoch Falls is for those a little more used to the outdoors, but still has excellent facilities — all under canvas. All three sites are close to beaches, mountains and some great outdoor activity centres.