More than 50 long-standing members recently attended Club Headquarters to receive certificates and badges from Chairman Bob Talbot to commemorate their 50 consecutive years of membership.
Two groups visited over two days and here we share some of their memories of camping with the Club for over half a century.
Friends reunited
Three of our 50-year members got an unexpected surprise at the special event at Headquarters – meeting childhood friends they hadn’t seen for more than 40 years. Julie Burton (left) hadn’t seen Kate and David Barker since the trio camped together as teenagers at Camping Club Youth meets in Blackpool back in the 1970s.
Julie said: “This was completely unplanned and it was amazing to see Kate and David after so many years. We had so much to catch up on.”
50 years of camping memories
Jacqueline Clarke: “I actually learned about the Club through folk dancing – it was one of my main interests and it led me to join the Folk Dance and Song Group. I’ve camped with them at many Easter meets and also at the National Feast of Lanterns, meeting new and old friends every time.”
Jassy and Allan Dowson with Club Chairman Bob Talbot
Jassy and Allan Dowson: “We just love camping, we love being outside. We had a background in working with Scouts and have had many wonderful adventures with the Club. One of our favourite sites is Charmouth – the location is perfect and the staff are wonderful.”
Madalene and Malcolm Warren: “Being campers actually helped us relocate down to Cornwall, as one of us was able to live in the caravan full time while everything was sorted. We love camping and one of our favourite places we’ve toured is the Baltics.”