A place for everyone: how Woodlarks gave Adrian back his love of camping
Adrian grew up with scouting in his blood. His dad was a scout leader, and his mum had run the local cub pack ever since she left school, and Adrian had worked his way from cubs through scouts and to explorer scouts. His family’s love affair with the great outdoors extended beyond scouting, too, and all school holidays provided great excuses for family camping.
Then, just after Adrian’s 21st birthday, disaster struck when he sustained a serious motorcycle accident, resulting in a spinal injury. Months of gruelling rehab in a specialist unit helped Adrian to gain a lot of independence, and a powered wheelchair gave him back a degree of his former mobility. What kept him going through the darker days were happy memories of the simple life he’d enjoyed through camping. He desperately wanted to be back in a tent in an open field, but couldn’t quite imagine how that could never happen again.
Simon, who had gone to school with Adrian, had rung to say he needed a catch-up. He sounded very excited… Simon worked for a company that offered their staff corporate volunteering days, and he had just spent a working weekend at Woodlarks campsite. He’d gone on to study the Woodlarks website and had a proposal to make. He thought that he and Adrian should apply together to join one of the open camps.
Adrian was apprehensive but agreed. After all, Simon had said that he would be prepared to drive Adrian home early if it wasn’t working out. Arriving at camp was a little overwhelming – Adrian hadn’t seen so many folk using wheelchairs since he’d left the spinal unit. Still, he was immediately struck by how independent and involved everyone seemed. A sturdy bed and a mobile hoist in a tent with a wooden floor meant that Adrian could finally spend a night under canvas again. As he lay in bed, listening to the rain on the tent, he knew that he had finally come home. He had the best night’s sleep he had had since before the accident.
As Simon and Adrian drove home after a full week of adventures in the great outdoors, they reflected on the amazing foresight of the Strover family, who had bought and given the land for Woodlarks campsite in 1930, precisely so that disabled scouts and guides could enjoy the same opportunities that their non-disabled brothers and sisters could.
Please note that this is a composite story designed to protect the identity of several vulnerable people. All of the details described represent the lived experience of real people who have benefited from the opportunities offered by Woodlarks.
If you’d like to help more people like Adrian discover or rediscover the freedom and adventure of camping, please consider donating today. Your contribution, no matter the size, will directly support life-changing opportunities and help build a more inclusive, caring community for all.