Only legends hang out in the Artisans Guild!

Nestled discreetly in the Artisans Guild is an arts and crafts tent containing some of the most experienced volunteers at WINGS. We popped into explore the vast number of therapeutic and hands-on craft skills on offer from mosaics and origami to weaving and quilling and were greeted with a warm welcome from the volunteer team.

14-year-old Explorer Alex was putting some of his group’s Scouts to shame, painstakingly focused on creating a colourful beaded animal, when we interrupted to chat to long-time WINGS volunteer, known throughout Girlguiding as Badger.

“It’s a worm,” Badger corrected when I questioned what Alex was creating. “He’s doing a great job, he’s going to add more colours; it’ll be a worm,” she said.

Badger, ten years a resident in the New Forest, started her WINGS experience as a Guide leader at the very first event in 1993. “I was looking after 1st Sandhurst Guides. We were right near the bar and entertainment area, the other side of the field to where it is now, along with the café. We could just pop back and forth.”

It’s a bit of a longer trek now, as we see another volunteer walking back with a trayful of slushies from the shop, which typifies the growth of this event.

“There was slightly more space for each subcamp back then, I don’t think there were quite as many, and we did activities like swimming and canoeing in Longridge. It’s the same concept today as it was then.”

The international experience at WINGS, as you can read about in our first volume of The Quill magazine, has always played a key role.

“Back in 1998, we camped next to some Americans on site and because my husband took them back to the station at the end of the camp, they gave us one of their tents. They didn’t want to take it all the way back to America – and that’s the tent I am using this weekend. The instructions inside are from Montana! We got on well with them.”

Volunteering also offers a unique experience for those up for a challenge, just as Badger found out stepping in for the Scouts at the inaugural WINGS.

“I ended up doing all the knots, making a knotting board that the Scouts set-up; and I did that all week, learning monkey fists and all sorts. The Swedish Scouts came over and explained that they use different names for their knots, so they wrote the Swedish names underneath mine. It is fascinating the things you learn on this camp.”

She adds: “This event is great. All the young people mix up, they are all ever so polite (well, mostly); if I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t do it. I’ll be over 80 for the next one, so not sure I’ll be up for it. I might need a buggy,” For Badger, we’re sure that could be arranged!