Church Camps: another left field programme from BBC Radio nan Gàidheal

On Monday 30th August at 9.00am on BBC Radio nan Gàidheal, there is a programme celebrating 50 years of Church Camps.

Hardly a subject that dominates the national consciousness, this is nevertheless an interesting cultural touchstone.

Fourteen girls gathered in a small Highland town for a holiday with a difference fifty years ago.  They didn’t know that they were the pioneers of a movement which would literally prove to be life-changing for many who would come after them.

From those early beginnings the Free Church Camp movement, staffed  by volunteers,  grew into an enterprise which annually continues to offer young people a wide choice of holiday venues, activities and experiences – naturally intertwined with an emphasis on the spiritual.

BBC Radio nan Gàidheal marks the 50th anniversary of the Free Church camps with this special programme, exploring the history of the camps and looking at the camp experience now, in 2010.

The camps are run every Easter and Summer and incorporate everything from hill walking to karting and locations from Oswestry in England to Pitlochry in the Highlands.

Each camp is different – some specialising in the bespoke, focusing on football or outdoor activities; others on a broader leisure experience.

The common thread which links them all is the emphasis on Bible study and teaching. It is not unusual to find amongst those who have attended camp, many who trace their spiritual awakening back to their camp experience.

It should also be said that there are many who fully enjoyed and remember still the physical activities and experiences the camps offered while finding the bible study the price they had to pay for the opportunities.

This documentary offers a taste of camp life 21st century style – as seen above, visiting the 2010 Gaelic camp which took place at Badenoch Christian Centre during the Easter break.  Led by Ruairidh Maclean, Minister of Harris Free Church in Leverburgh, the camp is for 10-13 year olds and offers a variety of activities in a Gaelic speaking environment.

The programme, presented by Mairi Macauley,  works to discover what is, in a largely secular society, the continuing attraction of these holidays to both young people and the adults who help to organise them.

BBC Radio nan Gàidheal is available on 103.5 gu 105FM and on the BBC ALBA website.