Children from West Cornwall are enjoying an action-packed special summer camp. 

Forty young people are taking part in the camp at Paul overlooking Mount’s Bay, which has been organised by the local group of Anglican churches in the Benefice of St Mary. 

On top of onsite activities in Paul, they have also arranged a series of trips, including boating, biking and fishing, as well as a visit to the Eden Project. 

The initiative has been able to offer free places to children eligible for free school meals following a grant from Cornwall Council and other local sponsors, in addition to the generous support of church congregations. 

A filling breakfast and a healthy lunch are laid on, and each evening ends with the assembled participants sat around the campfire enjoying treats and snacks, as they tell their tales of the day’s adventures and make plans for tomorrow’s. 

Reverend Andrew Yates, who is organising the event, said: “Our children need and deserve summer holiday fun so we have an action-packed weekly programme. 

“Our community in Penzance has the highest level of deprivation in Cornwall. 

“The cost-of-living crisis has impacted on families and also on community groups such as ourselves. Our food budget for this summer’s holiday club has had to double because of the cost of basic ingredients.” 

Esmé Page’s children Kes and Pax have been involved in the summer holiday club for most of their lives. Both started as participants, and both are now young leaders in the team of volunteers who support the activities at the camp. 

Now 13 years-old, Kes recalls teaching some of the younger children to make bread at last year’s camp.

“It was fun to see their smiles as they pulled their golden loaves out of the oven and tasted them,” said Kes.

“And to see them jump with joy splashing around in the sea. It’s an incredibly rewarding experience and I feel I’m developing lots of skills which normally someone of my age wouldn’t get the chance to do.” 

Pax, 16, has been taking part in the holiday club for a decade, and now leads a range of activities, including swimming, fishing, biking and camping skills. 

“The club gave me so much confidence when I was young and now I really enjoy giving back.

“I learn a lot to each year. It makes me so sad that lots of kids living here in Cornwall, maybe just a mile from the sea, don’t get to swim, discover rock pools and play on the beach – all the stuff that makes living in Cornwall so amazing.

“For lots of the children, the holiday club is the only way they get those kinds of experiences,” Pax said. 

Their mother Esmé is similarly impressed by the impacts of the annual camp.  

“The team of volunteers go out of their way to nurture the kids but also to help them take little risks, hone their decision-making skills and learn to get on,” she said.

“Over the four or five weeks, as I pick them up at the end of the day, it’s lovely to see the children blossoming, coming out of their shells and getting that wonderful Cornish glow that only comes from a summer spent outside in the elements.” 

The church team have been working for more than a decade on the holiday club initiative in partnership with St Mary’s Church of England School in Penzance.  

“This is a wonderful example of the Church in Cornwall in action,” said the Right Reverend Hugh Nelson, Bishop of St Germans. “St Mary’s have developed a sustainable partnership with communities and local organisations, reaching young people and serving those most in need.

“These are key priorities for both Penwith Deanery and the Diocese of Truro, as we meet the challenges and opportunities of our fast-changing world.”