Around 160 children from the Midlands – including Leicester, Loughborough, Birmingham, Coventry and Rugby – accompanied by 90 trained volunteers enjoyed a day of sports and team-building activities at Beaumanor Hall in Woodhouse, Leicestershire, on Saturday 27 July 2024.
Beaumanor Hall is a Victorian country house set in 34 acres of idyllic countryside. The venue offers training, conference and residential facilities for young people, including outdoor learning experiences for children of all ages.
The trip, titled ‘Samp Camp’, was organised to foster new friendships in a safe, engaging environment. Swamis from BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Leicester also accompanied the group to share their wisdom and knowledge.
The morning began with motivational messages from the swamis that encouraged the children to enjoy and benefit from the day’s learning opportunities and related them to real-life scenarios, drawing inspiration from the life and teachings of Mahant Swami Maharaj as well as Hindu scriptures.
The series of activities – including an obstacle course, football, cricket, dodgeball, ultimate ball, and many more – provided excitement and an opportunity for the children to bond with one another, cultivating understanding and tolerance in a practical and relaxed atmosphere. The Marble Run activity was particularly challenging, whilst designing objects from paper offered children an opportunity to understand the science of papercraft. However, the inflatable Gladiator Zone was everyone’s favourite activity of the day!
Ohm Patel from Leicester, one of the participants, shared, “I really enjoyed the day! The Gladiator Zone was the best. I was undefeated!” while Shayan Mistry from Coventry said, “I made so many new friends from Leicester and Birmingham! I cannot wait for next year!”
Water activities also offered a welcome respite from the hot summer weather and proved to be a perfect conclusion to the trip.
Dipeshbhai and Sanjaybhai from Coventry added, “A thoroughly successful day! Amazing memories for the children, and so thankful that we were able to help out all day!”
This year, balaks and balikas studying in Years 6, 7 and 8 also enjoyed a night stay at Beaumanor Hall. In the evening, everyone enjoyed a short sabha in which the swamis narrated inspirational prasangs from the life of Shastriji Maharaj and many of his bravest devotees! The following morning, everyone participated in an enjoyable activity that tested their teamwork and entrepreneurial skills!
The two-day event proved to be an outstanding success for everyone who attended!