We use them in our ‘100 Objects for 100 years‘ workshops to bring the rich history of the Woodcraft movement. Young people may never have experienced a large international camp like Camp 100 . There’s something unique about being able to see and handle carefully hand-crafted banners used at camps decades ago, carefully saved and stored as momentos. They bring alive the joy and purpose of woodcraft in conversations exploring the values and principles that have guided us for generations.

Inspired by the designs and emblems on the banners, then we get creative! We design postcards and craft our own badges, incorporating logos, badges, and emblems from Woodcraft’s past as well as our own understanding of what it means to be Woodcraft.

A Flag for Camp 100: A Legacy Continues

Birmingham Pioneers are taking on an exciting project: repairing and adding to an old cooperative Woodcraft rainbow flag that was generously donated. This flag could become the official flag for the Birmingham District Village at Camp 100! It’s a wonderful way to blend history with the present, ensuring that a piece of our past will fly proudly at this landmark international camp.

If you want to find out more about ‘100 Objects for 100 years‘ or discuss ways we can support your Centenary celebrations, get in touch – marcus.belben@woodcraft.org.uk. Send us your postcards:

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We’re working hard with young producers to transform these incredible stories and archives into the most amazing exhibition, set to launch later this year. Plus, we’ll be running engaging activities and a special display at the Camp 100 Trailblazers tent!

Your Chance to Get Involved in 100 Objects project

This is a call out to everyone who has been involved so far – and anyone who wants to help make it even better. We’re inviting you to join us at Cudham Environmental Centre from 3pm on Friday, July 5th, to 3pm on Saturday, July 6th. Contact me, Marcus.Belben@woodcraft.org.uk as soon as you can to visit as an individual or as a Venturer/DF group. Free Food, free lodging, free fun!

What to Expect at Cudham

Think campfire, the usual woodcraft fun, and the chance to dive into our fabulous archive collection. We’ll be working together to finalise the items for the main exhibition and activities to run at Camp 100. It’s a fantastic opportunity to see the project come to life and contribute directly to reflect 100 years of Woodcraft.

Building on Your Brilliant Ideas

A huge thank you to everyone who joined our ‘Celebrating our Centenary’ 100 Objects Zoom meeting on Friday We’re busily incorporating all the fantastic ideas from that session, as well as those from our April 28th meeting. Your input is invaluable as we develop a truly fantastic exhibition and supporting programme. This includes activities in Districts, showcase exhibitions across the UK, and our unique “Wish you were Woodcraft” International touring postcard and washing line exhibition:

We Need Your Help!

To reflect all Woodcraft means to everyone, we need your help. Please let us know as soon as you can if you’re able to make it to our Cudham event on July 5th-6th. This gathering is for both younger and older Woodcraft members, and your participation will be key to bringing this project to life.

We can’t wait to see you there and continue building something truly special together!

Contact marcus.belben@woodcraft.org.uk

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Now, connecting our 100 year celebrations across the world, we’re asking you to send us your memories, your artwork, your thoughts on what Woodcraft Folk means to you.  We plan to transform your artwork, photography, poetry, whatever, to postcards to make our international “Wish You Were Woodcraft” touring exhibition as well as an online collection of our stories.

Send us your postcards

Imagine holding a piece of history in your hands – a postcard sent from an international Woodcraft Folk camp, favourite games and activities you play in your district, a golden moment of activism or adventure in your group, vibrant artwork bursting with the colours of your experiences. Do you have snapshots capturing what defines Woodcraft Folk for you?

You can email to marcus.belben@woodcraft.org.uk or print off our postcard template, draw/add your own and post to us:

Your postcard will be one of many online and form a ‘washing line exhibition’, which, through our friendships at Camp 100, will tour the world. We will forwarding postcards and mini-clothes pegs with jute string to create adaptable and exciting exhibitions to share and to add to.

The “Wish You Were Woodcraft” online and touring exhibition will bring together a diverse collection of postcards offering a unique glimpse into what Woodcraft Folk means to its members, past and present. Each postcard tells a story, a personal reflection on the impact of this remarkable organisation.

This unique “washing line” exhibition will make its debut during “Camp 100,” Woodcraft Folk’s landmark centenary camping celebration. Like messages carried on the breeze, these postcards will then travel the world, sharing the spirit of Woodcraft Folk with new audiences!

We invite you to be a part of this special project!

• Do you have old Woodcraft Folk photos and memories you’d like to include in our exhibition? We would love to hear from you and potentially include them in our archive and exhibition.
• What does Woodcraft Folk mean to you today? Share your reflections through photographs or artwork that could become part of this touring collection.

“Wish You Were Woodcraft” is more than just an exhibition; it’s a celebration of connection, a testament to the enduring values of Woodcraft Folk, echoing across generations. Add your postcard and share your stories, one postcard at a time.

For more information on how to contribute or the exhibition tour, please visit [II’ll update webpage and please put link here].

Please send your memories to Marcus, marcus.belben@woodcraft.org.uk.  Any questions or exhibition bookings please contact Marcus.  Exhibition will be available from 1st September 2025

Look out for the “Wish You Were Woodcraft” washing line exhibition

Postcards above made by Hackney Woodcraft 2025, part of their washing line exhibition

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The focus of the weekend was all about exploring our collective experiences within Woodcraft Folk and uncovering the fascinating stories our archives hold, as well as developing our ‘100 Objects’ team to work in our Districts, Camp 100 and for our exhibition later this year. It’s amazing to see how the organisation has evolved, the impact it’s had on so many lives over the years and how we can bring those stories to life to explore the future of Woodcraft.

Earlier this month UCL IOE Archivist Jessica Womack showed us the most adorable miniature tent and camping equipment, perfectly crafted for a camper’s doll. Camping is one of the things everyone in woodcraft enjoys, so after seeing images of gents being decorated, we made and decorated our own tent.

The tent got us thinking about what will be in our ‘Camp 100’ tent, which may nowbecome known as Camp 100’s ‘Trailblazers Tent’: Our hub at Camp 100 dedicated to sharing what Woodcraft Folk is all about and exploring what people think of our movement. Motivated by the stories in the UCL IOE Woodcraft Folk Archives, Cudham’s own Archive and our own experiences, we spent time experimenting with ideas for the ‘Trailblazers Tent’.

‘I like ‘Trailblazers’ [proposed name for our ‘100 Objects for 100 Years tent’ at Camp100] because it’s what we are and what they are. It’s everyone in Woodcraft from then and now.’

Ellie Ramsden from Museum of Youth Culture helped us frame and picture, ‘making’ our photographs rather than ‘taking’ them. We developed this fully over the course of the day to help us ‘capture’ what Woodcraft Folk meant to us, and to have some fun.

‘She [Ellie] really made me stop and focus on what I was taking and why. Spend a bit more time to get something special.’

Thanks Tracy, Sara, Kath, Kate, Isobel and Scott at Cudham who made us feel very at home, including discovering more in their archives, fabulous food and a roaring Camp Fire with the new Woodcraft 100 song at the end of the day.

The weekend saw the formation of some exciting ‘working parties’, each dedicated to exploring different avenues for bringing Woodcraft’s story to life. We have groups diving into the potential of film and photography, others meticulously sifting through more archive gems, and even a team exploring the magical art of shadow puppetry! The enthusiasm and diverse skills in the room were truly inspiring.

Of course, we know there’s still a lot to do. The weekend at Cudham is just the beginning, but we made great progress in figuring out the ‘who, when, and how’ of sharing Woodcraft’s incredible story.

We’re also looking at how we can bring these stories to life within our own Districts, at Camp 100 and as part of our international touring exhibition throughout 2025. It’s a momentous year for Woodcraft Folk, and we’re determined to make it a celebration of our past, present, and future.

A huge thank you to everyone who came along to Cudham. Your energy, ideas, and enthusiasm made it a truly enjoyable and magical weekend.

‘I’ve not smiled so much in as long as I can remember’

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We’re passionate about keeping our stories alive, and we’ve got some fun and engaging ideas to help your Woodcraft Folk Groups and Districts dive deeper into your own unique journeys.

Birmingham District started their 100 years exploration bringing in photos and sharing them. We copied some of the archive images and photos most popular with our District Fellows and Venturers and worked with caricature artist Ben Jones, and every group in our district – from Woodchips to Kinsfolk – to take a snap shot of what Woodcraft Folk meant to us

Let’s turn your experiences into lasting memories and contributions to our shared history! We’ve teamed up with the Museum of Youth Culture and UCL Special Collections, for 100 Objects for 100 Years Together, we’re eager to see how we can creatively represent Woodcraft Folk. Here are some suggestions to spark your imagination:

Photo Fun: Capture the Moments!

• Bring Your Memories: Ask members and leaders to bring in their favourite Woodcraft Folk photos. Share stories, have a laugh
• Recreate History: Use copies of old photos to re-enact scenes, create freeze-frame moments, or even build a photo jigsaw puzzle for younger groups.
• Speech Bubbles & Storytelling: Add speech bubbles to photos and let imaginations run wild! What are the people in the pictures thinking or saying?
• Digital Magic: With a green screen or Zoom backgrounds, transport yourselves into archival photos or your own group snapshots.

Artifacts: What Defines Woodcraft Folk for You?

• Show & Tell: Ask everyone to bring in an artifact that represents Woodcraft Folk to them. It could be something old, something new, or something that symbolizes a much loved activity.
• Share Your Story: Take photos of people with their chosen artifacts and encourage them to explain their significance, either in writing or through recorded interviews.

Interviews: Voices of Woodcraft

• Record Your Stories: Set up a “recording booth” or a special interview chair during a District night. Collect short stories or in-depth interviews from members who have something to share.
• Play with language: You could create Haiku or acrostic poetry, or word games around what Woodcraft means to you

Artwork: A Collective Vision

• Giant Woodcraft Creation: Unleash your creativity with a giant drawing on wallpaper liner paper or fabric. Add text, drawings, photos, and anything else that represents Woodcraft Folk to your group.
• Patchwork of Memories: Create individual digital, paper or fabric patches that contribute to a larger, shared image of your Woodcraft Folk experience.

Your Story, Your Way!

How you represent Woodcraft Folk is entirely up to you! Sharing these creations within your group is fantastic. However, if you’re willing to share your work with a wider audience (and with permission from everyone involved), we’d love to add it to the Woodcraft Folk Archives for everyone to enjoy.

We’re Here to Help!

Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need assistance. We’re excited to see what you create!

Learn More:

• Visit: woodcraft.org.uk/projects-campaigns/100-objects-for-100-years/ or contact our 100 Objects Project Officer, Marcus.Belben@woodcraft.org.uk

Let’s celebrate our history and the story of Woodcraft Folk together!

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The Camp 100 team have been hard at work to create the best Woodcraft Folk international camp yet. The event will take place from 27th July – 6th August 2025 at Kelmarsh Hall and Gardens; the same site as the charity’s 2022 Common Ground event. Woodcraft Folk hope that participants will join them for the full 10 day camp, however there will be the option to come for 3 days or 7 days, and there will be lots of activities for all ages to enjoy.

One key focus of this camp is to support volunteers better so that everyone has the best
camp possible. Woodcraft Folk are putting structures in place to ensure every volunteer on site will get
at least one day off to rest and enjoy the camp. They also want to make the camp the most
accessible it can possibly be to all the charity’s members with a number of differing needs, and to
help with this they have a team of volunteers dedicated to accessibility for the first time.

Woodcraft Folk need your help to make Camp 100 the best it can be! Hear the latest Camp 100 news on @camp100wcf on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and tell all your Woodcraft and IFM friends about the camp. Woodcraft Folk also want to use Camp 100 as an opportunity to bring (back) people into Woodcraft/IFM-SEI.

There are some key vacancies the Camp 100 Team need to fill including someone to join the Youth Participation team and a Cafes Coordinator. If these don’t sound like your kind of thing don’t worry though, Woodcraft Folk are always on the search for people to help out in whatever way they can! Get in touch at info@camp100.org.uk with a bit of info about you, your skills, interests and availability and the Camp 100 Team can find a role to suit you.

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