Written by Tom Fogg of "The Shaunies"

It’s quarter to ten in the evening, midweek at CTT. I only left Joys Joynt for a second, for a quick loo break, but can’t help but pause and soak up the atmosphere of the camp. As I stand in the middle of the field, I see campers singing, leaders strolling to the pub and a squirrel dart across the ground and scamper up a tree. I hear the rustle of the leaves in the wind, the beat of a song coming from the Explorer tent and laughter from a tent as someone falls over the guy rope. I smell the aroma of over-roasted marshmallows, and then to ruin it all, I get a waft of the nearby toilet block – which strangely, is a smell that I now associate with Tolmers.

This year CTT went ‘Wild West’ themed and the campsite was transformed into a cactus filled universe. Ok, maybe that was a bit over the top, but you really did feel like you were in a western movie. The general store was selling slush by the gallon, the jail was bursting with the unexpected number of nominated leaders and the Sheriff (aka Mrs Wembley) did an excellent job of controlling all you cowboys and cowgirls. This year also played host to a pair of monkeys who were running riot with water pistols, the kidnapping of a group’s bear mascot and Irish dancing, live on stage, which seemed to wow a handful of females! Yeeharr!

For those not accustomed to the CTT way of life – CTT is a fortnight long activity camp, in which campers undertake a wide range of activities during the day, such as: archery, climbing, journalism, swimming, water zorbing and much more! The evenings are full of entertainment too! Tuesday night hosted line dancing (a personal favourite of mine). Thursday, the campfire, and it was bigger and better than ever before, with some of the craziest songs I have ever heard.  And Friday, the highlight of the week – the famous CTT disco – and despite “Sexy Fish” not being played, it was still a top class night, and was a great end to the week!

This was my seventh year at CTT, and when I arrived for the first time all those years ago, little did I know that it would change my life so much! Anyone reading this, who has never been to CTT before, will struggle to understand how a field, with some woods, some crew, a selection of activities and a whole lot of campers, could possibly have such a major impact on one’s life. And I totally understand. It’s not until you ‘Come to Tolmers’ that you realise that it’s more than just a campsite – it literally is a world of its own. You’re away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. You’re able to be yourself and so is everyone else. You’re with a group of people who are all there to enjoy themselves – the campers, the crew, the leaders, and even the postman that drops off the letters to the office!

When you’ve been so many times, it becomes a part of you – and as I type this last paragraph, a tear is actually in my eye. I have had amazing memories from CTT and any sort of stimulus brings them back. Whether it is a song I first heard at Tolmers, a joke a leader once told me, or even our good friend “the toilet block smell”. These memories are all so powerful that, no matter how many times I go, I will still miss that unique vibe, and the Tolmers way of life.

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