Camp CLAPA

Camp CLAPA

Camp CLAPA Activity Weekends are a chance for you to meet and spend time with other young people born with a cleft in a safe and supportive space.

You will have the opportunity to enjoy lots of activities throughout the weekend. Take a look at the timetable below for an example of a typical weekend. You will also have free time where you can choose to relax or play games with new friends.

We will encourage you to take part in all of the activities, but this is your weekend, and the most important thing is that you make positive memories and have fun! So if you don’t like heights, get tired or you just need to take some time out, all of this is fine.

Camp CLAPA Activity Weekends are hosted by a team of CLAPA staff and volunteers, most of whom are adults born with a cleft. They are there to support you, to encourage you to get involved and to help keep you safe, but also share their journey and experiences with you if you wish.

Camp CLAPA Activity Weekends are designed to help you build confidence, feel good about yourself, and feel connected to others born with a cleft, they can also be a space to talk about cleft-related topics if you would like to.

We hope you leave the weekend feeling positive and part of a community.

Still unsure? Take a look at our ‘Things to know’ section, but please don’t hestitate to get in touch if you do have any questions about Camp CLAPA Activity Weekends, you can email us on [email protected].

“I loved my Clapa residential.  It was great fun. We did archery, rock climbing and had a campfire with marshmallows! Rock climbing was a bit scary but I climbed up a little bit and was proud. It was very special because everybody was born with a cleft like me. I had an operation the week after the residential and it was really nice to see other children who have operations. I made three really good friends. We all shared a room together and stayed up late chatting and being cheeky! We even had secret snacks in our room. My favorite memory was going to the tuck shop with my new friends. I can’t wait to go on another Clapa residential because they are so much fun and no parents allowed!“

What to expect when signing up to a Camp CLAPA Activity Weekends:

Before

• We’ll invite you to a catch-up over video call (Zoom) with CLAPA staff to help us to get to know you, find out how you are feeling about camp and learn about any support needs.
• To settle nerves and get to know each other, we’ll then host a whole group pre-meet on Zoom. These are generally about an hour long and involve lots of fun games and activities and some information about the weekend.
• A few weeks before we will send you a Camp CLAPA Activity Weekend Welcome Pack with all of the details you should need. Things like what to pack, activities planned, and information on who the CLAPA staff and volunteers will be. We’ll also let you know who you will be sharing a room with and timings for the weekend.

During

• Each weekend looks a little different, depending on the centre and the activities we can choose from but a typical weekend will look something like this:

Day	Time	Activity
Friday	5pm 6pm 7pm 9pm 10pm	Arrive at centre, check into dorms and unpack Dinner Evening activity – this might be cinema night or quiz night Back to dorms to get ready for bed Lights out
Saturday	7am 8am 9am 11am 12:30pm 2pm 4pm 6pm 7pm 9pm 10pm	Wake up Breakfast Morning activity – this might be climbing, abseiling, kayaking or nightline Chill out time and CLAPA group activities – this might be making vlogs for the CLAPA website or digital animation Lunch Afternoon activity – this might be fencing or areoball CLAPA group activities, board games, get to know each other time Dinner Evening activity – this might be a campfire or a talent show Back to dorms Lights out
Sunday	7am 8am 9am 11am 12:30pm 2pm 4pm	Wake up Breakfast Morning activity – this might be lasertag or bushcraft Chill out time Lunch CLAPA group activities – we make shields for you to take home, play some final games and celebrate everything you have achieved Head home

After

• We will invite you to a Zoom catch up with everyone after your Camp CLAPA Activity Weekend so that we can celebrate your achievements and share our memories from the weekend.
• We’ll also send you a keepsake memory highlights video of photos and videos from over your weekend that might look like this:

Things to know:

Young people tell us these can be deal-breakers in deciding to come on a Camp CLAPA Activity Weekend. We’ve rounded up your top questions or worries but if you do need any more information, please email [email protected].

It’s Free! – Your place will be fully funded – there will be no cost to you or your family. You will need to arrange your own travel to and from the camp location. Please do contact CLAPA if you have issues with funding travel.

Grouped by age – We will organise dorm rooms by age so you will not be sharing with anyone a lot older or younger than you

Medical needs –  It’s important you share full details about your needs so we can make sure we’re able to support you.

No pressure – If you want to talk about cleft related topics, you can, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to.

Taking part – There will be a mixture of height based and water activities which we will encourage you to try. You don’t have to take part in an activity if you don’t want to.

Hope to see you on a CLAPA weekend soon!

Young people of all backgrounds, races, religions, genders, sexualities, and differences are welcome at our events. If there’s anything we can do to make you feel more comfortable and welcome, please let us know when you sign up (there’s a space on the signup form to do this).

Apply now for Camp CLAPA Activity Weekends in 2025:

Camp CLAPA at PGL Boreatton Park in Shropshire from 7th to 9th May 2025

Camp CLAPA at PGL Dalguise, Perthshire from 12th to 14th September 2025.

Filling in our sign-up form does not guarantee you a place at Camp CLAPA. We will send you and your family an email to let you know when your place is confirmed. 

Camp CLAPA, Shropshire

Camp CLAPA, Perthshire

If you have any questions about Camp CLAPA Weekends, please email [email protected].