At Refresh, families can spend quality time together and enjoy fellowship with other Christians away from the pressures of everyday life.
Over the summer, we welcomed six families to our very first Christian family camp at our beautiful site in the Scottish Borders countryside. Claire Musson, Whithaugh Park’s Customer Relationship Manager, tells us more about the week.
Our Refresh Week, held at Whithaugh Park, is a 4-night break and includes a range of adventurous activities to keep the whole family engaged. Families can spend quality time together and enjoy fellowship with other Christians, away from the pressures of everyday life.
The theme of the week was ‘Psalm 23 – The Lord is My Shepherd’ and we designed the programme to ensure families felt rested and restored during their stay. This meant we prepared the meals, washed up and ran a range of activities, which they could dip in and out of; there was no pressure or “forced fun”!
Families had their own lodge, all-inclusive meals, a full programme of outdoor activities, a kids club, daily devotionals and time for rest and relaxation.
In the day, families enjoyed our onsite activities: canoeing, raft building, archery, zip wire, our indoor heated swimming pool and much more. Families could also choose between an offsite hill walk, a toddler bug hunt or a guided bike ride along one of the world-class 7stanes mountain biking trails, which is next to the centre.
During the evenings, we had a campfire with toasted marshmallows and songs, a family quiz, board games and a night walk through the forest.
There was also space for families to receive support and prayer; it was such an encouragement to see how open and supportive all the families were towards one another.
Speaking to our guests, we were delighted to hear their feedback:
“We felt part of one big family holiday. Relaxed, refilled and rejuvenated! Morning time with adults was especially helpful. And activity time all together was a real joy to encourage each other.” Marion Kerrison, who came with her son Finn
“The week was so well thought out – the shape, timing, balance between activities/ downtime was perfect. Having meals together (without the planning, shopping, cooking and clearing!) was such a treat and made so much more time for connecting.” Charlotte and Rory Bruce, who came with their three children
“I found the devotional time particularly helpful. As a ‘doing’ person it was lovely to have space and time to sit and be still in God’s presence.” Liz Smith
To find out more about next year’s Refresh Family Week from 3rd to 7th August 2020 visit rockuk.org/whithaugh or email whithaugh@rockuk.org