Camp Williams is here every school holiday!
YMCA’s flagship day camp, Camp Williams runs every school holiday, and is bursting with creative activities, outdoor adventures, sports, group games, camp songs and more.
Campers range from ages 4 to 15, and enjoy a programme that grows with them, designed to introduce amazing new experiences, skills, opportunities, and responsibilities at every age group.
What to expect from Camp Williams
Camp Williams is not your usual holiday club! Every part of the programme is by design, carefully shaped using the building blocks of positive youth development.
By the end of each week, campers will have achieved something amazing and fantastic for them – be it learning how to climb, going up on stage, making a new friend, or just trying something new.
Our Core Values of Honesty, Caring, Respect and Responsibility are embedded into every aspect of camp for both children and staff. Children are celebrated for their quality of character and the effort they put in.
Whereas other clubs may focus on winning, Camp Williams recognises triumphs big and small – recognising children for their uniqueness and individual feats.
Camp Activities
Whatever age a camper is, they’ll be able to get involved with a huge range of activities and games that make the most of the fantastic facilities at the YMCA Community and Activity Village. Every child can enjoy sports, group games, crafts, Juice Jam, swimming, camp rallies and Gaga Ball.
Camp Fire Friday
Every week, campers have the chance to show off their new skills and achievements at Camp Fire Friday. All Villages attend, and parents and carers are invited to join in with songs, watch performances and experience the camp spirit for themselves.
Skill Clinics (ages 8+)
A real favourite for our campers, Skill Clinics form a core part of the progression-based programming for campers.
Skill Clinics often include Basketball, Football, Dance, Drama and Theatre, Music, Crafts, Soft Archery, Climbing, Skateboarding and more.
Note: Skill clinics vary week by week. We cannot guarantee the availability of specific clinics, however do our best to ensure an exciting range is always available.
Day Bookings
For children aged 8+, Camp Williams is designed to be a week-long programme. However, we can offer limited day bookings available as part of our Pioneer Camp. Pioneer campers still access tons of camp favourites, but have a different activity schedule to make the most of their time with us. Learn more here.
Villages: A camp that grows with them
While at camp, children join a Village based on their age group. Each Village is like its own community within Camp Williams – each with their own camp leaders, base room, colours, song and flag.
As children age through Villages, the activities, and privileges available to them grow too.
Kids Zone (4-7yrs)
Our youngest campers experience a programme that embodies the spirit and values of Camp Williams – paced and designed especially for their age group.
Both day and week campers share the same schedule in Kids Zone, so every morning we start with one of our ‘Get to Know You Games’, which help campers feel at ease with their new friends and camp leaders.
The day is packed full of amazing group activities, including sports, games, crafts, swimming trips and more.
As well as being heaps of fun, they provide Kids Zone campers with an introduction to building new skills, growing their confidence, and celebrating behaviours that express our Core Values.
Discovery (8-9yrs)
Once campers join Discovery (or ‘Disco’ as we all call it!), they enjoy everything from Kids Zone, plus the addition of our incredible Skill Clinics.
Skill Clinics give campers a chance to choose three activities which they’ll practice and develop every day at camp. From climbing to game design, skateboarding to music, mountain biking to archery – there are always brilliant, exciting options on offer.
By choosing clinics themselves, campers are empowered to create their own camp journey, and experience the fulfilment that comes with trying and progressing in something new. They can even share what they’ve learned with peers and parents as part of Camp Fire Friday!
Note: Skill clinics vary week by week. We cannot guarantee the availability of specific clinics, however do our best to ensure an exciting range is always available.
Explorer Village (10-12yrs)
During the summer, campers in the Explorer Village (‘Expo’) have the chance to experience everything from the younger Villages, but also have the choice to take part in Masterclasses.
With limited places on each, Masterclasses give our older campers the choice to replace their three Skill Clinics with one in-depth skill to focus on, such as cooking or paddle sports.
Campers in these classes enjoy significant time with the Skill Clinic leader, and by the end of the week have had the chance to get to grips with techniques, tricks, and advanced know-how.
Adventure Village (13-15yrs)
The Adventure Village are our oldest campers, and so they are given more trust, freedom, and responsibilities while at Camp Williams.
In addition to everything else, in the summer ‘Advo’ campers are given the chance to go off-site one afternoon a week to enjoy local adventure and activity centres with their group and Village leader.
To build their confidence and responsibility, willing campers have the chance to contribute to the running of camp activities or help younger campers. Those coming to the end of their time with us also have the opportunity to spend time with camp leaders, to learn and ask questions about volunteering or working with us once they turn 16.
Book now!
| Holiday | Week | Week booking Price | Day booking Price |
| October Half Term Week 1 | 21st October – 25th October | £205 | £58 |
| October Half Term Week 2 | 28th October – 1st November | £205 | £58 |
| Christmas Week 1 | 23rd, 24th & 27th December | £123 | £58 |
| Christmas Week 2 | 30th – 31st December & 2nd – 3rd January | £164 | £58 |
All dates are 8am – 6pm and located at YMCA Community and Activity Village, Newark-on-Trent.
Live closer to Nottingham? Click here to book our Nottingham camp instead.
Scholarship Programme
Everyone should have a fair chance to discover who they are and what they can become.
YMCA’s Scholarship programme is bedded into the ethos of Camp Williams as a charity run, not-for-profit service. The initiative provides financial accessibility to families who may otherwise not be able to attend, with costs part covered by charity grants and generous community donations.
Campers who attend on a scholarship enjoy the same incredible experience as everyone else.
Learn more & applyFAQs
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Who should I contact whilst my child is at Camp?
For early pick up, if you’re running late or for any questions whilst your child is at Camp, please call the Camp Site Mobile Phone: 07587 552 923.
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Where can I find your prices and dates?
All camp dates and cost breakdowns can be found online so you can choose the best camp package for you and your child. If you can’t quite cover cost of the week camp, you may qualify for our Scholarships support.
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What happens on arrival?
Everyone will be introduced to their team and Village spaces. If you have any questions during the day, parents/carers will be given a specific YMCA Camp Williams phone number to contact anytime. Collection is between 5pm-6pm every day.
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Is there an age limit on who can take part in Skill Clinics?
Yes. For the safety and enjoyment of our campers, only older children aged 8-15 can participate in Skill Clinics – but don’t worry! Campers in our Kids Zone (aged 4-7) will have plenty of opportunities to enjoy other engaging activities such as clay modelling, slack-lining and rocket building – not to mention creating craft props for their Campfire Friday performances!
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What is Camp Fire Friday?
At the end of each week, we invite parents and carers to join us and celebrate the children’s achievements at Camp Williams with a series of performances from each Village. Campers can take to the stage and show off their new skills! A lovely way to round-off their YMCA adventures.