History - Part 1

The Beginning

For many years before, during and after World War 2, York had a large boy Crusaders Bible Class. It was in the 1944 and 1945 that the class joined with the one in Stockton on Tees and ran a camp on the North East coast. From 1946 onwards it became a York camp on a lovely site at Ulrome near Bridlington. The campsite was provided by an influential Christian from Hull. Bell tents were hired with a marquee for meals, meetings and any bad weather. They were just one field away from the sea, so a lot of time on the beach and in the sea (unheated!!)

Dick & Melvine Rollinson

When Dick Rollinson came out of the Army in 1946 after the war ended, he went to his first camp. Melvine, his wife was one of the cooks and he had a few jobs including the camp bookstall (a little job which was later to change their lives - but that's another story!) These camps became an annual event. They were packed with fun and at the same time laid a spiritual foundation. Many lads met the Lord there and came to understand and believe the Gospel for the first time. The transformation in these lives is still evident now, 50 years later. The leaders of those days especially Newman and Joan Johnson (who commenced the camps) have long since gone to be with the Lord.

When he was about 70, Newman announced that he could no longer cope with the responsibilities and the camps would cease. But a friend, Douglas Greenfield came and promised that if Dick continued the camps, he and his wife Joan would join them.

Kettlewell - Bentham

Their first year was a complete departure from the past, when they offered to take girls as well as boys. They went to a hostel at Kettlewell in the Yorkshire Dales with the girls in the hostel and boys in tents. They learnt a lot, even that you can't knock tent pegs into land which has an inch of soil and solid limestone beneath! Also that minibuses and dry stone walls don't mix!

Numbers grew and venues varied from Cliff College in the Peak District, tatty schools at Corbridge near Hadrian's Wall, St. Annes on Sea to a nice school at Ikley. Finally a friendly school inspector helped Dick to get the use of Bentham Grammer School on the Yorkshire/Lancashire border, with access to the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and the sea. Bentham continued for many years with a very varied annual programme and a team of dedicated leaders. It became a place where many lasting friendships began and above all where many young people entered into friendship with Jesus, which changed the whole of their lives! In 1984, after 38 tireless year's service of organising camps, Dick & Melvine announced that it was time for them to retire, and that other people needed to take over the responsibility.

History - PART 2

To follow shortly, stories from Bentham! Plus camps from the mid 1980's onwards including; Whitley Bay...Moor House (Durham)...Crawleyside & Portland Lodge (County Durham)... Alnmouth (Northumberland)...Gartmore House (Stirlingshire, Scotland)...Whithaugh Park!!

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