Activity weekend residentials where young people born with a cleft can connect with others and try new things in a safe, supportive and welcoming space.
This page is aimed at children and young people born with a cleft. We also have a page about Camp CLAPA which is aimed at parents, carers and family members.
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.
They are open to 8-12-year-olds who were born with a cleft and live in the United Kingdom.
At a Camp CLAPA weekend, 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, prefer not to take part in a game or activity 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 with you would like to hear about their experiences.
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 ‘Quick Facts’ section. You can also message us below if you have any questions.
Your place at Camp CLAPA will be fully funded.
You will need to arrange your own travel to and from the camp location.
We will organise dorm rooms by age so you won't share with anyone a lot older or younger than you.
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 on the registration form for your Camp CLAPA weekend.
We will do what we can to support young people with additional needs, including medical needs, to attend Camp CLAPA. It’s important you share full details about your needs so we can make sure we’re able to support you.
There will be a mixture of height based and water activities which we will encourage everyone to try, but you don't have to take part if you don't want to. It's also totally up to you if you want to talk about cleft-related topics or not.
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 |
“I loved my CLAPA Weekend. 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 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 favourite memory was going to the tuck shop with my new friends. I can’t wait to go on another CLAPA Weekend because they are so much fun and no parents allowed!“A young person who attended a Camp CLAPA Activity Weekend
Join us in Shropshire for this Camp CLAPA activity weekend in October, where fifteen 8-12-year-olds born with a cleft can enjoy fun, confidence-building activities, make friends, share experiences, and meet our adult volunteers.
Get in touch with CLAPA's Children and Young People's Team. Messages are sent to [email protected]. Please note this is not an emergency service and messages are not checked outside of working hours.
