Salford Lads’ Club’s first camp took place at Llandulas in North Wales in 1904 – three years before the first scout camps set up by Lord Baden Powell. The camp was held during the Whitsuntide Holiday, with 173 young lads attending. This picture shows a group of the younger lads at the 1904 camp.

By 1913, the size of the camps had risen to 350 boys, 10 leaders and 20 tonness of equipment! The group travelled by train to Liverpool, and then by packet steamer to the Isle of Man. The club also held its first junior camp in 1913 at Marple.

The loss of 135 members of the club during World War 1 had a devastating effect, and it was 10 years before the junior camp was able to take place again. By the mid 1920s, the club held camps in Hoylake, Bridlington, Harlech and Deganwy. Day trips were a regular part of the Whit week camp, and the fatigue party set up the campsites well in advance of the lads setting off from Salford.

The 1930s saw the establishment of regular camps at Deganwy and Aberystwyth – by the late 1930s Aberystwyth became the main base for the Whit week holiday.

No camps were held between 1940 and 1946 during World War 2. The club restarted camps at both Kettleshulme and Aberystwyth in 1947.

The club camps of the 1950s and 1960s were very popular events and attracted as many as 140 lads in 1964.

The club membership and scale of the camps reflected the changes to the Ordsall estate in the 1970s. Many families were rehoused in different areas of Salford and this led to the smaller camps of between 40 and 50 lads.

After a brief pause during the COVID-19 pandemic, camp resumed in 2022 with a trip to Ormside Mill in the Lake District. 2022 also saw the very first Girls camp trip, also to Ormside Mill.

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