Cameron's Cottage is a non-profit venture in memory of Cameron to make nature more accessible to young people. 

Cameron’s Cottage is nestled in the heart of RSPB Franchises Lodge nature reserve in the New Forest and sleeps up to nineteen people. It has been renovated to create a sustainable place where groups of young people can experience and learn about the natural world. 

Booking Cameron's Cottage

For more information about booking Cameron's Cottage including pricing and availability please email the RSPB: cameronscottage@rspb.org.uk

The Cottage can accommodate up to 19 people, including leaders in 5 bedrooms. Additional discounts are available for groups who meet certain financial requirements.

Activities include:

  • nature: bioblitz, bat detecting moth trapping, wildlife walk
  • team building: slacklining, blind fold trail, team all maze, wild art
  • survival skills: outdoor cooking, kelly kettles, shelter building, pioneering, navigation

Latest news:

 

Winchester Youth Counselling relaxes at Cameron' Cottage

14 June 2023

We are thrilled to sponsor the Winchester Youth Counselling. This wonderful charity provides free, confidential counselling for young people aged 11 to 25 who are based in the district of Winchester.

During the Easter holidays their nature therapy group enjoyed a visit to Cameron’s Cottage. The group took part in a range of nature based activities led by the RSPB team. The activities included team games, bug hunting and making bird boxes.

"Thank you to the team at Cameron’s Cottage for such a fantastic day. The young people really enjoyed making the bird boxes and doing the teambuilding games. The day was really helpful for young people and was enjoyed by all who attended."

The WYC nature therapy group recognises that spending time connecting with nature is proven to reduce stress and anxiety and improve emotional health and well-being.

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The group takes part in a team building exercise

The group takes part in a team building exercise

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The group takes part in a team building exercise

The group learns how to build nest boxes


New Forest Wildilfe Camp

03 November 2021

We are delighted to continue our sponsorship of the New Forest Wildlife Camp for a third year. The Wild New Forest chose the newly renovated Cameron’s Cottage as its venue for camp which ran from Friday 22 October to the Sunday.

The Trust has sponsored this event since its inception and it was wonderful to welcome this energetic group of teenagers to the Franchises Lodge RSPB reserve in the northern New Forest.

It was a jam packed weekend for the campers. The activities included everything from nocturnal wildlife hunts to bird ringing demonstrations. The campers were also able to set moth traps and to see how camera traps are set to capture nocturnal activity.  The camera traps yielded video footage of Fallow Deer, Grey Squirrel and Wood Mouse.

Lou checking the corrugated iron sheets for sheltering reptiles and amphibians

Lou checking the corrugated iron sheets for sheltering reptiles and amphibians

The Saturday afternoon bio blitz competition showed just how rich the area is in flora and fauna; the three teams recorded between 130 and 150 species, with highlights including Raft Spider, Wood Cricket and Palmate Newt.

Trustee, Corinne Cruickshank paid a visit to the cottage on the Saturday to give the attendees an inspiring speech about Cameron’s legacy and the vision for Cameron’s Cottage.

Andy Page, Head Keeper at Forestry England, joined the group on the Sunday walk and was able to talk about wildlife and woodland management and reveal some of the rich history of the area.

By the end of the camp the attendees had recorded nearly 100 species of fungi, 45 species of bird, over 30 species of moth, and numerous invertebrates, plants, and trees. It was great to see the group sharing experiences and enjoying each other’s company after what has been a tough couple of years due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Team photo outside the cottage

Huge thanks to Nigel Jones, Andy Page, Andrew Colenutt and Helen Schneider for leading the activities and to Anneka and Lou from RSPB for their assistance at Cameron’s Cottage.

To read a full report on the weekend please visit the Wild New Forest website

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Setting camera traps

Setting camera traps

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Setting camera traps

Examining Flora and Fauna on the night walk


RSPB and the Trust

03 September 2021

Trustee Corinne Cruickshank met up with RSPB Chief Executive, Beccy Speight, recently to check on progress at Cameron's Cottage. It won't be long before the doors will open to young naturalists everywhere.

Beccy reflected on the progress so far; "The partnership between the Cameron Bespolka Trust and the RSPB feels like a real meeting of minds. Cameron’s Cottage is a very special place and the opportunity to have young people come and stay and have the chance to be immersed in such nature rich surroundings is hugely important. Nature’s restoration needs all of us to care and take action and we know that people only care for what they can understand and therefore grow to love.

We also know that being in natural surroundings brings huge benefits in terms of an individual person’s physical and mental wellbeing. The kind of experience offered by a stay at Cameron’s Cottage in a supportive communal environment will definitely start young people on that journey, both for nature and for themselves. We’re incredibly grateful that the Trust has chosen to fund and work alongside us to achieve this vision.”

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Beccy Speight and Corrine Cruickshank

Beccy Speight and Corrine Cruickshank


Trustees and Young Ambassadors test out the cottage

06 August 2021

We were very proud to be the first group to test out Cameron’s Cottage last weekend.  All our Trustees and 10 Young Ambassadors came to Cameron’s Cottage and find out what a stay is like and to discover the RSPB Franchises Lodge nature reserve.  

Cameron’s Cottage is so nearly ready, just final touch up details before the building is handed back to the RSPB.   So we had fun camping close to the Cottage but using the facilities which made the whole weekend even more of an adventure.     

The focus of Cameron’s Cottage is to invite young people from all walks of life to come and stay, learn, develop skills and confidence in this beautiful wildlife rich forest.  The Cottage will sleep 19 (and additional camping available) and has an Outdoor Classroom adjacent to accommodate day time activities as well as being a perfect place to eat outside.  There is also an enclosed study centre at the end of the Classroom which will have facilities for research and data analysis to take place.  

Cameron’s Cottage is also a home for wildlife.  There are bat boxes in every roof space as well as on the surrounding trees, Swift bricks, House Martin cups and many other nooks and crannies around the place for birds to nest.  

This building is off grid but there is mains water and but no mains gas or electricity.  Much research has gone into making this place reliable and energy efficient.  There are 72 solar panels, 3 large batteries, a mechanical ventilation system, an air source pump and under floor heating.  There will also be a back up generator for those dark winter days.  The most energy efficient part of the Cottage is the superb insulation.  And the RSPB are very proud to have supplied all the timber (douglas fir) from the surrounding reserve.   

We can’t wait for you to organise your group and come visit, aimed especially at 15-25 year olds from all backgrounds and walks of life.  We are working with educational establishments such as schools and universities, conservations groups, youth groups, specialist charities, scouts and more.  Reservations will be on line as of September but please email me in the meantime if you have any questions or enquiries info@cameronbespolka.com or Anneka Schofield, Project Officer RSPB Franchises Lodge anneka.schofield@rspb.org.uk.

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Cameron's Cottage

Cameron's Cottage

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Cameron's Cottage

Young Ambassadors outside the Cottage

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Cameron's Cottage

Cottage at night

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Cameron's Cottage

Anneka, RSPB Project Officer inside the Outdoor Classroom

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Cameron's Cottage

Outdoor Classroom

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Cameron's Cottage

Wildlife talk in Outdoor Classroom

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Cameron's Cottage

Team building exercises

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Cameron's Cottage

Young Ambassadors

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Cameron's Cottage

Franca's bug hotel

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Cameron's Cottage

One of the many species we saw

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Cameron's Cottage

Lake dipping

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Cameron's Cottage

Wildlife observation

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Cameron's Cottage

Toad

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Cameron's Cottage

Bio blitz

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Cameron's Cottage

Bio blitz

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Cameron's Cottage

Franchises Lodge Nature Reserve

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Cameron's Cottage

Camping is a great option if you have a larger group


Cameron's Cottage hosts first groups of young people

06 July 2021

What an altogether awesome week it has been! An incredibly momentous occasion to be hosting the first groups of young people at Cameron’s Cottage to experience just a few of the outdoor activities that will be on offer.

The RSPB hosted three separate small groups to test out some of the outdoor activities at Franchises Lodge nature reserve. The first group, Employ My Ability, is a charity that helps students with learning disabilities develop vital skills. They learnt about habitat management and helped clear the invasive non-native rhododendrons.

The second group Black To Nature led by Birdgirl took part in a bio blitz activity organized by Russell Wynn and Marcus Ward from Wild New Forest with each group identifying over 110 different species in just 1 hour!

And the third group of University students and volunteers carried out deer population and impact surveys in the New Forest.

These are just some of the endless possibilities around Cameron’s Cottage. For now, groups could not stay due to COVID restrictions and the Cottage is not 100% ready but it was very special indeed to be part of the day.

The event was expertly organised by Anneka at RSPB England. We are so grateful to our amazing supporters for making this possible. Thank you.

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Open Days

We would love you to come and visit Cameron’s Cottage and see for yourself. If you are a school, college, university or an organisation who is thinking of taking a group of young people for a day or overnight stay, please email date you can join us to: cameronscottage@rspb.org.uk

 

 

 


Cameron's Legacy

To celebrate the official opening week at Cameron’s Cottage, we are very proud to share this video which shows the result of many years of collaboration between the Trust and the RSPB.    

View video »

 

 

2 Minute Introduction to Cameron's Cottage:
solar powered and low-impact

 

Cameron’s Cottage offers an immersive outdoor experience for 15 – 25 year olds in a stunning woodland packed full of wildlife, including many rarities.

Whether it’s getting creative through outdoor cooking and wild art, tackling the grittier side of nature with survival skills and conducting research or learning conservation skills, those coming to stay at Cameron’s Cottage will have the experience of a lifetime.

Franchises Lodge is a haven for wildlife, from birds of prey to unusual fungi, orchids and loads more. In this idyllic setting, young people can come together to take part in activities ranging from shelter building to conservation skills, plus much, much more.

The newly refurhbished Cameron's Cottage will be a wonderful base fromm which to be immersed in nature

The fully-equipped kitchen

The living area where many stories will be shared

Bunk room with a view - nature is right on your doorsteps

Outdoor Classroom
Next to Cameron’s Cottage there is an open-sided wooden outdoor classroom which can be booked for day visits from schools.  These day trips will include nature activities provided and led by RSPB.  

The  outdoor classroom will bring the guests closer to nature

"Cameron’s Cottage is completely off-grid with heating and electricity provided by solar power, so it really is the ultimate nature experience"

Beth Markey, RSPB

Sustainability
We are proud of the fact that Cameron’s Cottage is off-grid, relies on solar power and is wildlife friendly. All the timber used to renovate the Cottage has come from the site.  The douglas fir trees needed to be thinned by a third to allow light to reach the ground and to increase biodiversity. Solar panels are located on the study centre and extension roof producing 10KW power per hour with battery storage.Groups can monitor their power use and adapt according to the amount being generated or stored. This is a fantastic learning resource for how we need to think carefully and consider the impacts of how we use resources. A firepit and equipment has been provided to encourage outdoor living.

 

The water is heated by solar heating in the warmer months but switches to solar power for the winter. Inside, all appliances have been planned to have a low energy use. There are wood burners inside the kitchen and study centre to provide additional heat but can also be used to cook indoors and has an additional hob. A heat source pump supports the low carbon heating arrangement by drawing heat from the outside air and transferring to the underfloor heating system to warm the building.

Outside, wildlife friendly features have been built into the design including swift bricks, house martin cups, greater horseshoe bat entrance and bat entrances included in the roof slates. There is an old well which supplies water to outside taps to wash boots, whilst inside the water does come from a mains supply. The property has its own sewage treatment plant to treat sewage safely and with no negative impact on the environment. This is fenced in the garden and will eventually be hidden by a native hedge that will provide a nectar source for butterflies, moths and bees to support the ecosystem.

To find out more about how sustainable and environmentally friendly this Cottage is, please have a listen to Joe Moorhouse, the Architect who worked on the whole renovation project. He explains the care and attention taken to make sure this off-grid Cottage is low-impact as well as being a home for lots of wildlife all around.

The video from Moorhouse Architecture shows the work that went into transforming the derelict cottage

 

Generous Support

Thank you to Garfield Weston and the National Lottery Heritage fund for their generous support.

Garfield Weston Foundation

   

Cameron's Cottage

Read all about how we came to be partnering with the RSPB to create this wonderful retreat and learning centre deep in the New Forest.

Read more »

Videos

 
2 Minute Introduction to Cameron's Cottage:
solar powered and low-impact
 

The video from Moorhouse Architecture shows the work that went into transforming the derelict cottage