'By the end of camp he told us he’d become a Christian!’
When Phill signed up for a charity skydive to support CPAS holidays, he thought the jump itself would be the hardest part.
‘The build-up was terrifying,’ he laughs. ‘Once I was in the plane, I knew I had to do it. The instructors put you at ease and, once you’re out of the plane, you wonder what all the fuss was about!’
Would he do it again?
‘I wouldn’t sign up nine months in advance next time – I don’t think I’ve slept properly all year! But it’s one of those experiences you’ll never forget. I am very glad I did it and I would encourage any of the kids I look after on camp to do it too.’
In many ways, that determination and willingness to take on new challenges reflects Phill’s own journey with CPAS holidays. More than twenty years after first volunteering, Phill has seen first-hand the difference a Christian holiday can make to disadvantaged children.
Growing up in inner-city Bradford, Phill admits he was sceptical about going on camp as a teenager. ‘My friends and I thought it would be full of posh people,’ he says. ‘That put us off for a while.’
Eventually, and with the encouragement of his youth leaders, Phill and his friends were persuaded to take their first leap of faith and give it a try. What they discovered was a completely different experience to what they expected.
‘We were climbing mountains, spending time out on the lakes and mountain biking. It was such an active holiday, but what really stayed with me were the leaders. camp became a place where my faith was strengthened year after year and where you learned about God, worshipped together and built friendships that will last a lifetime.’
‘Camp felt like a little snapshot of heaven’
Years later, after a difficult university experience and a prolonged period of time away from Christian camps, Phill was invited back to help as a leader on Criccieth 2, a CPAS holiday. Initially it wasn’t an easy decision to return.
‘Criccieth is completely under canvas and it’s hard work,’ he says with more than a hint of a smile. ‘It definitely isn’t a holiday for leaders!’
So why does he keep coming back? The answer is simple:
‘Because I’ve seen what happens here.’
Over the years, Phill has watched young people meet Jesus, grow in confidence and form friendships that continue long after the canvas has been packed away. He’s seen former campers return as leaders themselves, creating a cycle of discipleship that stretches across generations.
‘You see people who came as children coming back years later to serve. You see people meeting their future husband or wife, building lifelong friendships and putting God right at the centre of those relationships.’
This year he is bringing three young people from a deprived part of inner-city Leeds to Criccieth.
Over his time as a leader, he witnessed the impact that simply getting away into new environments can have on children facing challenging circumstances at home.
‘These kids might be lucky to go on a school trip, but you show them Snowdonia and it’s like being on another planet. I’ve had children see a clear night sky full of stars for the first time and that feeling is second to none. In our modern world, where we are all on iPads and screens so frequently, getting out into nature where it might rain for days on ends and you end up digging trenches around your tent, or you climb three mountains in as many days, builds both relationships and resilience.’
Away from screens and everyday pressures, the holiday becomes a place where resilience grows alongside faith.
‘When I was living in Manchester, I did youth work in quite a wealthy church. All the kids would go to music festivals, and I desperately wanted them on camp because the self-drive, responsibility and ownership that is ignited by living, praying, worshipping and eating together beats generic consumption every time! You camp in the rain, climb mountains, work together and discover you can do hard things.’
It is the spiritual conversations that stay with him most:
‘I remember one teenager who arrived convinced Christianity was a load of rubbish, saying they didn’t believe any of it and that they loved Richard Dawkins. As the week went on, you could see something changing. By the end of camp he told us he’d become a Christian!’
Other moments are quieter but no less significant. Young people opening up about anxiety or depression. Asking for prayer. Beginning conversations they may never have had anywhere else.
Looking back, Phill believes camp changed his own life too.
‘I always believed in God, but after university I'd drifted. Camp helped reorientate me back towards Jesus. It wasn't a dramatic conversion - it was more like the prodigal son coming home. I honestly think my life would have looked very different without it.’
‘Camp gives me a God shaped booster every year’
Please help prepare the way.
Together, we can help more children and young people experience a summer that could shape the rest of their lives with Jesus.
For Phill, that experience has reshaped what leadership means.
‘The biggest lesson is that you're there to serve, not to be served. Your job is to make those ten days the best they can be for the young people.’
Whether he's leading worship, encouraging a nervous camper or simply joining in the fun, he wants young people to see authentic Christian faith in action.
‘Leadership isn't about telling people what to do. It's about showing them. I want to be the best version of myself, someone who loves God, loves people and demonstrates what it means to follow Jesus. I will show you how to worship with my hands in the air, singing my heart out. If I can demonstrate the right way to do things and give them the space to do it themselves, they will.’
His advice to anyone wondering whether to volunteer on a CPAS Holiday is characteristically simple: ‘Do it.’
‘It isn't always easy, and it certainly isn't a holiday for the leaders. But it is one of the most rewarding things you'll ever do. You never know how God might use you — or how he might change your own life in the process.’