An activist held a free Christmas camp in Hamilton Parish to show youngsters what it meant to be part of a community.

Desmond Crockwell, of Youth Visions Promotions, helped to provide activities for 20 children during the holiday season while their parents were at work.

Mr Crockwell said that he wanted to support parents who struggled to make ends meet at this time of year.

He added: “We [at Youth Visions Promotions] want to be leaders in social responsibility, we want to be leaders in building relationships and we want to be leaders in the things that our young people need.”

The camp, which started on December 23 and ended on New Year’s Eve, welcomed children aged between seven and twelve from across the island.

The youngsters practised several Christmas carols, which they performed at seniors’ homes and in King’s Square, St George, as well as on the steps of City Hall.

They also took trips to the Crystal Caves and Tom Moore’s Jungle.

While at Crawl Gospel Hall in Hamilton Parish, they enjoyed indoor activities such as baking and arts and crafts.

Mr Crockwell said that he wanted to help the youngsters build a sense of community and learn how to look out for each other.

He added that, in teaching the children about how to work together as a team, they developed a healthy sense of camaraderie.

“They all look at themselves as a family,” Mr Crockwell explained. “I would go down to them and ask them ‘what are we’ and they would respond back ‘we are a family’.

“They learn how to really come together, work together and play together.”

Mr Crockwell added: “We don’t always know where these children come from or what they’re going through, so when they come here, we put the fun castle up and they forget their troubles.”

To cater for the different ages of the children, Mr Crockwell said the older children were encouraged to organise activities for the younger ones.

He added that teenagers also helped out as part of their school-mandated community service.

Mr Crockwell said that he recognised the difficulty that came with caring for a child while working over the holidays, especially for single parents.

He added that paying for a camp could be challenging because of the expense.

Mr Crockwell said he offered to take care of the youngsters for free — with parents only asked to donate some supplies.

He thanked those who helped him organise the camp and appealed for the help of corporate sponsors to run another next summer.

Mr Crockwell was assisted by his son, DJ, while he visited from Oxford Brookes University in Britain.

The 18-year-old said he was “truly proud” to see his father interact with the children and inspire them every day.

He added: “He’s been doing this for a long time and even when I’m not here he still does it, whether that’s by himself or with one other person.

“The way he finds activities every day for the kids to do to keep them entertained, teach them respect, teach them manners and how to treat each other and be a part of a team — I’m very inspired by it.”