750 Campers Celebrate Friendship, Leadership and Community at JLGB Summer Camp 2026

750 Campers Celebrate Friendship, Leadership and Community at JLGB Summer Camp 2026

Young people across the UK come together for a week of adventure, leadership and Jewish life, celebrating 131 years of helping the next generation build confidence, resilience and lifelong friendships.

Seven hundred and fifty young people and leaders from Jewish communities across the United Kingdom came together this summer for JLGB Summer Camp 2026, sharing an unforgettable week of adventure, friendship, leadership and Jewish life.

Bringing together participants from Glasgow, Cardiff, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Hertfordshire, London, Essex and beyond, JLGB’s flagship annual camp once again demonstrated the power of bringing Jewish young people together in an environment that is fully kosher, proudly Jewish, quintessentially British and centred on helping every individual grow in confidence, character and a strong sense of identity.

The 750 people on camp included 130 adult leaders and 80 Young Leaders, many of whom first experienced Summer Camp as children themselves and have returned to inspire and support the next generation.

From the moment campers arrived, the atmosphere was electric. New friendships formed within hours as crews and groups came together before setting off on seven unforgettable days packed with adventure, creativity and discovery.

Laughter echoed across climbing towers, lakes, performance stages, sports fields and campfires as young people challenged themselves, discovered new talents and forged friendships that will last a lifetime.

Campers climbed high ropes and zip wires, paddled across the lake by kayak and paddleboard, tackled giant inflatable obstacle courses, tested their aim at archery, performed on stage, explored creative workshops and worked together through exciting team challenges that encouraged resilience, communication and leadership.

Creativity flourished through drumming, dance, drama, crafts and skills workshops, while treasure hunts, safari adventures, cardboard rocket races, international celebrations, colourful obstacle courses and camp-wide missions ensured every day brought new experiences.

Evenings transformed camp into a festival of celebration, with spectacular opening carnivals, fire performers, fireworks, talent shows, musical theatre, giant interactive game shows, karaoke, themed parties and unforgettable entertainment that had the whole camp cheering one another on.

While every activity was enormous fun, each was carefully designed with a deeper purpose: helping young people build confidence, develop leadership skills, strengthen friendships and discover that they are capable of far more than they imagined.

Ellie Palmer, Senior Camp Director, said:

“I first joined JLGB as a nine-year-old, and the experiences I had here helped shape the person and leader I am today.

JLGB gave me the confidence to speak to new people, the courage to step outside my comfort zone and the opportunity to discover what I was capable of. It also gave me lifelong friendships, a community and even my soon-to-be husband.

That is why leading Summer Camp is such a privilege. Many of the adults and Young Leaders creating the experience today once arrived as campers themselves. Every generation is given the chance to grow, lead and then give something back to the next.

JLGB is far more than an organisation. It is a community, a support network and, for so many of us, a family. Seeing today’s young people begin their own JLGB stories is what makes camp so special.”

Junior Camp: First Adventures, Lifelong Memories

Alongside the Senior Camp programme, more than 100 younger children aged eight to ten embarked on their own Global Explorers adventure, discovering the excitement of camp through activities carefully designed for their age and stage of development.

Throughout the week they raced through Colour Runs, searched for hidden treasure, explored safari adventures, built cardboard rockets, celebrated cultures from around the world, tackled imaginative challenges and made new friends through teamwork, creativity and laughter.

For many, it was their very first experience away from home. Every activity was designed not only to be exciting, but to help children develop independence, resilience, confidence and a strong sense of belonging within the Jewish community.

Simone Silver, Junior Camp Director, said:

“For many of our younger campers, this is their first time away from home. Our responsibility is not only to make it safe, joyful and unforgettable, but to help each child discover a little more confidence, independence and belief in themselves.

What makes JLGB so special is that the journey does not end when camp finishes. The child arriving nervously today may return one day as a Young Leader, a volunteer or even a trustee, ready to give someone else the same sense of belonging they were once given.

That is only possible because of the extraordinary dedication of our young leaders and adult volunteers, who give their time, energy and care to create these experiences. I am deeply grateful to everyone who helped make Junior Camp possible.

To help create those first memories, and perhaps the first steps in a lifetime of leadership and service, is an extraordinary privilege.”

 

A Celebration Across Generations

A major highlight of the week came as more than 80 guests visited camp, including representatives from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, community partners, supporters, alumni and friends of JLGB.

They joined JLGB President, Lord Levy, for a special celebration marking the 70th anniversary of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and recognising JLGB’s proud history of enabling Jewish young people to participate through a fully kosher and Shabbat-friendly framework since the Award’s earliest years.

Visitors spent time exploring the camp, meeting young people and seeing first-hand the activities, friendships and leadership development taking place throughout the week.

Guests heard how Summer Camp continues to help young people develop confidence, resilience and leadership before Lord Levy spoke passionately about the importance of investing in the next generation.

One of the day’s most moving moments came as three remarkable 90-year-old JLGB alumni were honoured for their continued contribution to the organisation.

Watching alumni from different generations walk around camp together, sharing memories while seeing today’s young people enjoying many of the same experiences that shaped their own lives, was a powerful reminder that JLGB is much more than a youth organisation. It is a lifelong community.

The celebration also recognised two exceptional young leaders, Sam Rose-Isaacs and Rebecca Silverstone, who received awards from the Deputy Lieutenant on behalf of His Majesty The King in recognition of their outstanding service as cadets.

The Journey Continues

Friday evening brought one of the week’s most meaningful moments as the pace of camp slowed for Shabbat.

Young people helped decorate dining halls, prepare tables, rehearse songs and prepare for Kabbalat Shabbat before coming together for festive meals, singing and reflection. The weekend concluded with a moving Havdallah ceremony, bringing the whole camp together one final time in music, friendship and celebration.

As coaches departed on the final morning, young people returned home carrying far more than bags and souvenirs. They left with greater confidence, stronger friendships, unforgettable memories and the knowledge that they belong to a community that has been changing lives for 131 years.

Although Summer Camp lasts just one week, it forms part of JLGB’s year-round work engaging more than 4,000 Jewish young people through local groups, schools programmes, volunteering, leadership development and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Neil Martin CBE, Chief Executive of JLGB, said:

“Young people are growing up in a world that feels uncertain, divided and increasingly complex. They need more than activities to fill their time. They need communities that help them build confidence, find belonging and develop the resilience to face whatever lies ahead.

“Summer Camp is joyful, colourful and enormous fun, but its greatest success is something much deeper. It reminds every young person that they matter, that they are capable of extraordinary things and that they are part of a community that believes in them.

“For 131 years JLGB has been helping generations of young people discover not only what they can do, but who they can become. That mission has never been more important.”

For 131 years, JLGB has believed that when young people are given opportunity, responsibility and a community that believes in them, they achieve extraordinary things.

Summer Camp may last only a week, but for generations of young people its impact lasts a lifetime.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• JLGB, the Jewish Lads’ and Girls’ Brigade, was founded in 1895 and is the UK’s oldest Jewish youth movement.
• JLGB engages more than 4,000 Jewish young people annually through local groups, schools programmes, leadership development, volunteering, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and national events.
• JLGB Summer Camp 2026 brought together 750 participants, including 130 adult leaders and 80 Young Leaders.
• Participants attended from communities across the UK, including Glasgow, Cardiff, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Hertfordshire, London and Essex.
• JLGB’s Royal Patron is His Majesty King Charles III.
• High-resolution photography and video footage are available on request.
• Case studies and interviews with campers, Young Leaders, volunteers and staff from a range of ages, backgrounds and communities across the UK are available on request.