PEARCE WILLIAMS WEDDING VENUE
Host your wedding in the beautiful camp environment.
Pearce Williams has been described as one of the most serene places to visit, in Elgin County. Every season the natural setting can create a backdrop for memorable photos. The trees in full bloom to the changing of the colours in the fall to the rolling green hills and snow covered landscape. Imagine having your wedding in this setting with the backdrop of camp.
You can host your wedding ceremony either outdoors by the Gazebo using the memorial tree isle or host indoors in our barn. The barn can accommodate 225 of your friends and family for a ceremony followed by a reception with table and padded chairs included. The barn includes outdoor covered space. Hume’s Hall is a smaller venue that can host up to 75 guests with tables and padded chairs included. View our full site tour, or find individual videos and floor plans here
Pearce Williams offers a wedding package which includes use of the facilities Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This allows you time for set up and clean up and you can stay on site.
Pearce Williams is also a great venue for your engagement and wedding photos.
We have listed some local options to help assist you with your planning. You are not required to use this list of vendors. Choose a local catering service and other local wedding vendors.
Contact the Camp Office and we can talk you through any questions, concerns, or plans that you may have.
CURRENT WEDDING PACKAGES
DOWNLOAD THIS FREE WEDDING CHECKLIST
DOWNLOAD THIS FREE SAMPLE WEDDING SCHEDULE
VOLUNTEER AT PEARCE WILLIAMS
We are so excited that you are interested in helping Pearce Williams grow! There are so many ways that you can help Pearce Williams become the best summer camp facility there is. Help out with maintenance, help out with connecting and networking, join our Board of Directors, or even simply by donating to camp.
If you are interested in volunteering, just head over to our staff application site and fill out the application.
If you have any questions, please contact our Camp Director at director@campisbetter.com
SUMMER CAMP FAQ's
WHO WORKS WITH THE CAMPERS?
Our Summer Camp staff live by the philosophy: "To do what needs to be done to show our campers the most amazing summer camp experience.” Our staff are trained to work with and provide programs for campers of all ages. Each staff member brings their own unique personality that helps create the Pearce Williams Summer Camp environment.
HOW SAFE IS CAMP?
The well being of our campers and staff is of the utmost importance to Pearce Williams Christian Centre. In regards to COVID-19, Pearce Williams is in regular communications with our local health departments, and other summer camp professionals, in order to ensure our policies keep all of our campers and staff safe, happy and healthy.
We are accredited by both the United Church of Canada and the Ontario Camps Association. Our accreditation ensure that we meet the highest standards for safety, leadership, programs and administration while following the accepted best practices in camping. We strive to be a peanut-safe facility. Our facility is also wheelchair accessible.
WHAT WILL MY CAMPER DO AT CAMP?
At Pearce Williams Summer Camp your camper will do it all! Campers go swimming, play a variety of sports, learn about the environment, and create mini-masterpieces in Makerspace. Each camper will also get to pick a "Choose Your Own Adventure" (CYOA) each week - our staff lead daily sessions sharing their passions (cooking, writing, nature mindfulness, wacky sports, etc.) and campers select one CYOA to attend daily for the week. Campers choose their own adventure session on arrival day.
Other activities at camp include: swimming, nature/ecology, sports, low ropes, initiatives, arts & crafts, archery, chapel, drama, singsongs, hiking, sleep-outs, cook-outs, rocket building, Ga Ga ball, 9 Square in the air, Battle Stilts and much more.
Campers will also get to attend Farm Camp and World Camp sessions - learning about food production, self-sustainability, poverty and cultural awareness. The Farm Camp and World Camp programs are a one of a kind experience that you can only have at Pearce Williams Summer Camp.
CAN WE SEE CAMP BEFORE THE SUMMER?
Discover Camp Day
Absolutely. We want you to come to camp before the summer and meet our staff and get to know us! Every year, we host an Open House on a Sunday in May so you can visit us and meet our staff, tour camp and partake in numerous camp activities. Our Open House is a time for all camper families - new and old - to come and see camp in action. If you can't make it to our Open House, please call our office to arrange a tour of camp.
WHAT IF MY CHILD MISSES HOME?
We make every attempt to make your child's stay as enjoyable as possible. Children who miss home are "talked through" their feelings/fears and often don't want to go home at weeks’ end. If we feel the situation warrants a call, we will not hesitate to contact you.
WHAT IF MY CHILD HAS DIETARY NEEDS? WILL THESE NEEDS BE MET?
We do our best to meet the needs of all campers who come to Peace Williams. However, we cannot guarantee that your child's dietary needs will be met with the food that is provided through camp. We ask that you provide the food needed to meet the dietary need(s) and we will ensure that it is prepared according to the needs. For a copy of the menu to be able to match meals, please contact the camp office at:
WHY ARE CAMPERS NOT ALLOWED TO USE THE PHONE?
Campers are at camp to have fun and experience time away from home. If you have concerns about your child, a camp staff can return your call to answer any questions you may have.
WHAT IS THE STAFF TO CAMPER RATIO?
There is one staff for every three children.
DO STAFF SLEEP IN THE CABINS WITH CAMPER?
Camp staff sleep in their own room within the camper cabin. These staff rooms are located right by each entrance so that staff can monitor the campers.
WHY CAN WE NOT SEND SNACKS?
Delicious snacks are provided daily. We are attempting to be a peanut safe facility. For the safety of all our campers and staff, please do not send any food. Any sent snack items will be collected from your camper and returned at the end of the week.
WHY ARE NO ELECTRONIC DEVICES ALLOWED?
We encourage everyone (our staff included) to unplug from their devices and immerse themselves in the camp community and in creation around them. Having your kids spend time with their fellow campers rather than texting friends back home or being on their devices will ensure a more valuable camp experience.
WHAT HAPPENS TO LOST ITEMS?
Lost and Found Fashion Shows will be conducted on a regular basis during your child's stay. Labelling your child's gear and clothing helps us return any items found. Any unclaimed items will be kept for a short period of time then sent to local mission agencies at the end of the summer.
WHEN ARE FINAL PAYMENTS DUE?
We ask that final payments be sent to the camp office by June 15 each year.
Pearce Williams address is:
Pearce Williams Summer Camp & Retreat Facility
8009 Iona Rd. , Fingal, ON N0L 1K0
Our fax number is:
519-764-2428
Our email is:
DISCOVER CAMP DAY / 60TH ANNIVERSARY
OPEN HOUSE 2020
MAY 24, 2020 - 1PM TO 4PM
Join us at summer camp to experience all of the activities for kids, campers and parents that we have. Take a tour of our cabins, covered wagons, activity space and walking trails. Discover all of the things to do at camp - with your camper.
Pearce Williams is London, St. Thomas and southwestern Ontario's sleepaway, overnight camp. Pearce Williams offers numerous camps each summer to all ages of kids and young adults.
FREE - NO COST TO DISCOVER CAMP DAY
Spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon in May with your family enjoying the outdoors and meeting our camp staff. This is an open house style event running from 1pm to 4pm. Snacks provided, games to play, tours to take. If you are looking for London area camps, St. Thomas area camps, Chatham area camps or southwestern Ontario camps - we are your camp to discover.
We are ready to WOW you as a parent so that you will understand the value of sending your child to camp. The growth they experience in a week at camp - in self confidence, in problem solving, in interpersonal skills and in general happiness - is amazing.
JOIN US AT PEARCE WILLIAMS ON MAY 24TH FOR DISCOVER CAMP DAY.
REGISTER YOUR CAMPER NOW FOR AN AMAZING SUMMER
STAFF DOCUMENTS
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Contract Highlights - sign, and upload to Campbrain
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Staff Health Form - to be filled out in Campbrain
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TD 1 Tax Form - Download, fill out, and upload to Campbrain
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TD1 ON Tax Form - Download, fill out, and upload to Campbrain
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WHIMIS - Please upload your certificate from the online WHIMIS training to Campbrain. You can find the training here.
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Ministry of Health - Please upload your certificate from the online Ministry of Health training to Campbrain. You can find the training here.
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Voluntary Disclosure form - download, sign, and upload to Campbrain
TIPS, TRICKS & JUST FOR FUN
SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Pearce Williams offers a great location for a day or overnight school trips. Located on 180 acres of fun, PW has an abundance of space for school groups of all ages.
Our outdoor education program is designed to meet the needs of your class and give your students an opportunity to experience a great camp experience. We give students the opportunity to learn about teamwork, problem solving, creativity and life-long learning skills, all set in a natural environment.
For day trips school groups provide their own lunch which may be enjoying a cookout over one of our many fire pits or by packing a bag lunch. Overnight school groups have the option of catering available to them.
PW can educate and teach your class valuable skills that cannot happen in a school setting. Pearce Williams has many activities that you can choose from, please see the facilities page for a complete description.
For further details, or more information about our school program, view our sample schedules and pricing. Or you can download our Outdoor Education Teacher Package here.
Or, you can contact our office manager to set up a program perfect for the class outing of your choice!
DAY PROGRAMS
FOR JK - GRADE 12
In our traditional Outdoor Education Program, groups of students experience the wide variety of the fun we have to offer at camp. Teachers pre-designate groups and pick the sessions that they think their students will enjoy the most and the Pearce Williams staff will take it from there!
SAMPLE DAY (10:00AM TO 2:00PM)
10:00-10:15am — Introductions & Group Split
10:15-11:00am — Session Block A
11:00-11:45am — Session Block B
11:45-12:15pm — Lunch (students eat lunch with the supervision of the parents, volunteers & teachers)
12:15-1:00pm- Session Block C
1:00-1:45pm- Session Block D
1:45-2:00pm- Pack up, Bathrooms & Load the Bus
SESSIONS TO CHOOSE FROM INCLUDE:
PERSONAL AND GROUP DEVELOPMENT
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Team Work & Team Play
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Nature Mindfulness
PHYSICAL EDUCATION & RECREATION
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Wacky Sports
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Games Around the World
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Archery- Grades 3 and up
ECO-PROGRAMS
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Dirt Can't Hurt! - Hands on Nature
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Home in the Woods - Outdoor Survival Skills
STEAM
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BLAST OFF! - Rockets
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Science 4 Fun!
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Craft of the Day
PRICING:
SPRING (MAY & JUNE)
$18.00 per student
FALL/WINTER (SEPTEMBER TO APRIL)
$27.00 per student
PLEASE NOTE:
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There is no cost for teachers/parents/chaperones to attend day programs.
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Must provide own lunch and snack - teachers/parents/chaperones must supervise their own meal/snack times.
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It is the responsibility of the teachers/parents/chaperones to provide supervision and behaviour management during the day at all sessions. The Pearce Williams staff are present to provide amazing program to the students.
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Campfire/Cookout option to stay later (up to 6pm) is available for an additional $10.00 per person.
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Download our Day Program Information Sheet here.
OVERNIGHT PROGRAMS
FOR GRADE 5 - GRADE 12
In our traditional Outdoor Education Program, groups of students experience the wide variety of the fun we have to offer at camp. Teachers pre-designate groups and pick the sessions that they think their students will enjoy the most and the Pearce Williams staff will take it from there! You can also extend your students' experience at PWCC to include an overnight trip.
There is no better group bonding experience than at overnight summer camp.
This option gives participants the opportunity to experience even more of the activities at camp with their friends and classmates. They will participate in an evening program and a campfire led by the PWCC staff. They will spend the night in a cabin and experience the early morning wonders that PWCC holds.
SAMPLE DAY (10:00AM TO 2:00PM)
10:00-10:15am — Introductions & Group Split
10:15-11:00am — Session Block A
11:00-11:45am — Session Block B
11:45-12:15pm — Lunch (students eat lunch with the supervision of the parents, volunteers & teachers)
12:15-1:00pm- Session Block C
1:00-1:45pm- Session Block D
1:45-2:00pm- Pack up, Bathrooms & Load the Bus
SESSIONS TO CHOOSE FROM INCLUDE:
PERSONAL AND GROUP DEVELOPMENT
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Team Work & Team Play
-
Nature Mindfulness
PHYSICAL EDUCATION & RECREATION
VIEW DETAILED SESSION DESCRIPTIONS HERE
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Wacky Sports
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Games Around the World
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Archery- Grades 3 and up
ECO-PROGRAMS
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Dirt Can't Hurt! - Hands on Nature
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Home in the Woods - Outdoor Survival Skills
STEAM
-
BLAST OFF! - Rockets
-
Science 4 Fun!
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Craft of the Day
PLEASE NOTE:
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Teachers/chaperones are responsible for supervision during non-program times. We require two teachers or parent chaperones to be on site at all times during the retreat.
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All meals (except lunch on the first (1st) day) are included.
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It is the responsibility of the teachers/parents/chaperones to provide supervision and behaviour management during the day at all sessions. The Pearce Williams staff are present to provide amazing program to the students.
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Pearce Williams will facilitate programming from 8:00am until 9:00pm each day. Teachers/parent chaperones are responsible for overnight supervision.
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Our Outdoor Education programs run rain or shine. It is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure students bring appropriate clothing to accommodate for weather (rain jackets, boots, running shoes).
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You can download our Overnight Programs Information Sheet here.
PRICING
SPRING (MAY & JUNE)
One (1) night
$65.00 per student
$30.00 per teacher/chaperone
Two (2) nights
$110.00 per student
$60.00 per teacher/chaperone
FALL/WINTER (SEPTEMBER – APRIL)
One (1) night
$100.00 per student
$45.00 per teacher/chaperone
Two (2) nights
$150.00 per student
three special Day/Overnight Trip Options for you and your classes.
These trips are designed to offer your Intermediate students an experience that is unlike any other that they have done. Each of these options may include archery, a high risk activity. If you would prefer not to include archery in your trip, please let us know - alternate programming is available.
Option #1 – Survivor Challenge (see below for pricing)
This one day program will challenge your students to solve puzzles, complete physical challenges and try to come out on top with their team.
Click here to see a sample schedule for this option.
Option #2 – End of the World Training (see below for pricing)
This two day program prepares your students for the End of the World – it will involve learning how to use the local geography to help you get ready for the End of the World. Various skills will be taught and challenges on Day Two will test your skills.
Click here to see a sample schedule for this option.
Option #3 – Hunger Games Training & Trial (see below for pricing)
This specialized three day program will involve your students in training for the skills necessary for success in the Hunger Games – includes a special full day spent in the wilderness to learn about the skills needed to excel and come out on top.
Click here to see a sample schedule for this option.
PRICING
One Day at Pearce Williams
Spring (May, June) Fall (September - April)
Students $25.00 + HST $35.00 + HST
Teachers/Chaperones $10.00 + HST* $10.00 + HST*
*cost for food provided by PW
Two Days/One Night at Pearce Williams
Spring (May, June) Fall (September - April)
Students $65.00 + HST $100.00+ HST
Teachers/Chaperones $30.00 + HST $45.00 + HST
Click here to see a menu for this option.
Three Day/Two Nights at Pearce Williams
Spring (May, June) Fall (September - April)
Students $110.00 + HST $150.00 + HST
Teachers/Chaperones $60.00 + HST $80.00 + HST
Click here to see a menu for this option.
For additional information see our Special Day Programs Information Sheet here.
TEACHER RESOURCES
Dear Teachers
We are so excited that you are looking into coming out to Pearce Williams for a day trip or an overnight trip. The staff here at PW are always excited to see both new and old faces, especially after a long winter away from camp!
Our programs run rain or shine. Do not think that your class will miss out on an experience because of the weather. Our staff do their best to follow your program selections no matter the weather. So come prepared to have fun no matter what the weather is doing!
Here at PW we often “take to the woods.” If you have a student who has special accessibility needs, please let us know in advance so we can plan your program appropriately.
We want to help you through your planning process as much as we can. Please call the office at 519-764-2317 and we will gladly answer any questions you have!
Please read below to find out more about lunches, expectations and our amazing sessions for 2020!
LUNCHES AND SNACKS
If you are attending a day program, please note that PW does not supply lunches or snacks. If you wish to cook your lunch over a campfire, we can accommodate that.
If you are attending an overnight program, PW does not supply lunch or snacks on the first day.
EXPECTATIONS
Our goal is to provide everyone with an amazing experience. In order for this amazing experience to happen, we need help from teachers and volunteers.
If attending a day program it is the responsibility of the teachers and volunteers to:
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We require that there be at least one teacher or parent chaperone per group – 4 for 10-80 students, 5 for 81-100 students, 6 for 101-120+ students.
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It is the responsibility of the teachers/parents/chaperones to provide supervision and behaviour management during the day at all sessions. The Pearce Williams staff are present to provide an amazing program to the students.
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It is the responsibility of the school to provide and designate a vehicle for emergencies for the trip. Pearce Williams cannot provide transportation for participants in the event of an emergency.
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Our Outdoor Education programs run rain or shine. It is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure students bring appropriate clothing to accommodate for weather (rain jackets, boots, running shoes etc.).
If attending an overnight program it is the responsibility of the teachers and volunteers to:
-
It is the responsibility of the teachers/parents/chaperones to provide supervision and behaviour management during the day at all sessions. The Pearce Williams staff are present to provide an amazing program to the students.
-
We require that there be at least two teachers or parent chaperones on site at all times during the retreat.
-
Pearce Williams staff will facilitate programming from 8:00am to 9:00pm each day. Teachers/parents/chaperones are responsible for overnight supervision.
-
It is the responsibility of the school to provide and designate a vehicle for emergencies for the trip. Pearce Williams cannot provide transportation for participants in the event of an emergency.
-
Our Outdoor Education programs run rain or shine. It is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure students bring appropriate clothing to accommodate for weather (rain jackets, boots, running shoes etc.).
PROGRAM SELECTION
SESSIONS TO CHOOSE FROM INCLUDE:
PERSONAL AND GROUP DEVELOPMENT
-
Team Work & Team Play
-
Nature Mindfulness
PHYSICAL EDUCATION & RECREATION
-
Wacky Sports
-
Game Around the World
-
Archery- Grades 3 and Up
ECO-PROGRAMS
-
Dirt Can't Hurt!- Hands on Nature
-
Home in the Woods - Outdoor Survival Skills
STEAM
-
BLAST OFF! - Rockets
-
Science 4 Fun!
-
Craft of the Day