This week an important milestone was reached in the yearly life of Kandersteg village. What was this great occasion I hear you cry? The cows were let out to graze in the fields. Now, this may not seem particularly exciting to you but, to everyone in Kandersteg it means that the area has finally come to life after the winter and that the summer is well and truly on it`s way.

The snow has now retreated to the high mountain peaks and the walking paths are slowly opening up as the avalanches stop coming down. The Dutch Work Party have been giving the campsite a helping hand into Summer mode by raking away the last of the autumn leaves, cutting back some of the trees and sowing grass seed so that the area is lovely and green for our summer campers. The thawing of the ground also means that it is safe to turn on the water in the campsite, making it fully operational.

As well as the campsite, the Centre is also slowly getting busier; last weekend the number of guests broke the 100 barrier for the first time this season. All these guests need feeding and luckily our new Catering Assistant Caroline has joined us just in time. She is a Scout and Guide leader in the UK and was Short Term staff at Kisc in Summer 2011. The higher number of  Long Term staff for the summer means that we need another Staff flat in the village and one above a bakery has been selected. So now the challenge for the new Long Term Staff is to resist the temptation of cake on their way to (and back from) work!

Laura (UK)