A Summer in Wales: Sparklers and Social Work, Tim Hughes

Every August, my mum, a Social Worker, ran three different playschemes

The third was always the real adventure: a camp at a farm in Wales for 8 to 12-year-olds

The farm was owned by friends of ours, and for many of these children, it was the first time they had ever stayed away from home, let alone slept in a tent

One year, during a trip to a local wildlife park, a hilarious mix-up occurred that we still talk about today

At the park shop, the children thought they had bought packs of sparklers to celebrate the trip

In reality, they had bought packs of joss sticks (incense)

The farmer gave us permission to have a campfire, another "first" for many of the kids

It was a major event for them, especially as they had to head out and collect the firewood themselves

That evening, as the fire roared, the kids ran to their tents to grab their "sparklers."

I expected them to come back and start waving them around the flames, but since they were actually incense, the disappointment was immediate

"These sparklers are rubbish!" they complained. "They aren't sparking, they're just smoking, and they smell weird!"

Suddenly, one of the boys spoke up. "I know what these are for," he said confidently. He sat back, crossed his legs, put one of the joss sticks in his mouth, and started "smoking" it like a cigarette

The other kids laughed and told him not to be so daft, and we adults quickly changed the subject to keep the evening moving

Later that night, once the kids were tucked in their sleeping bags and we were busy making sandwiches for the next day's outing, my mum looked up and said: "You know why that lad crossed his legs and started smoking that joss stick? His dad just got done for possession of cannabis. He’s seen it all before at home."