NCS Reviews 943

I had the most amazing week and I met some amazing friends. All the activities were fun and our leader bow was absolutely incredible she was so nice so welcoming and looked after us nicely all week. Every one got on well in my team and it was such a nice atmosphere

I'm giving five as my Son had an amazing week, challenged himself, conquered some fears and achieved so much. He came away with so much confidence. The only downside to his week was the poor choice of food. We don't eat much highly processed food so he would rather have seen fresh cooked healthy produce. I didn't mark you down on this as you have to provide for the majority.

An amazing experience ! Well done all 👍

My daughter had an amazing time with NCS. She went with her friends, but also made new friends as well as having wonderful experiences, at an excellent price. Highly recommend it.

5 Stars from us!
My daughter really enjoyed the week away. Enjoyed the activities, made new friends, and said all the organisers were brilliant. Huge confidence boost! As the parent I've been so impressed with the NCS team and all the organisation and clear comms. Highly recommended experience for 16 year olds.

I attended the NCS experience at colemendy wales and it ended being one of the worst things I ever done so hopefully if your considering doing NCS hopefully reading this might stop you from doing it.

The treatment I got from staff was just absolutely awful and horrible and this wasn’t just me they treated bad they treated bad it was many other people to. From the very first night I came to NCS the staff are unprofessional and they are just there to make ur experience worse. During the NCS experience the staff constantly spoke about me describing me as the “troubled kid” because I am diagnosed with many learning difficulties and the staff saw that as a major problem and that was the reason they where talking about as a few times I walked past me and the other person I was with where talking about me.

One thing I gather from doing NCS is that don’t believe a thing they say to you they say they want to help but they just stress you out and make ur entire experience way worse and they are not qualified in there first aid training to because during that week the staff members try to send me to hospital because of period cramps and a headache even tho i already had to go to hospital the following day and it was a waste of time so I didn’t really fancy going again. The next thing that the staff members did which was so stupid because then I wasn’t allowed to sleep in my dorm and had to sleep in reception because I wasn’t redeem as safe enough to sleep in my room. The staff members could clearly see how upset I was by this situation and how angry i was getting but did nothing to try and help me and just make more upset which then ended up to me lashing out at them all because they practically banned me from going into my room and I was getting annoyed how I wasn’t allowed to go bed because I wasn’t redeem safe enough and it was 3am you could see how emotionally drained I was and physically exhausted I was.

One thing that you also realise is that NCS is such a massive scam and that the most the activity’s there ur not allowed to do due to no of the staff being qualified to do.

They say doing NCS will help with ur CV and bulid ur confidence but all I did was destroy me mentally, physically and emotionally. The only good thing was a made a few new friends but that’s about it I’m going to be honest

So if your considering doing NCS or your school offer you to do it run away as fast as you can as this in my opinion was one of the most traumatic experiences I have ever done and I won’t ever forget it.

I went there knowing nobody apart from my girlfriend and I met a really good group of lads there the water sports was fun and the other activities made you take part and none of it felt awkward or forced it was a lot of fun highly recommend
Love was a great team leader

My daughter has just came home and said it was terrible the didn’t get fed first day and had to go to bed at 9pm she said she was told to take her air pods out and was threatening to take her phone off her by a girl called Zoe who was only couple years older than her she said activities where none existent they done lots with pen and paper I thought it would be a good break for her and her friend after her exams she told me it was terrible and very strict which is a shame because it could of been so much better with the right people running it

Absolutely amazing ! We can't thank everyone enough, from start to finish everyone was really professional, helpful and friendly ! My daughter absolutely LOVED her time away and would of loved to stay all summer! It's really boosted her confidence. Thankyou so so sooo much for such an amazing experience !!!

Sent my eldest son (16 years old) to NCS last week, he came back almost a new person! The opportunities presented to him, rock climbing, abseiling, cooking, raft building and the list goes on!

What a fantastic opportunity for young adults to experience independence and stay off the streets. There is so little for this age group to remain driven and focused and then we found NCS. Honestly can't thank the team enough!

The whole process from making the application to drop off at the travel hub, for me, everything went extremely well. My son also went on his own, without knowing a single soul and yet he came back shaking hands with other young adults on his way back to the car upon his return. Simply fantastic.

Thanks NCS, a definite must try for any parent with a teen.

I have just finished my ncs experience, and it was completely different to what anyone expected. So many people had to leave a few days early due to how poorly it was run. First of all the false advertisement is shocking, we were told at school and on the phone that we would have 3 days of fun activities and 2 days of volunteering/charity work specific to the Change It program. However, when we arrived on the first day it was so unorganised and we arrived at 10 but only ended up getting our rooms at around 7pm. On the second day we had an entire day of 3 hour long lectures that included ones about finance and drugs. During these lectures we were forced to sit there completely silent with only a 10 minute break and no one was told we would have lectures. It honestly felt like school and it was so boring, all of the team leaders were either asleep or on their phones at the back.

On the third day we had the only day of activities, unlike we were told, and we were only able to do 3 when we were told we were doing watersports, absailing and the leap of faith etc. none of which we did. We only completed a zip line, archery and a ladder but it was so slow due to just waiting around for ages. The fourth day was another entire day of 3 hour long lectures: one about healthy eating, another about what was bad about where we lived and one where we played would you rather. I don’t think many people wanted to be there. NCS also claimed that we would not be forced to participate in any activity but if we asked not to go to the lectures we were not told about, they would come and find us and force us to go.

The NCS team also continuously lied to all of us aswell. I came with a group of 3 and we all called NCS multiple times to ensure we would be put in a room together which was confirmed several times. When we arrived NCS told all of us that there was only rooms of 2 and that NCS lied to all of us on the phone and they laughed about it. The team leaders also told us on the first day everyday is full of fun activities like was advertised to us but this did not happen. Even one of our team leaders said she would not want to be in our position. The NCS leader also said that it’s known that NCS provides false advertising in schools to convince people to come as I doubt many people would if they knew what it was really like. The NCS leaders also had night shifts where around 6 of them would sit outside our rooms talking loudly and one of them was always playing her speaker even until 1am one night.

To add to this, the food was also extremely poor. Everyday for lunch and dinner we were eating chicken and cold potatoes and breakfast was even worse. The food tasted awful. The rooms were also extremely poor. Everyone I talked to had stains on their bedding, I had lipstick stains on my pillow and my friend had yellow and brown stains on her mattress. There was so many bugs in each room, the rooms stunk and they were clearly not cleaned. The bathrooms never had soap in them even when we complained to reception who didn’t do anything about it and the showers and toilets were also disgusting.

To anyone thinking of coming to NCS please do NOT go, everyone I talked to completely regretted coming in the first place and everyone was lied to. The advertisement and website completely lies about what NCS truly is and all of the program felt so unorganised. All of the team leaders were 18 and on their phones the entire time aswell. So many people left throughout the program, wishing they had never come. If I could leave pictures of the state of the rooms, bathrooms and program I would.

NCS experience

Well what can I say, the staff at NCS made it amazing. The first two days were kinda slow but after that it was amazing. Team leaders Izzy and Asif were amazing and very supportive. Finn, Tiff and Sophia were amazing they were so supportive and always there to talk to. They all helped me get through the week. Thanks for an amazing week absolutely loved it!!

Best week of my life.
NCS was the best experience ever. It was amazing and such an enjoyable time. I think that the programme should be 2 weeks long but even with it being 1 week it was still worth every moment of it.
I have to say that the first 2 days were quite slow as we were inside all day but the sessions were really interesting and I just wanted to say a big thanks to Abi who really told us all about money and how to keep it safe and how to not spend it all quickly. Abi also taught us how to uplift others and how to help each other when we need the help. A massive thanks to Abi because she taught us so many important and valuable life lessons and Abi was always there if you needed anything and always pushed us to be our very best and not give up! Thank you so much Abi for bringing such a positive and happy atmosphere to the group, you are fantastic!! We were all so sad when you had to leave but you were amazing and thank you for everything that you did!
I went to kingswood dearne valley to do my ‘live it’s experience and i will definitely be going back to help out at NCS is the best thing ever and even if your not to sure about going definitely at least check it out or actually go to one of the experiences and you will have such a good time and will enjoy everything that you do and all the activities that you do and you will make lifelong friendships and make such good memories together with new friends that you make but also within your teams and with your group leaders!!!
I just wanted to say a massive thanks to Sophie who was absolutely incredible and cared for each and everyone one of us and always pushed us to face the tough challenges even when we thought that we couldn’t do it. She always made sure that everyone was okay and cared so much foreach and everyone one of us and I can’t thank you enough Sophie. I’m going to miss you so much!! You were fabulous and always bought positive energy to the group and always checked on us and asked if we were enjoying ourselves. You always made sure we were okay and you would help us if we needed anything, I will never forget you Sophie you are just such a good and positive and inspiring role model to everyone x !
The water fight that happened on Thursday evening was really good and funny. I felt so bad for Dylan though as he kept getting targeted and was soaked by the end of it. That was so good as we all made such good memories together and also the disco was fantastic and we all had fun celebrating together and thinking about about all the good things that had happened during the week.
Thank you so much for all of the wonderful and amazing memories that we all made  NCS. Dylan, Abi, Sophie,Anna, Alexia, Dion,Sully,James,Chantelle,Rhys,Zaltan you make such a fantasticNCS team you were fantasticand such a joy to be around and thank you for making it so good and I will never forget it and all of the fun things!!
Thank you so much x !!

lovely kids, nice activities.

Absolutely awful. Framed us for damaging beds and doors that we did not even touch. Resulted in our whole group of 11 being sent home on just the second day, after having to wait in a room with no food or water for 6 hours.
On top of all this, the planned activities were nothing like what they advertised.

Ncs was a massive experience for me personally. The first two days was kinda slow but it was also a great way to meet and talk to new people and open up to others. Day three and four was very adventurous and showed me how helping others get over there fears is an amazing feeling. All the activities helped me improve on myself and help others in my team. At first I was kinda rethinking the whole situation but by the end of the 5 days I didn’t want to leave because I’d all the people I’d become friends with and the amazing staff making my experience 10x better especially sully, Will, Abby and Chris.

In my opinion, NCS was an amazing experience. The first two days were slow but by day three, the activities were in full swing. It really challenged me to go outside pf my comfort zone and try new things, even though I was honestly terrified at first.

I did the 'Live It' experience at Kingswood, and I will definitely go again sometime. Max was an amazing instructor for the high ropes. If you are ever getting taught by him, I promise you he's an amazing teacher and you will have a great time.
Chantelle was my team leader, and she was so encouraging. Without her, I would not have made friends for life on the trip.

I'd highly recommend to at least look into it, it's amazing (The water fight that started on the Thursday was hilarious, I feel so sorry for Dylan after he got absolutely soaked)

Ncs was lovely the staff are amazing.
I personally believe the experience should be 2 weeks longer, as then it enables more time to create friendship and do all the activities. Due to it only being 4 days long barely any activities were done. The staff are the best thing ever, loved them. Felt like having an older sibling. The food was meh, so if you plan on going pack instant noodles and some other foods. The accommodations were lovely especially since I went with my friends it was really nice. Honestly I have barely any complaints but for the experience to be 2-3 weeks and for there to be more activities.

I loved every second of the trip. I loved making new friends and meeting new people. If you have Anna as your team leader next, she’ll be the best one you’ll have. She’s so kind and supportive and will push you till your fullest. Thank you Anna for the amazing time that I had. Thank you ncs

NCS was a great experience the leaders were great as I had Chloe and Natasha they helped me out so much and was the reason I stayed thankyou

It was brilliant I did live it,the staff at ncs were and are amazing,it’s like you are part of a new family I felt so welcomed and I made so many new friends and so many memories.
I really recommend it,I am someone with anxiety and it was brilliant it was scary at first but I promise it’s amazing.
Also a shout out to Tessa and Millie,two of the camp leaders who helped me through it all.