Weekends offer opportunities for boarders to experience a multitude of activities and most recently the good weather, even though it was October, meant that they were able to have a barbecue.
Off we all went, nearly 30 of us in total, to Boggle Hole beach, laden down with disposable barbeques, food, drinks, snacks, condiments, balls, and bin bags.
Once there, the boarders all got themselves into teams of 3 and they were each told to pick a spot and given their own barbeque. Mr Instone went around each to light them and then they came to collect their food.
Much enjoyment was had by all, cooking their own food. It seemed to taste all the sweeter for it! Of course, there was much hilarity when the tide started to come in and previously chosen spots had to be vacated!
The comments below are from a few of the boarders:
“The beach bbq was great fun and I really enjoyed spending time with others at the beach.”
“The beach bbq was really fun and we did lots of things like learn how to prepare our own.”
“Great fun, got absolutely soaked and ate burgers.”
“I had so much fun enjoying the view with my friends while I was eating the food I had prepared with them.”
“I had lots of fun with my friends even though we got a bit wet. The water kept moving towards us so we had to move our food all the time but it was good.”
Mr Instone, our Head of Curriculum Enrichment and Communications, added,
It’s not easy to put together a programme of events that include everyone and that everyone can enjoy. Our thanks go to Mr Parker for doing a splendid job this half term putting it all together and I know there are plenty more events and experiences to come.
So what can everyone do that everyone enjoy? Eat!
I felt the BBQ on the beach worked really well and here’s why. We got everyone down to the beach just beyond Boggle Hole in the early afternoon. The weather was overcast but not cold. The boarders put themselves in teams and were given a single use BBQ, burgers, sausages, drinks, salad and buns. Once they’d decided on their location, I helped them light their BBQs and the rest was up to them.
The sand was wet so there was no sitting down and relaxing, they had to act as a team to make everything work and make sure everyone got what they needed. There were a few burnt buns along the way. Some teams reached for the flattest area to make their base, some found a flat or raised rock to locate their kitchen. For one team though, their choice of location caused them to gain a solid understanding of how quick the tide comes in as the water edged ever closer to their sizzling food! There was not a dull moment after most groups had to regroup and decamp multiple times as they finally got to grips with the turning of the tide.
Once everything was eaten and cleaned up, some took a stroll on what remained of the beach, examining from a safe distance the erosion of the cliffs while others played a game of cricket.
It’ll be a while now before we can repeat that particular activity, I think we got in just in time before that familiar chill in the air tells us that summer is well and truly over and the dark evenings creep in. I love the activities that take advantage of our unique location: the sea, the rugged landscape, the bleak moors and the thick woodland. There’s still things we can do before the light fails of course, perhaps a bike ride, more walks and even more mysterious night-time activities as the Hallowe’en event proved, but that’s another story.
Adele Gilmour, Deputy Head (Pastoral)