Doc and Bert attend the plants in the poly tunnel every morning to make sure they are watered and cared for to ensure bountiful crops in a small space! The plants include many kinds of salad leaves, 4 different types of tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers, a wide variety of herbs, carrots, cauliflowers, lemon grass, kales and chards, potatoes, peas, beans and chilli peppers to name but a few!
This Sunday the 29th of May 2016 history will be made in more ways than one as Beith Juniors play Pollock FC in the ETHX Scottish Junior Cup Final at Kilmarnock FC’s ground Rugby Park. This is Beith’s first junior Cup Final and the first for Pollock in 18 years so for both these clubs and the competition history has already been made.
Pollock have reached five junior Cup Finals winning three, whilst for Beith this has been and continues to be an exciting adventure for all involved with the team and for the community.
Why dear readers have I called this the romance of the cup, well cup finals are one-offs where no matter what level you play at, if you will excuse the cliché, anything can happen, history and a team’s form can go out the window once that whistle blows and the game begins.
Getting to the Final means you will be remembered, win or lose, although preferably win as your name will be forever etched into local folklore as well as onto Scottish Junior Cup history propelling you into the Scottish Cup first round.
Turnstiles open at 3.05pm (kick-off 4:05pm) prices for the game are £5 for children and senior citizens and £10 for adults (payable at the gate). The Pollock supporters will be in the main stand with Beith supporters in the East stand.
As Beith Juniors themselves have stated ‘The ETHX Energy Scottish Junior Cup Final is a high profile day for everyone involved and it is important that everything goes well, the success of the cup final can determine the media response to Beith as a community, to Beith Juniors FC and to Junior Football in general. This is an opportunity to demonstrate the qualities of our town, community and our Football club’.
Moreover as far Pollock FC and their supporters are concerned this is the biggest game not just in Scottish junior football but Scottish football if not beyond this season.
For those unable to attend the game, it’s being televised live on BBC Alba, Freeview channel 7, coverage starts 3:55pm and continues until after the presentation of medals and the cup to all those involved from the officials to the players on both sides.
I hope all those who are able to attend the game have an enjoyable but safe time, on this most special of occasions.
I would like to thank both Beith juniors and Pollock FC for additional information about the ticketing, when the turnstiles open, where the two sets of fans will be seated and how each sees the game. Lastly up to this moment there hasn’t been any commitment as to which side I’ll support come Sunday well what better way to put this to bed but to say ‘mon the mighty’.
Every Hamlet, Village, Town, City in the world has something unique about it. I will admit to enjoying walking round places that I’ve never been to or those I have and discovering something new. Even if I forget to turn the map round making it easier to read and figure out where I am.
With this in mind I was walking round Beith and passed the Beith Auld Parish kirk which I’ve passed more times than I care to remember and noticed a plaque. The plaque was split in two, the first part gave you a rough history of the Kirk, the second was a short biography about JOHN Witherspoon, he was the Parish minister in Beith from 1745-1757 but outside of Beith is perhaps more famous for being the only clergyman to sign the American Declaration of Independence on the 4th of July 1776 and his links to Harvard University.
Across the road from the Kirk before you reach the High Street is a small monument and plaque to Dr Henry Faulds born in Beith (39 New Street) he was the first person to publish a detailed report on ‘the conception of fingerprints in criminal investigation’, in the scientific journal Nature in 1880, as well as founding the Tsukiji hospital in Tokyo in 1875.
Those of you reading this might be saying, this is interesting but in what way does this relate to Beith Community Development trust (BCDT), well dear readers the connection comes slightly further up the road into main street. In Main Street Is/was the Pop-up Design Studio. As well as for the next six months BCDT are working in collaboration with local businesses to improve the appearance and condition of Beith Main Street.
The above is a clear example of continuity and change, the continuity being the history, culture and society that has shaped Beith today and change. The change being Beith stepping out of the shadows of the past, embracing it but not being defined by it. Like all change sometimes things don’t go exactly to plan, success of a project/scheme can be difficult to quantify. But change if is done in the right manner it can be an enabler for a community writing a new history while acknowledging it’s the past.
By William Morton
Today is the day we get a bonus day! It’s the day we need to keep the calendar aligned with the Earths’ revolutions around the sun! Julius Caesar introduced the Leap year around 45 BCE (before the Common Era) by adding one day onto the end of February. If he had not done this we would lose almost six hours from our calendar every year, meaning the calendar would be out by 24 days after only 100 years without leap days!
The chances of being born on February 29th are one in 1,461 and there are roughly only 4 million people in the world born on February 29th, people born on this day are called Leaplings!
In most places Leaplings have to wait until March 1st to be eligible for any age specific privileges (ages 16, 18 and 21.) They are considered to be good-natured, friendly and optimistic.
February 29th also commemorates Sadie Hawkins Day on which women can propose to men. Tradition shows that a man was expected to pay a penalty if he were to refuse a marriage proposal from a woman on Leap Day. In many European countries, especially in the upper classes of society, tradition dictates that a man who refuses a proposal on February 29th has to buy her 12 pairs of gloves.
Remember Julius Caesar created the 29th February as a bonus day so take that extra leap, after all it only happens every four years!
Beith Trust were happy to welcome Donna and Paul with their children Rosie, Eleanor and Alfie to receive a donation of Five Thousand pounds from Stephen and Angela Hamilton from the Corey fund towards an Eye Gaze.
With this donation their son Alfie will be able to get the assistive technology that he needs, this will help improve his ability to communicate his opinions. Donna says ‘He will be able to text me, play games and even use it to open doors.’ Stephen says ‘We are happy to be able to help Alfie.’
We look forward to seeing what Alfie will be able to achieve in the future.
Last night team BCDT got their gladrags and sparkly shoes on and travelled up to Edinburgh for the SCVO Scottish Charity Awards 2015 at the Assembly Rooms.
We still can’t quite believe we won the Celebrating Communities category and were all thrilled when they announced Beith Trust as the winners. Alex took to the stage for our acceptance speech and did a remarkably good job:
“Thank you very much to everybody who has nominated us and voted for us! None of the work at Beith Trust would have been possible without the hard work, commitment and enthusiasm of our volunteers, directors, staff and the fantastic support of the community. We are absolutely delighted to be here and hope everyone has a great night, thank you!”
Paul Cardwell from Third Force News says “The charity triumphed after impressing the judges with its efforts to improve the mental and physical fitness of its local community.” You can check out his article here.
We are so grateful to everyone involved in this charity – it would not have been possible without you all and this is just the first step in getting our wee town on the map. Three cheers for Beith!
My Week at Work Experience
This week at Beith Trust has been great, I have learned a whole load of new skills e.g. how to update and schedule a website, how to use WordPress. I have had a chance to see what a local business workplace is like. I have enjoyed the whole time, the people that I have been working with have been so kind and funny.
The Beginning (Day 1)
On the first day I was introduced to the team; Alex the one that has the dogs, Jane the Boss, Amy the receptionist, Jonny the Computer Whiz, Lisa the Project worker and Claire the Graphics and slave master. Furthermore I wrote a blog and uploaded it to Beith Astro, I scheduled some advertising posters on the Beith Astro Facebook page.
Day 2
On the second day I interviewed a member of staff, Mark Gray about his job in Beith Astro, I made a blog and posted it on Beith Trust’s website. Also I scheduled more things for Beith Astro’s Facebook page.
Day 3
On the third day I added new information and a new page to the Beith Astro website. I also added some scheduling on the Facebook page
Out and ABOUT Day (day 4)
On the second last day I was set with the task of going round the local shops asking if they knew any facts about Beith. I got really good feed back form the locals and they where all willing to participate.
The Last Day (day 5)
On the last day I wrote this blog. I also uploaded it to the Beith Trust page.
Work Experience Week
This week, “Work Experience Week”, I joined Beith Community Development Trust and Beith Astro. I’ve enjoyed it very much because, everyday I had different challenging tasks to do and I managed to do them very successfully and put my effort in everything that I’ve created and wrote for blogs, articles , interviews, website updating, schedule, community calendar, mail chimp and also a short movie presenting the Girls Football where are some pictures and shots from their warm up and in the end, their wonderful game which was a really good match.
In this week I also learnt a lot of new staff together with Claire, Jonny, Alex, Amy and Lisa who helped me every time and tough me to do interesting things on PC, which were new for me, and now I can manage to do all the stuff that I wasn’t able to do them when I came here.
For me the most challenging task that I had to do was to take an interview of Amy and try to get some information about her work. Firstly I had to make up some questions for Amy’s work and once I got the answers and the information that I needed, I had to make a blog and write as much as I can about Amy’s work and her opinion about it. We had a nice and enjoyable conversation that also made me to understand what she is actually doing and preparing for her SVQ work.
I also enjoyed when I went outside with Zack – the other student that joined the work experience in the same week as me, and walked together along Beith and ask people questions about “ Which is the most interesting fact about Beith?”.
We received some interesting answers from people with a lot of historical knowledge and find out a lot of fascinating facts about Beith. I’m very glad that I met these people and gave us sufficient information that we needed.
I had a great time together with all the staff from Beith Trust and made to appreciate their hard work and their effort for people who want to do some exercise, sport, take some lessons of cooking, encourage people to do parties and enjoy their day together with neighbours and a lot of remarkable ideas and plans for people future.
I’m glad that I applied to Beith Trust ,because it was a nice experience for me and let me to see how is to work and prepare me for the future that it might be similar to this work.
I want to thanks to everybody for their warm welcome and their kind and nice manners that made me to feel that I’m part of their big family and made me to feel very comfortable and relaxed, and this week to be a part of my memory.
Thank you very much again guys for your kindness and I wish you a lot of success in your work and hope you will have a great and wonderful future! J
Amy SVQ’s work
Her SVQ work is about business admin, word documents, banking, answering the phone and taking bookings for example, if somebody phones, she will make sure that the person is booked in for what he/she wished for (e.g. football) and she can check the relevant information that the person requires.
When she is writing, it motivates her that she knows she will finish soon and as quick as she can. She started as a volunteer and then moved on to sessional work, which directed her to one day a week working and after doing an extremely good work moved on to a full time position.
Most of the information that she achieved and presented in her SVQ came from her common sense, she kind of knew the question and most of it was stuff she already knew.
Lorraine gives her stuff to do for next week, prepares her for what she will have to do and makes sure Amy knows what she will be working on the following week.
All her work and writing, also improved her skills on data bases, how to do invoices and banking and how to use Microsoft.
Right now she in working on finishing Level 3, which takes 3 months to do it , if you work quickly, and 9 months for most of the people. After she finishes her SVQ, she hopes that she will pass to the next level, a higher level which will give her more work to do, but also she will be more satisfied and proud of her work because she reached Level 4.
When she started to do the SVQ she felt confident and sure. She also felt the pressure and got stressed when she had a deadline with a lot of work, sometimes work which needed to be finished for the next day.
She is pretty proud that she managed to do the work in 3 months, she was happy and confident when she started it and now she is very pleased that she will finally finish it and go to the next challenging , Level 4.
I’m very happy and pleased that I’ve found out what Amy is doing and how she is enjoying it. It was a pleasure to have a conversation with her and also I’ve found out some interesting things about her work and also her future stuff. I wish her good luck in her career and she should never give up at what she is doing, because she is really good and has the ambition that allows her to be motivated and always to believe in herself and her dreams because, I’m sure she will have a great future.
This week I started work experience at Beith Community Development Trust it has only been my first day and I have already enjoyed it so much! I have created a blog and wrote some information about our new activities that children can get involved in and use their imagination during the lessons. It is a pleasure to write and announce new activities in our area that will stir interest and make people curious about new events.
The Beith Community Development Trust allows me to communicate and collaborate with interesting people that guide me to the right path. Also my vocabulary will improve a lot by writing about new events and will hep me understand that if you like your job, what you are writing and doing is coming from your passion and dedication, being a relaxing and not stressed work.
Beith Trust have been shortlisted for the Sports Leaders UK Young Leadership Trophy which will be presented at their annual ceremony, Give More. Become More at the House of Lords.
Sports Leaders UK are celebrating the success of organisations who promote Sports Leadership by awarding the Young Leadership Award. They will be recognising the work of young sports leaders nationwide and the successes of their Leadership Academy programme.
To apply for these awards we had to create a video showcasing the hard work and efforts of all of our young sports leaders – click here to view the video.
Here at Beith Trust we have provided volunteering opportunities for home grown community sports leader participants by running a football tournament, the Corey cup which brings together children from across the Garnock valley, running the anti-sectarian festival and putting on summer and Easter sports activity camps.
All the young leaders involved felt like they learned how to work together in a team but also be a leader in their own right, they learned how to keep the attention of a group of children with fun and engaging activities.
Sean, 17 says “Sports leader has helped me to get a job as it showed me leadership skills and has enabled me to coach other teams at Beith Development Trust”
We are delighted to be in the final for the Sports Leader Award it would not be possible without all the young leaders and our coaches from the Garnock Valley and the wider region.
Recently I had the chance to speak to Abigail, a music super star who attended the 2015 Band Factory. She is currently finishing the work on her port folio where she did amazing things like visit the dance crew “Diversity”. I asked her about her time at band factory and what she learned and enjoyed from the experience. Abigail learned how to play the snare drum along with a rock and roll beat to play on it. On top of the snare drum Abigail can also play the Cajón drum, the clarinet and takes private piano lessons.
This is the second band factory hosted by Beith Trust that Abigail has came to, after the first one she told her mum “I just want to play gigs all the time” a worrying thing for any parent to hear but fantastic to hear that she is so musically inspired! This year I asked if she felt the same way, she told me “yeah, I can’t wait to come back next year”.
It’s good to know that young people are taking an interest in music and more artistic hobbies like learning how to play an instrument. Music is a big part of social development and culture and we should cherish and implore our youth to take and interest. “Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it a rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul.” – Unknown
By Jonny Carruthers
Great fun at soup group last night! We all made the most of the sunshine by playing some games on the pitches. One of the games involved good observation skills and good team work which we realised doesn’t always mean developing a strategy but is sometimes more about being connected and aware within our team. Then, since everyone was feeling so happy and summery we started making an arts board explaining all of the things that make us smile! It will be up for you all to see soon!! We also went a bit crazy with the face paints and had some butterflies and vampires joining in our game of hide and seek afterwards 🙂 We also enjoyed some lovely soup and thanks to our wonderful volunteer Alex for bringing some goodies for us to enjoy too.
Beith Community Development Trust was in the spotlight recently thanks to an article titled “Build it and they will come” published in Third Force News written by Paul Cardwell. The article covers Beith Community Development Trust making the Royal Bank of Scotland’s Social Enterprise 100 list.
Go and check out the article and find out more on this interesting and heartwarming story!
http://thirdforcenews.org.uk/environment-and-development/features/build-it-and-they-will-com
We have some exciting news to share with you about our amazing polytunnel!
For the past 6 weeks Lisa and Kate and a team of volunteers have been painstakingly emptying out and clearing out the growing blocks to make way for the over 10 different species of fruit and vegetables that we intend to grow!
From the crunchy carrot to the spicy radish and the tangy spring onions to the cool cucumber, we now have them growing inside our polytunnel.
But that is not all we have in our polytunnel. Coming soon we shall have a special vegetable visiting on time for Halloween – try not to waken what sleeps beneath the ground!
Stay tuned …
Play Schemes has come to an end but it really was a fantastic two weeks! The kids all looked as if they had a blast and went home each day with giant smiles on their faces!
On week one we got off to a fantastic start where the kids got to play Frisbee and dodge ball and even do some quizzes with questions like ‘Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?’ and they would each have to run to the corner with the correct answer…..safe to say no one got that question wrong.
Day two started with a game of rounder’s followed by a very intense game of pop-up dodgeball which the kids absolutely loved and went on even longer than expected because they were having so much fun!
The kids got to join in on a Scavenger Hunt on day 3 where they were given a list things they had to find the search took place in the Beith Trust Garden and the kids managed to tick everything off their lists.
Week 2 didn’t begin so well with some rainy weather but we didn’t let that stop us and we went indoors to our eco lodge to play some fun games like hot potato, pass the hoop, Chinese whispers, crafting daisy chains and colouring in.
Once the weather brightened up we went outdoors to play some pop up dodgeball again as it was such a success last week!
On day 2 we kicked off the day with some outdoor games as the weather was much better. We played Hockey, Golf, Dodgeball and some more football. The kids also all got a chance to make their very own key rings to take home – there were some awesome designs!
On our very last day of play schemes we brought out the bouncy castle and the kids spent the morning bouncing around and playing tennis and some more dodgeball!
During the afternoon they all got a chance to play Tug-of-war and do some group building games which they all loved!
All in all everyone had a fantastic week and there were happy faces all round! We can’t wait to see everyone again for our next round of Play Schemes so keep an eye out on our facebook page for more info!
Spring is finally here! And when spring comes you can bet all your favourite (and unliked) insects will soon return to the countryside’s of the UK.
Insects (hexapods), millipedes (myriapods) and many others – even crabs – are members of the arthropods. They are the largest (and one of the oldest) collection of organisms in the world, the first recorded fossils dating back to Cambrian era, approximately 550 million years – yes million years ago!!!
Every insect and similar species today are the result of the evolutionary process from the ancient anthropods.
Last week we were surprised and ecstatic when we found a very rare seven spotted ladybird in our polytunnel. Ladybugs are important in removing pest species such as greenfly when you are growing food fruit and vegetables. They predate upon these pest species, so whenever you see one in your garden, leave it there to take care of your plants!
Other important anthropods include bees and butterflies. Bees, sadly are becoming endangered in the UK due to climate change and overuse of insecticides so please look after your bees and they will look after your flowers! Bees and butterflies are vital in pollination and are the reason that all plants grow. Bees also use the pollen to make a very important and natural product that millions of people around the world enjoy!
Spiders have been plentiful throughout the winter and spring months. These ‘pests’ are actually very helpful in ridding you of those pesky flies and midges in the house and garden. In the winter spiders head inside to escape the cold so even if you don’t like them, you should leave them alone to let them work their magic! Whenever you have one of these insects, always identify them before deciding on what to do with them incase hey are important. In the case of the bees, worms, and butterflies, leave them to work and your fruit and vegetables will be blooming in no time!
Stay tuned to learn more about your natural environment….
Written by Kate Wilkes
Beith Trust brings together talented young musicians, singers and songwriters from all over the Garnock Valley and far flung places like Kilwinning for a week of intensive work that will produce top quality performances in a one off gig this Saturday night, 11th April 2015, upstairs at the Garnock Valley Health and Fitness Centre.
I got a chance to go and visit all the awesome and insanely talented kids taking part in Band Factory this year. Many of the kids are returning for a second year running after having such an amazing time at last year’s event.
On day 2 the kids are all gaining more confidence and are all a lot chattier than yesterday. They looked like they are having a blast and even on their lunch break are still talking about musical arrangements and harmonies.
They are split into 4 different bands depending on ages and talents and they get a chance to play lots of different songs from Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson to Should I stay or should I go by The Clash.
I got a chance to listen to one of the band’s first run through of Uptown Funk and I cannot wait to hear the finished version at the Gig on Saturday. The boys were not too happy about having to play Uptown Funk instructor Neil says ‘It pushes them outside their comfort zone and helps them learn new skills that they didn’t know they had.’
I spoke with Lily who attended Band Factory last year she says it has ‘really improved her confidence’ and she looks very excited for the week ahead.
At the end of the week after all their hard work the children will be awarded an Arts Award through Beith Trust which is the equivalent to a Standard Grade.
I can’t wait for the Gig on Saturday and hope everyone else can make it! It is set to be a fantastic night full of talented kids and great music!
The super awesome talent production line that is BAND FACTORY returns to the Garnock Valley this week.
Beith Trust brings together talented young musicians, singers and songwriters from all over the Garnock Valley and far flung places like Kilwinning to join up with the amazing Model x Media for a week of intensive work that will produce top quality performances in a one off gig this Saturday night, 11th April 2015, upstairs at Garnock Valley Health and Fitness Club
As usual for Day 1, folk were a bit nervous but keen to get started, the crew from Model x Media got everyone organised and down to work.
Last years Band Factory set the bar very high with their extraordinary performances at The Eglinton Inn in the autumn, check them out Beith Trust You Tube Channel
For more information check out Beith Trust
This Monday the 6th of April is International Day of Sport for Development and Peace and at Beith Astro we will be celebrating this day of annual sport recognition. We believe that an integration of sport in the community is a social and economic asset to our local area. Down here we are around sport every day but not every community has local access to sport facilities and for low income families they are not able to afford transport to their nearest sport facility.
This newly adopted day of recognition signifies the increasing recognition by the United Nations of the positive influence that sport can have on the advancement of human rights, and social and economic development.
Monday marks the 2nd International Day of Sport Development and Peace and the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace is organizing an open video contest with the intent of showing off the works of organizations all over the world that committed to uplifting their communities through sport.
“Sport has become a world language, a common denominator that breaks down all the walls, all the barriers. It is a worldwide industry whose practices can have widespread impact. Most of all, it is a powerful tool for progress and for development” – Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General
#sportforbetterworld
#IDSDP2015
Easter Sunday got off to a cracking start today at The Saracen Head Hotel, 10 – 12 Eglinton St, Beith, who kindly hosted an Easter Streetmeet for local children and families.
Children and familes who came along were treated to tea & toast before they got practicing with lots of different arts and crafts materials and then started to decorate their very own Easter Eggs. The kids spent a lot of time an effort creating their cheerfully decorated colourful eggs.
Even the Bellsdale Badger popped in for a visit and helped out with the egg decorating.
Lots of very happy children and families left The Saracens Head at lunchtime all set to roll their eggs up the Bigholm just as the sun came out, hopefully they went on to have a great time with their eggs and treats.
A big well done to The Saracen Head Hotel for their kindness and generosity this Easter Sunday.
HAPPY EASTER – ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAYS!!
If you would like to host your very own Streetmeet for a community get together, get in touch with Beith Trust who will help organise something special for you
For more pictures check out our facebook albums
The DofE gives young people aged between 18-24 an opportunity to learn skills that can greatly benefit their lives, help them obtain employment and achieve a brighter future. I had the opportunity to speak to some of these young adults while they spent time here and they nothing but good things to say for the DofE and the opportunity they have been given. They are confident that the skills they’ve learned will help them obtain employment and start a career. In summary the DofE provides an excellent service for young people and can leaving a positive and lasting impression in your local community.
Recently we had volunteers from the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award down at the Beith Trust helping out and making beautiful crafts to decorate the place and improve the grounds. Everything they created for us was made from recycled wooden decking and pallets. They built flower beds to go in the poly tunnel, a metal throne, beautiful paintings on the walls and they even made an excellent gift for the local primary school. They drew the silhouettes of famous characters like Olaf the snowman from the Disney Film “Frozen”, Butterfly’s and flowers onto pieces of wood, cut them out and then painted black board paint on them. They took these uniquely shaped blackboards to the local school to be used.
The whole time they were here it was a joy and thanks to their fantastic craftsmanship and keen artistic eye they have left a visible impression on our place of work.
By Jonathan Carruthers
Beith Astro is starting its new Breakfast Club on Tuesday 28th of April! It will be held twice a week on a Tuesday and Wednesday. Bring your kids round to Beith Astro at 7.50am to enjoy breakfast with other children. Everyone will take part in some fun activities at 8.10am until 8.30am where staff will accompany everyone up to school. If you have a busy morning, work early or your children would like to come along then please give us a call!
Breakfast Club is £1.50 a day and don’t worry it’s nothing like the movie!
Prince’s Trust is launching the new “Get Into” and “Get Started” courses which may just the thing for you if you’re looking to improve your CV or get a taste of career path before you commit to something? Here’s a list of their courses, if you’re interested check the details at the bottom of the page for how to apply!
In partnership with HSBC
Deadline for application: 2nd April 2015
Course starts: 5th May 2015
Overview:
Full training provided in all aspects of telephone banking including customer service skills, sales skills, product awareness and complaint handling
Person Specification:
In partnership with Revival Retreat
Deadline for application: 19th March
Course starts: 30th March 2015
Overview:
Person Specification:
In partnership with Marks and Spencers
Deadline for application: 20th March 2015
Course starts: 30th March 2015
Overview:
Person Specification:
In partnership with City of Glasgow College
Deadline for application: 12th March
Course starts: 23rd March 2015
Overview:
Person Specification:
in partnership with City of Glasgow College
Deadline for application: 16th April 2015
Course starts: 27th April 2015
Overview:
in partnership with City of Glasgow College
Deadline for application: 31st March 2015
Course starts: 13th April 2015
Overview:
in partnership with City of Glasgow College
Deadline for application: 23rd April 2015
Course starts: 4th May 2015
Overview:
Person Specification:
Deadline for application: 9th April 2015
Course starts: 20th April 2015
Overview:
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Another day of hard work for the Prince’s Trust Group at Beith Astro! Recently I have had the pleasure of meeting the hard workers from the Prince’s Trust group that have been traveling down to Beith Astro to build a chicken run and a hut with log burner in the centre.
The weather has left a lot to be desired but has not dented the morale of these young workers! I asked around to find out what these young volunteers expected to get from their experience here. Despite being from the North, East and South Ayrshire all had come for similar reasons.Most of the young adults I spoke to expressed that they were here to gain work experience for future work and to put on their CV’s. Many expressed that they desire a future vocation working outdoors. It was fantastic to see such a large group of young people from all over Ayrshire working together and enjoying socializing.
All of the volunteers were split into teams and managed by their excellent team leaders. I spoke to the team leaders to find out what their daily role working with these young people entails. They provide support and encouragement for these young workers and help work on their team building skills. To help show the importance of working in a team and to support each other. They explained that work like this can help to instill a work ethic in youths and show that it can be rewarding and fun to work as part of a team and obtain a goal together.
Overall the Prince’s Trust seems to provide a very valuable experience that can help young people build upon skills and experiences to help establish a career and find future work.
To get involved or learn more about the Prince’s Trust visit: http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/
Beith Astro is holding an Easter Play Scheme filled with lots of exciting activities for all your Easter needs. If you’re looking for something to do during the Easter holidays and fancy getting involved come on down! There’s so much on there will definitely be something on for you!
We have football, rounders, hockey, dodge ball, Frisbee, arts and crafts, plus many more! If you want to get involved check the details below, need any more information just give us a call!
Another night of fun games, getting messy and drinking soup for the kids of Beith this week at soup group where fun was had by all!
Thanks to the good weather everyone got to enjoy the sun tonight and have a break from the miserable rain. Everyone split into groups on the astro and started with a relay race, followed by some footy games and an exciting game of rounders.
With all of the games and activities finished we all gathered round the camp fire and enjoyed soup together, then into the trees for a wee bit of hide and seek.
Soup group is a great opportunity for your kids to socialize with other local kids, play games and there’s soup of course! If you’d like to find out more or get involved, please get in touch with us.
Are your kids looking for something to do after school? Or an activity you can take part in together? Well Beith Trust’s Carfteroon could be the just the thing you’re looking for!
Crafternoon inspires your children to get involved with new skills and become more creative. Each Tuesday is a new and exciting experience, from painting with watercolor and pastels to knitting scarfs for the icy weather.
Why not stay with you child and get involved, perhaps create a work of art together. Kids of all ages and adults are welcome to come for tea, cakes and a creative crafting time.
Due to start up again soon with even more fun activities Crafternoon will be held on Tuesdays from 3:30pm till 5:00pm, come join us for an afternoon of fun soon!
Check out the pictures below to see how much fun the last block of Crafternoon’s were!
Beith Community Development Trust was in the spotlight recently thanks to an article titled “Build it and they will come” published in Third Force News written by Paul Cardwell. The article covers Beith Community Development Trust making the Royal Bank of Scotland’s Social Enterprise 100 list.
Go and check out the article and find out more on this interesting and heartwarming story!
http://thirdforcenews.org.uk/environment-and-development/features/build-it-and-they-will-come
BCDT Anti-sectarian Award Ceremony at Beith Astro
Children from all over the Garnock Valley came together at Beith Astro in a football festival which was a culmination of a 7 week programme of activities designed by Beith Community Development Trust.
‘Give Bigotry the Boot’ covered the meaning of anti-sectarianism, how to challenge sectarian behaviour, how to resolve situations in the community and much more. One class from each year group from Garnock Academy, St Bridgets, Gateside, Beith, Moorpark, Glengarnock and St Palladius took part in sessions which covered the meaning of anti-sectarianism, how to challenge sectarian behaviour, how to resolve and negotiate differences and much more.
The children really enjoyed exploring the subject and feedback from participants has been excellent, with comments from children such as “It doesn’t matter what religion you are when you’re playing football or anything else”, “you should treat people the same as you would expect to be treated”, “you can be friends with someone from a different town”.
The anti-sectarian festival was very well attended with around 180 participants, representatives from Paisley St Mirren FC, Celtic FC, Rangers FC and Strathclyde Police. Beith Community Development Trust volunteers and staff turned out in force to ensure that the day ran smoothly by delivering skills programmes, mini football games and supporting all the children. The programme was funded by Voluntary Action Fund.
Starting Off
My name’s Billy Walker (you can learn more about me here) and I recently joined the Beith Community Development Trust in a voluntary role.
It may seem like a cliché or cheesy thing to say but volunteering here has been brilliant so far and very rewarding. The atmosphere is awesome and it’s such a nice, upbeat place to spend time. The experience I have gained so far in the workplace could potentially be pivotal in helping me to land job roles in the future. It’s already helped me to get interviews that I wouldn’t have probably gotten otherwise!
Putting Skills to Good Use
I have studied Radio Broadcasting to HND level for the past 3 years and had been struggling to find work that would put the skills I had gained, media-wise, to any use. In my NQ year of college education, the course wasn’t focused solely on Radio but rather let the students experiment with different areas of the creative industries such as film production, photography, desktop publishing, journalism and, of course, radio and presenter skills. In my first week here, I have been able to put 3 of those skills to good practice.
In today’s world, it’s important to be a jack-of-all-trades type, especially if you’re focused on a career in the media industry. It used to be that people were hired for specific job roles at companies such as the BBC and STV, but that’s no longer the case. I currently have an active job application with the BBC to join their production talent pool which would see me work across 3 platforms if successful. This involves online, radio and TV production. I would highly recommend checking out courses at West College Scotland (formerly Reid Kerr) or City of Glasgow College as they offer introductory courses that open up options for university. It’s also a very fun subject and involves lots of practical work. The majority of the assessments do NOT involve handwriting or typing which was a big relief for me as the only writing I like to do is fiction/creative (or these types of mad ramblings).
So that’s a little more on my background but you don’t have to be media driven in order to volunteer here at the BCDT.
Getting Involved
There are many options available. Everybody knows that work isn’t something that’s easy going right now and so, to improve your chances, volunteering is the way to go. It doesn’t hurt that you can have fun and enjoy yourself in the process here.
If you’re just considering volunteering or have an interest, don’t be shy and get in touch. I’ve been here 3-4 weeks in total now and have already had the privilege of covering the Corey Cup Football Tournament as a photographer and blogger. It was a great experience that will no doubt help me somewhere down the line in my own career path.
The calendar is jam packed with activities and we can always use some helping hands. If you’re keen on sport, interested in admin, love media (like me) or even just want to find something fun to do in the community, come on down to Beith Astro and have a chat! The people here are friendly and laid-back. You’ll probably even get a free cuppa tea or coffee for even expressing an interest! Who doesn’t love free stuff?! Just don’t give them anything embarrassing as ammo… my “ex-X-Factor contestant” status has just come up! I think I’ll be fine until someone finds out about my old modelling gig…
Job Satisfaction
In all seriousness, the opportunities are phenomenal and I couldn’t recommend it more highly to just throw your name in the hat and see what happens…
I said at the beginning of this post that the voluntary role is very rewarding. I had hit a low point before joining up with the BCDT. I had officially finished up with college work in September 2013 and had struggles from that point on-wards to find anything that would help me to continue to develop my skills. Which, after a while, caused me to lose confidence. I managed to get a brief seasonal role in my local supermarket for Christmas but I’ve never been interested enough in retail to ever consider a career in that field. My passion is creative media and so I was grateful when my jobcentre found that the Trust could offer me a place as an Events Press Officer. Content creation is something I’m major league confident with, so when the opportunity appeared, I had to grab it. I’ve had a resurgence in confidence, I’m no longer staring constantly at a job site full of dead-end, irrelevant jobs (to me at least) and I’ve gained a lot of friends and met new people who have made it so easy to fit in.
Again, I couldn’t recommend it more highly.
So that’s my story, we look forward to hearing yours!
TeamBCDT are looking for volunteers to assist with community projects at Beith Astro.
The projects include Disability Football, Girls Football, Community Classes and Summer Camps.
Volunteers must:
Furthermore, it is essential that you are able to commit to a certain number of hours each week.
This opportunity will allow you to gain valuable experience of working with the community and children, and give you the opportunity to attend a coaching qualification course, amongst other qualifications.
If you are interested or know some who is please contact Scott Moffat, Beith Astro’s Commercial Manager on 01505 228141 or email scott.moffat@beithastro.co.uk.
Tuesday evening saw Beith Community Development Trusthost the first ever Champions Awards Ceremony to celebrate and recognise the achievements of local children and young people who have completed Sports Leader UK
Leadership courses involving volunteering in a range of community projects.
The event was a huge success and was widely supported by parents, local councillors, representatives from Sports Leader UK and Beith Juniors Community FC.
Young people received Playmaker Awards, Sports Leader Level 4, Community Sports Leader and a range of Saltire Awards from 10 hours up to 200 hours in recognition of volunteering.
Laurene Edgar, Development Officer for Sports Leader UK in Scotland presented trophies to the Sports Leader Level 4 and Community Sports Leader Level 5 groups in recognition of their extra commitment, dedication, enthusiasm and involvement in the development of the local community and congratulated Beith Trust on the support they have given to the young achievers – Laurene said ‘I often highlight the work of Beith Trust as an example of best practice in sports leadership pathways for young people, this is a great example of how a community based organisation can promote and support culture of leadership in their local community.
Amy McKeeman, 19 from Kilbirnie, who volunteers with the Outdoor Education group weekly and was receiving her 200 hours of volunteering award, opened the evening. Todd Norris and Adam Walker, age 10 from Beith, both of whom recently completed their Playmaker Awards spoke at the event, introducing people and giving the close and thanks. sOther speakers included Sophie Millan and John Nelson who completed their Level 4 Sports Leader Awards and Shaun Craig, Andrew Ferguson, Craig Walker, Scott Watson and Rhuaridh MacDonald from the level 5 Community Sports Leader team.
Certificates were presented by Laurene Edgar: Sports Leader UK, Alex MacFie: BCDT Development Manager, Caroline Watson: BCDT Tutor, Kevin Nelson: BCDT Director, Gordon McLeod: BCDT Chairperson and Brent Norris: Beith Community Football Club Chairperson.
Playmaker Awards (Age 9+): Connor Bates, John Boyd, Taylor Burns, Lewis Christie, Timo Dobson, Andrew Gemmell, Dylan Jackson, Calum McDonald, Todd Norris, Balazs Szommer, Adam Walker, John Barrie
Sports Leader Level 4 (Age 14+): Michael McNaughton, Sophie Millan, John Nelson, Amy Pollack
Community Sports Leader Level 5 (Age 16+): Shaun Craig, Ruhuarid McDonald, Andrew Ferguson, Craig Walker, Scott Watson, Simon Webster
Saltire Awards (Age 12-25): Amanda Burns, Catherine Burns, Nicole Burns, Shaun Craig, Andrew Ferguson, Mollie Kerr, Ruairidh Kerr, Ruhuarid MacDonald, Kayleigh McIlree, Sophie Millan, John Nelson, Kevin Nelson, Amy Pollack, Darrin Purkiss, Craig Walker, Scott Watson, Simon Webster
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Beith Community Development Trust are delighted to announce that they have secured funding for the amount of £80,280 through the Scottish Government’s Strengthening Communities Programme. This sizable amount of money will be used to fund a development manager, with the aim of both strengthening and building the sustainability of BCDT.
Margaret Burgess, the Welfare and Housing Minister announced the list of around 50 community-led organisation that will receive investment to support regeneration throughout Scotland. Among the list is one of BCDT’s partner organisations, Linwood community Development Trust, both BCDT and LWCD have become strong community organisations and owe thanks to the Grow Trust, a local incubator organisation offering support where possible.
The Strengthening Communities Programme investment allows community organisations to increase their resilience and sustainability as a community anchor organisation; which aims to address the community’s needs and meet local aspirations. To date BCDT’s biggest and most successful enabling project has been the refurbishment of Beith Astro, a state of the art third generation Astro pitch, finding such as this allows the community led organisation to build upon this success.
This month #TeamBCDT celebrated all of Beith’s fabulous drivers by hosting an Eco Driving School, in an attempt to help the community save some cash by being more energy efficient both at home and in the car. Pop-up Beith, our temporary shop front, located on Beith’s Main Street, was transformed into every money saving experts dream for 3 days from the 6th – 8th of March.
Fabulous support from Energy Saving Trust
We were joined by the wonderful Energy Saving Trust who not only provided us with a eco driving simulator, but also brought along their own home energy saving and renewable energy experts.
And a Fuel Efficient Driver Trainer
The Energy saving Trust also organised for local certified FuelGood trainer Kevin McFadzean to take willing participants out for eco driving lessons over the 3 days, which was a roaring revving success. 6 participants per day took full advantage of the lessons, which challenged them to travel two identical journeys and reduce their miles per gallon score on the 2nd journey. Some people were massively improved by over 20%, one participant Brent Norris was so impressed by new found skills he send a thank you text message detailing his improvement in his own car (a very fancy and fast sports car).
Each participant was also provided with a certificate celebratuing their success during the FuelGood driving lesson, like this one Amanda received. As you can see it shows financially how much can be saved just by changing your driving style slightly.
Simulating some Fun
The driving simulator attracted crowds during the event and provided a lot of entertainment, both adults and children completed to see who could reach the highest miles per gallon driving the car simulator. 
An electrical good time
Peugeot were also very generous and provided us with an electric car for the duration of the event, which Amanda from #Team BCDT enjoyed driving, although she did incur whiplash after continuously trying to put her foot on the imaginary clutch pedal when stopping, leading to a two footed emergency stop. To add to the cool look of the Ion we had some BCDT branded stickers plastered all over it.
A little healthy Competition
As if we weren’t giving away enough, what with all the free driving lessons, energy saving knowledge and the laughs, a number of competitions were held over the 3 days.
Firstly, a raffle was held in which every individual who entered the event was automatically entered into.
Secondly, a prioze was offered to the person who acheived the highest mpg on the eco driving simulator.
And thirdly, there was a prize the person who improved their mpg most during the eco driving lessons.
The Winners
Rose Brown won our entrant raffle.
Evelyn McVay acheived the highest mpg score on the eco driving simulator, scoring a fantastic 111mpg.
Susan Nelson improved her mpg on the FuelGood driving lesson the most to an amazing 81.5mpg.
The Very First Corey Cup
Exciting. Dramatic. Entertaining. These are just some of the words one could use when describing the inaugural Corey Cup which brought together schools from across the Garnock Valley to play in a football tournament in memoriam of Corey Hamilton at the Beith Astro.
Corey sadly passed away last year due to rhabdoid sarcoma, at the age of 9. Yesterday would have marked his 10th Birthday and so it was touching to see so many of his friends and peers come together to celebrate the memory of their fellow class-mate.
Coach Brent Norris described how the concept for the event came about; “The idea for the cup was really about finding a way to mark something that had brought the Garnock Valley communities together. We had some ideas, such as a bench, but then we thought of having an annual football tournament involving all the schools and the kids of Corey’s age group. What better way to mark it than that?”
Before the festivities kicked off, there was a minute’s applause to pay tribute to Corey.
Then, it was game time.
Football Crazy, Football Mad
The teams were made up of the primary 6/7 age group whilst the primary 5’s created their very own fanzone in the centre of the Astro park, sandwiched between the active match pitches. The fanfare was in full effect when it was time for kick off with many of the kids starting their own chants and cheering each other on.
Passions and emotions were running high, however, as Beith Primary lost their first match to eventual 2nd place finishers, St Bridgets. It was evident on the faces of the youngsters that they were desperate to win in order to honour Corey’s name, and so a competitive edge accompanied each individual contest.
All teams displayed great sportsmanship and grace in defeat, remembering to shake the hands of the opposite team, no matter what the outcome.
Eventually, Beith Primary achieved 3rd place and earned bronze medals.
The finale was played between Dalry Primary and St Bridgets of Kilbirnie. This match was special as it was moved into Bellsdale Park, home of Beith Juniors, as a treat for the finalists. In a great sign of respect, the teams that didn’t reach the final, provided the support, as they were divided, 50/50, cheering both sides on.
In a tense and tightly contested game, it took a penalty to edge the win as Dalry went on to lift the trophy, which was fitting, as they had been one of Corey’s former played for teams.
Everyone’s a Winner
The trophy presentation was, again, an emotional affair as Corey’s dad, mum and brother presented the medals and trophy to the victorious sides. It was also announced that the money that had been raised in Corey’s name will benefit, not just the Beith community, but the entire Garnock Valley.
Although not every team left with medals, all sides were winners on the day. Congratulations to all teams for a great day!
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Last weekend played host to Unlicensed Events Headphone Disco event on both Friday and Saturday. Friday night was organised for the youth of Beith (i.e the under 18’s) and Saturday night was open to all.
The evening was fantastic fun, what a laugh it was watching all your friends dancing and singing to the music being pumped through their earphones. At times some were rocking it out to a Limp Bizkit track, whilst others were gently swaying to Abba. When taking off the earphones, it was bizarre as the room was silent other than the sounds of people feet dancing and those who were brave enough to sing along out loud to the sounds on their headset.
Each set of headphones had two channels, so party-ers could switch back and forth depending on what song they preferred, this itself also brought a lot of hilarity. On one channel a massive hit might come on whilst you were listening to the other, and all of a sudden all your friends are jumping about, waving their hands in the air and all singing (or screaming) to the anthem. This left those on the other channel totally confused, as they thought to themselves this song isn’t that good, then realisation would hit that the other channel was playing a completely different song.
Below are the pictures from Friday and Saturday’s Headphone disco, to add to the hilarity of the night, there was also a photo booth where party people could dress up in fancy dress and partake in silly poses for the camera. For the kids who wanted a break from the music an arts and crafts table was set up, so they could create something to help them remember this weird and wonderful evening for ever.
You can order your own silent disco from Headphone Disco.
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We have been super busy down at Beith Community Development Trust, some nice new office furniture has helped us relax a little. A couple of weeks ago we were lucky enough to be invited down to Irvine where North Ayrshire Council were recycling office furniture following some renovations i their buildings.
What a laugh team BCDT had, we were allowed to rummage through a warehouse of second hand desks, draws, filing cabinets, chairs, cupboards, whiteboards, pin-boards and just about every other item you would expect to find in an office.
At one point Alex our Development Officer, found an Aladdin’s Cave of Pin-boards hidden behind a stack of four or five desks, unlucky for her getting into Aladdin’s cave was much like the film as it proved harder to escape from it.
Take a look at our new wonderful desks and computer units, the attractive new filing cupboards the array of pin-boards…
On Saturday the first ever BiRecycle Scheme in Beith went down a storm. The event was a fantastic success with 29 people joining in the fun; from 5 month old baby Aaron to some of Beith’s fittest Grannies and Granddads and nearly every neighbourhood hound.
Volunteers and staff from the BCDT managed to collect 23 complete bikes and 19 incomplete frames. A great success as our volunteer door knockers only visited 4 main streets. The collected bikes will now be refurbished and rehomed with help from the young people of Beith.
After collections were complete, all involved made their way, by bike and feet, to the old Speirs School. Where the whole gang had fun learning some new outdoor activities including; learning how to use a flint and steal to make fires; then some basic carving skills were used to perfect our marshmallow roasting sticks. The kelly kettle was used to boil up some tea for all, whilst fruit and flapjacks were shared from the picnic.
The star volunteers of the day, who we owe many thanks to are Julie McCarney and Michael Zabransky.
[portfolio_slideshow id=440]Over the past few weeks team BCDT have been working on perfecting the Beith Community Development Trust and Beith Astro website. Brent our resident Web Developer; Nicole our Graphic Designer and Amanda (me) our Marketing enthusiast have been working together to populate each site and make sure the design and usability suits all of our possible users.
The BCDT website has been launched and live for a few months now but improvements continue as we continue to add information and pictures. Its really starting to look fab, some of my favourite additions have been the introduction of the an ‘Our Team’ page.
There is still much debate over the final look of the Beith Astro website, and today Nicole and Brent are experimenting with a whole new look to compare with the existing design.
Go take a look at www.beithastro.co.uk and let us know what you think.
On Friday night Friend of Spiers (FoS) held their second annual Fright Night in the parklands, FoS had invited the community to join in the scare night antics and the turn out was fantastic.
As can be seen from the fantastic pictures everyone was in the mood for some spooky fun and even better the rain stayed off so everyone could enjoy the evening.
Beith Amateur Dramatics and Gateside School of Dance were also on hand to perform some ghostly displays, which were highly appreciated the the audience of local families.
This post has been designed to warn you all about a spam email that is being distributed around the community, the spam email appears to be from Tesco and offers a raffle prize of at times up to £2000.
However, Tesco have confirmed that although at times they do send out emails similar to this, these emails are not from them and are spam emails.
I would ask that you share this post to warn friends and family not to follow the instructions detailed in the email.
A couple of example email are shown below, as you can see they appear to be legitimate and are very convincing.
We have some fantastic second hand football boots available just now down at Beith Astro.
If you take a fancy to any of these boots take a note of the number (which is detailed below each and get in touch either through the BCDT Facebook or by calling 01505 228141.
Improve your accuracy with these Umbro football boots, designed with Shot Shield technology to the instep, enhanced by shape correcting memory foam under the first metatarsal and tongue and raised TPU fins for improved swerve, control and accuracy on every strike.
The Umbro Football Boots also utilise a carbon fibre soleplate with firm ground TPU studs designed for optimal structural reinforcement and stability, finished off with a synthetic Teijin material to the upper for a more responsive touch. These are a size 13 and labelled as number 7.
Sondico
Play another killer through ball in the Sondico Football Boots, complete with a padded and shaped ankle designed for complete comfort and support out on the pitch combined with the laced front for a secure fit.
These Sondico kids football boots benefit from a moulded stud formation to the sole plate designed for maximum traction on firm ground pitches with stitched detailing to the forefoot and the Sondico logo completing the look. These football boots are a size one and labelled as number five.
The adidas Mens Football Boots provides terrific performance on the ball thanks to a series of Lethal Zones to the upper, designed to improve trapping, precision and power.
These mens adidas football boots offer superb grip on firm pitches thanks to a durable Traxion soleplate of moulded studs, and is adidas miCoach compatible, offering the option for you to record your in game statistics such as distance covered and top speed. These are a size 5 and labelled #6 
The Nike Kids Football Boots provide a comfortable fit thanks to a padded finish to the heel and ankle collar, and sport an eye catching galaxy print finish to the upper for a terrific look.
These kids Nike football boots offer a lightweight fit designed to enhance acceleration, and benefit from a durable moulded outsole with a formation of shaped studs for excellent grip on firmer pitches. These are a size 12 and labelled as number 1 
The adidas Turf boots provide a comfortable fit thanks to a padded heel and ankle collar and sport a smooth synthetic upper for a streamlined performance, perfect for quick wingers.
These adults adidas football trainers provide a terrific look on the pitch thanks to the traditional 3-Stripes to the sides and staggering styling to the heel, and are rounded off with a durable Traxion soleplate with low profile grip for stability on astro pitches. These are a size 5 and labelled as number 3. 
The adidas Goletto III TRX FG Junior Football Boots offer great performance on the pitch thanks to a stitched finish to the forefoot for a sweet connection on the ball, complete with centred lacing and adidas 3-Stripes styling.
These kids adidas football boots benefit from a shaped, padded heel and ankle collar, and feature a moulded Traxion soleplate housing shaped studs for grip on firm pitches, perfect during dry weather. These football boots are a size 2 ½ and labelled as number 11. 
Play one touch football in the kids football boots, made with off-centre lacing creating a large instep panel containing a PU shot shield for brilliant ball control.
These kids Nike football boots sport a comfortable fit with padding to the shaped heel and ankles, a TPU soleplate with bladed studs for excellent grip on firm ground, and are complete with traditional Nike styling. These are a size children 12 and labelled as number 4. 
The Adidas F50 adiZero TRX FG Kids Football Boots offer a super lightweight fit at just 165g thanks to a synthetic Sprintskin upper complete with a delicate 3D texturing to the forefoot, a smooth striped styling to the sides and heel, and centred lacing for a streamlined finish.
These kids F50 football boots sport a Sprintframe system with an external heel counter for complete support, a breathable lightweight insole for comfort and benefit from a durable moulded outsole with shaped studs to provide amazing grip on firm pitches, rounded off with miCoach technology capabilities. These football boots are a size 13 and labelled as number 9.
On Friday some of the BCDT team, joined by Govan High Science and Maths Teacher Kenny and of his pupils and a couple of employees from the Quarriers, took part in a Confidence Boost day.
Lesley Rodgers Personal Development Consultant Dragon Dynamics
Held by Lesley Rodgers from Dragon Dynamics the day was filled with great activities to help us all take a look inside and learn about ourself. Lesley had us take part in a number of physical and mental tasks to take us out of our comfort zones and tackle our fears; we done relaxation exercises; partnered up to do trust exercises and enjoyed some lovely homemade soup.
We finished the day on a high by breaking our boards, on which we had all written our own personal fear. By breaking our boards we were facing our fear head on.
No Laughing at the crazy faces we are pulling you guys!
