After the success of Adventure Play in the Bay last year, The Torbay Play Forum submitted a bid to Award for All and another to the Coop and has secured enough funds to deliver a total of 19 Doorstep Adventures and 5 Doorstep Adventure picnics over the coming academic year 2009-2010.  The Torbay Play Forum were invited to Living Coasts to recieve their cheques from the Coop along with the other amazing projects in Torbay being awarded money for their projects this year. At the event we met Down South a saturday club for young people with Down Syndrome to come together and develop reading and speaking skills  30-Jan-10: Down South have just enjoyed their first adventure with the Torbayplay Forum they came together at the Game Keepers Cottage at Cockington for a Forest School taster session with Adelong Adventures, this experience was then woven into a story for them to share by Rattle Box Theatre. Down South will be joining the Torbay Play Forum for a Creative Play Journey 2010 

 SUMMER 2009:

  The beginning of the summer saw 90 children and young people aged between 2 and 17 descend on Torre Abbey Beach to create a huge sand sculpt installation in honour of Antony Gormleys exhibition that 'filled' the Spanish Barn at Torre Abbey during the summer.

 They were joined by parents, carers , tourists -  the mayor - anyone who would get down and dirty in the sand and help us

 Read more in the Herald Express article:  TinyTerras.pdf

 In response to children and young peoples feed back  During 2009, Adventure Play in the Bay organised a two day stable management course for 15 young people from across Torbay during February Half Term - all 15 achieved their Stable Management certificate and 14 of them returned to the stables for two days over the Easter  holidays  to start their Equestrian training.

 With help from funding from Targeted Youth Support,  May Half term saw 12 of those young people return  & summer 2009 saw  10 return for 4 days Equestrian training - by the end of this journey between them the young people had achieved over 30 accredited outcomes. One young person enjoyed the experience so much she  put in a bid to the TOFFY fund to pay for all 10 of them to go on a riding camp  - the bid was successful and in October, 2009, 10 young people cantered "free across the fields" - job done!

Adventure Play in the Bay joined forces with Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust, Torquay Museum, Costume Designers from the Brixham Bezerkers, Goodrington Beach Services, the Bay Play Rangers, Mr & Mrs Punch, The marvellous Mr Hand and his tight rope walking mice and a donkey called Fi Fi to deliver a day of seaside frivolity c1900

 Posed for our very own Box Brownie photographer  - with his help each child was given a souvenir postcard with their picture on the back.

We had Sand Castle Competitions: (this part of the  event got rained off) ...

We had Mr Hands Marvellous tight rope walking mice &  his amazing apple corer straight from the industrial revoltion

We even had a Victorian Seaside Portrait Artist come and paint a beach scene  - on the beach! : 

And she wouldn't stop until it was finished

The donkeys came over from Paignton Green and every one got a  ride - well nearly  - some children weren't allowed to ride because they were to big and that was their worst bit.

Everyone got to meet Fifi  Sunshine - and some of them liked her so much they stayed with her all day and tried to take her home!

"Please Mr Punch  - whens the next show..."

                                                                                                        "Now!"

 Roselands Holiday Club "Liked the donkey rides, enjoyed the rock pooling and Punch & Judy" they "Liked everything being organised into groups" but felt the structure of the day could have been a wee bit more relaxed "to avoid anyone missing out on events they were excited about doing." The activity providers would agree with them - we felt it may be a good move to deliver a Victorian Beach Adventure over two days - reducing the group size to 40 per day to allow a more gentle pace so children can range around the activities organised for them - and fully submerge in Victorian beach play as they choose.

 The other idea emerging is to take the beach to the people as a type of historical Doorstep Adventure. After consultation The Torbay Play Forum and Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust may come together to propose a bid - watch this space...

 BIG thanks have to go to the Goodrington Community Partnership  the Blatchcombe Community Partnership and also to Cllr Jeanette Richards, Cllr David Thomas and Cllr John Thomas who along with the Torbay Play Forum, Residents and Visitors Services and Short Breaks Participate funding helped this event evolve and a special thank you has to go to Tracey Cabache, Community Partnership Manager for Torbay who not only helped us secure funding for the event but also lent us her beach hut for the day - now that's community spirit!

 

The Great Recycled Raft Race:

Before the summer we also applied for funding from Brixham Town Council for the Great Recycled Raft Race and they very kindly awarded us £1,000 which helped 'float' this years raft race.  

the IBEX Canoe Club held their bi-annual 'Paddlefest' fund-raising event and donated 50%  of funds raised towards  the Great Recycled Raft - they also offered free paddle coaching to all the teams  - 4 of the 9 teams racing took them up on the offer including the Paignton Pirates - winners of this years cup for 'Speed'.

The weather meant it was touch and go on the day - racers competed with sun, rain and strong winds.  Without the superb managment of the races by GRENVILLE HOUSE staff the race may not have gone ahead. But Grenville House had gone more than the extra mile by putting extra instructors on - free of charge - thanks to them all 9 teams got to race and by the end of the daythe sun was shining!

 Torbays Youth Service Outdoor Education team also served us hugely well by laying on their safety speed boat so that disabled spectators could get up close and personal with the racers.

   FUNK (winners of this years prize for team spirit)  helped raise £250.00 from Crime Beat to come and have BIG BEAT come and 'play' at the Great Recycled Raft Race 28-August -2009 & play they did - all day long...

Adventure Feedback:

Great Recycled Raft Race “The raft race was good fun and well organised. It was a great team building day and the racing itself was exciting. I like the way the categories and scoring was done so that as many people as possible had a chance of winning something. Good it raised money for charity. One issue we had was that we started using what was in the shed and someone said it was theirs and NOTto be used – It would be helpful to know what could be used.” Caroline – Chill’d Out

“All of it was fun I will do it again.” Paul – Chill’d Out

“Great!” Shawn – FUNK

“Building it was great but we need more floating stuff.”

“I didn’t really want to do the Great Recycled Raft Race – I hesitated at first – but mostly enjoyed it.” Myles FNP

“→ Building the raft (favourite)

→ I would have like to go on the raft

→ More floatable items needed

→ People racing the raft was exciting

→ Trying to put the net over the floatable items was difficult

→ Like working in a team

→ Tiring but fun!

→ Not enough time to build the recycled sheep

→ Made new friends

Come Dine with me Sleep Over Warren Barn (APIB) – 24 young people from Fort Apache and the Friday Night Project came together to cook a three course dinner – their ’offering’ was judged by Street Warden and Come Dine with Me star, Gavin Dyer. They then went on a treasure hunt to find their breakfast and back to the barn for a ‘sleep’ over!

“I enjoyed the Sleep Over at Warren Barn. The atmosphere was electric! I was very pleased to see how two youth groups gelled together so quickly and shared their experiences.” Sonia Hodge – The Friday Night Project.

Caving (c/o Torbay Youth Services Out Door Education Team): “Very inspiring – gave me the feeling if I can achieve this anything is possible.” “It was fun, great and helped me with a fear of heights.” Ben

Archery (PC&SC): “I had never done archery before – so it was an amazing experience – I got a bronze certificate for Archery.” Nathan

Woodland Adventure, Warren Barn (TC&CST): “Excellent – although we ran out of time and didn’t get to do den building.” Lauren “Excellent Instructor – very good to learn about the outdoors, trees and fire lighting –mini raft building was good too – enjoyed using Game Keepers Cottage as a space. We missed not having the Beach Cooking – it was very good last year.” Barbara Smith WCH

Trampolining (PC&SC): “Worked very well for us to do just one hour-well instructed – by the time we got there and back in a minibus and had picnic lunch there it was a good day out.” Barbara Smith WCH “I like trampolining best because it was fun.” Lucas age 6

“I have done: Trampolining  – Horse riding and the Woodland Adventure (best bit fire making we got to go into the woods to gather our own sticks and they gave us marsh mallows)  – I would love to do it all again and I would like more choice.”

Riding (PC&SC): “Excellent – even though it rained all day!”

Tree Top Adventures: We ran a sponsored Tree top Adventure earlier on this year.  It was attended by the Junior Street Wardens and FUNK who between them raised enough money to pay for their adventure leaving only the transport for APIB to pay for – this type of event not only helps young people achieve the ECM outcome ‘Achieve economic well being’ as well as ‘Making a positive contribution’ and ‘Enjoy and achieve’ but also helps sustain the project.

  “It was really fun.  There was lots of zip wires. There were wobbly tree things – you have to hold onto the ropes. We had to take a packed lunch. Went with the Street Warden in a car – There was five of us coming from Paignton/Fox hole –to Chudleigh. We wore our hoodies and harnesses all the time.” Kimberley

“Fun – I went on everything – Trees, things hanging, wobbly things, zip wires, really high – Big one was the best – cool – took a packed lunch and went for the whole day, Kimberely, Hayley & Ryan came too” Jade

 Your Wish List for the future:

Achieved 2009 : - Sailing , A Victorian Beach Adventure, A BMX Adventure, A Doorstep Adventure for the Torbay Young Carers Family Day,  Horse riding camp where we can canter free across the fields, Caving, Raft Race, Doorstep Adventures for Special Needs Playscheme,  treetops, motorcross, more creative bits

On the wish list for 2010: - Deep Sea Fishing, Camping "A cross between River Dart Country Park and Indigos Go Wild Adventure Playground over 3 days", a box at Torquay United, Surf and Turf – Beach Bivvy (Body boarding, rounders, BBQ, beach games etc), Den building  -  Fire Making – Canal boating – Helicopter riding – Gliding – Giant orbs to roll around in – Skiing – Bridge Building, toboggen run, canoeing, drama, arts and crafts,  creative food adventures, Tree Top Adventure 2, more Victorian Days, more combo days, The Great Recycled Raft Race 3,   more questing,  more sailing, FUNK Adventures, The Canterers (Year2) and lastly - its still there -  Anti Gravity - watch this space!