SUMMER H O L I D AY S JOIN THE CLUB
Only a handful of parents are lucky enough to be able to take off the whole summer holiday so for the rest of us there is inevitably a time when we will need to ship the kids off to a holiday club. Good then that Bristol has loads of options from which to choose. Here’s our brief tour of a few that caught our eye. The Outdoors Project is a great individually run club which takes place five days a week from 24 July to 11 August at St Andrew’s Park or Oldbury Court. Run by Rowan Hibbert, it’s all about getting kids outdoors having fun, especially those who live in a city. Rowan really is passionate about it and his love of real play, messy play, free play… ANY play, really shines through. EcoWild is a similar thing. Its Woodland Adventure Days for 4 - 12 year olds takes place in Greyfield Wood in High Littleton. They encourage children to enjoy the freedom of the woods, to engage with nature and learn and understand more about the natural environment and wildlife. Sessions start with a walk to a camp area and the construction of a fi re. After cooking lunch over the fi re, they play games, make dens, learn how to use simple hand tools, and create natural art. Mojo Active runs holiday clubs on site at
Rowan Hibbert of The Outdoors Project really believes in the power of play 14 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk
ROWAN’S LOVE OF REAL PLAY, MESSY PLAY, FREE PLAY… ANY PLAY, REALLY
SHINES
THROUGH
Mojo (5 mins from Cribbs Causeway), including their high ropes course, and they also organise Away Days with a great range of activities like surfi ng, mountain biking, water sports, swimming and rafting. New this summer are some extra days at Bristol Grammar School for those interested in dance, cookery and drama. Hotshots is another club that comes highly recommended. Designed for children aged 8 to 13 years old, it provides a range of activities from trampolining and climbing to rounders, football and netball. A huge point in its favour is the amazing location and available facilities at UWE Bristol’s Centre for Sport. If your kids are less keen on the sporty holiday clubs, you could consider a drama one instead. Tobacco Factory Theatres runs a summer school which, working with professional directors, musicians and choreographers, will see them make a play in a week, and then perform it to friends and family. It’s all gone a bit epic this year with the challenge for eight to 12 year olds called Scorched Wings and the one for the older children (13-18 year olds) called Orpheus. Orpheus is a musical so Tobacco Factory Theatres are looking for both actors and musicians this year. Both run in the week from 23 - 28 July.