Week 3 - A Scottish Party (and some Basketball)!

Westwood boarders were treated this weekend; the week's work came to a close with the promise of fun to follow. A change to the usual Saturday night agenda saw an evening trip to see a Basketball fixture in Bristol, as The Bristol Flyers took on Cheshire Phoenix. Mr. Duke led the trip and writes of the evening:

"Westwood boarders and a number of senior boy boarders headed to Bristol to watch the Flyers take on the Cheshire Phoenix in the British Basketball League at packed a SGS College Arena in Filton. The atmosphere was great and very loud. There was plenty of good natured booing as the opposition players took free throws. The boarders really enjoyed a close match which went in the Phoenix’s favour despite a spirited fightback in the last quarter which saw the lead cut from 12 to 3 points. The final score was 63-68. The hot dogs, pizza and other refreshments were enjoyed as was the chance at half-time to shoot some hoops on the court. Mr Mansfield (Artist in Residence) and Praeasha Limbu were the most accurate shooters. After the match there was much excitement grabbing selfies and autographs with the players.  A top evening’s entertainment." 

After an invaluable opportunity to have some down-time this Sunday, the boarders indulged in a more cultural affair this evening as the Kingswood boarding community came together to celebrate Burns Night. In remembrance and celebration of the eminent Scottish poet Robert Burns, the evening comprised: a Bagpipe procession; a traditional 2-course Scottish meal; and a toast to the 'Lassies' and 'Laddies'. A Ceilidh followed the Burns Night supper and a great deal of fun was had by all. We hope you enjoy the images and videos below that capture another excellent weekend of entertainment and enjoyment. We look forward to updating you again soon!

Waiting expectantly...

 

The Mascot was the lucky one this evening!

 

Half-time shoot-outs!

 

 

For some (foreground) the action is too much to bear...

 

 

Getting autographs after the game!

Bristol Flyer players enjoyed the privilege of being photographed with our boarders, who were most displeased...

Seated for the Burns Night supper!

The Scot and his Sporran!

The Procession...

...was followed by marking the arrival of the Haggis.

 

A fine fare was prepared for the boarders and staff.

There was scope at half-time for practising the bag-pipes as Katya, Monica, Lala and Hoho demonstrate.

This was followed by a toast for the Lassies...

...then the Laddies!

Boarders gathering in the Sports Hall for a traditional Ceilidh celebration!

 

The briefing and final preparations, before the 'real thing' (videos below).

 

Week 2 - Zumba time!

We reach the end of a fabulously fun weekend which has include the arrival of Angie, Barry, Charles, Harry, Mike, Peter and Susan from Shenzhen in China which is in South-eastern China and is a modern metropolis that links Hong Kong to China’s mainland. It has a population of over 12 million so Bath must seem quite small! The Westwood boarders have been great hosts. Yesterday a good number of boys played hockey and the girls netball with mixed results.

In the evening once our guests had arrived and unpacked we all enjoyed the Adam Sandler film Grown-ups with homemade guacamole and hummus with pitta bread and vegetables. The hunour went down well. Our guests were asleep before lights out.

 Popular choice!

 Katya and Praeasha tucking into the delicious hummus and guacomole.

 Following energetic games of bench ball, and brunch we headed to town for a Zumba with our instructor, Jess, in the proper dance studio. The boarders learnt a routine to the hit song Saturday Night by Panic! at the Disco. They really got into the groove and gave it their all. It was great to see them engage with a different activity and they definitely needed the water breaks and trip to Ben’s Cookies, Starbucks and Tealith Bubble Tea shop. Having worked hard they were relieved to take the P & R bus back to Lansdown. It has been a great weekend and our guests have fitted in really well.

 Charles and Harry enjoying brunch!

 The girls looking after Susan and Angie.

 Introduction to Fudge!

 Let's dance!

 Jess, our instructor, was simply fabulous!

 Check me out!

 Ryan not quite sure what to make of Nabil's shapes! Rajul and Callum were both praised for their dance moves!

 Sudipti was picked out as being the best girl dancer.

 Our Chinese guests giving it their all!

 Jacqueline and Sarah following carefully

 Angel was highly commended for her efforts!

Not quite in time!

Week 1, featuring Pantomime fun!

Following our boarders' assimilation to the new term, we celebrated the triumph of reaching the weekend! Following some Saturday morning Monopoly for some boarders (others were developing their endurance on sports pitches and courts!), an afternoon trek into town brought the return of replenished tuck and company well kept. The evening's movie entertainment proved a popular choice: A dystopian, sci-fi romance entitled 'The Darkest Minds':

Sunday took our boarders from dystopia to the land of imagination and adventure, with an afternoon trip to The Theatre Royal in Bath. Here, we were treated to the spectacular showcase of a Peter Pan pantomime, which comprised witty script-writing, impressive sets, plenty of adapted, contemporary music and glitterballs galore - J.M Barrie I'm sure would've been proud ("Oh no he wouldn't!"...). Boarders and staff enjoyed it immensely. It was the final day of showings and we were all grateful for the opportunity to attend. Although photo-taking opportunities were very limited, some images from the pantomime feature below; we hope you can get a small flavour of what we enjoyed.

Morning Monopoly on Saturday!

A beautiful setting for the Peter Pan pantomime!

Finding our places...

..and waiting for the show to start.

The Interval...

...was an opportunity to enjoy some ice-cream!

The Theatre Royal - A beautiful Sunday afternoon venue.

So as this week draws to a close, we look ahead to the challenges that face us in week two. With the prospect of a Zumba workshop to work towards this weekend, I'm sure that boarders will be suitably galvanised to give their best and enjoy the fruits of doing so. We look forward to updating you as the days progress; we continue to invite you to enjoy our Twitter feed which provides further insight into daily life as a Westwood boarder. Until next time...