On 5 March, the Rotary Club of Felixstowe enabled some 40 junior school children from the Felixstowe area to take up the challenge of the climbing wall. A big thank you to Clip ‘n Climb for their joint sponsorship and to the staff at the Ipswich centre who were so supportive of the children.
Many of the children had not experienced this kind of activity before, but you could see their confidence grow in just half an hour of being in the climbing arena. The look of pride on their faces when they completed a climb was wonderful to watch.
The event was fully inclusive and gave so many a chance to enjoy the activity and blossom. Some of the children were going through difficult times, but nevertheless they were challenging and pushing themselves outside their comfort zone and the interaction with their peers was a joy to see.
Some of the teachers mentioned that places had been offered to the children for good behaviour, which was a great incentive, whilst others were selected to help improve their emotions and develop new life experiences. For many of the children (as one of the teachers explained) the chance to experience Clip ‘n Climb was compared with the excitement of the countdown to Christmas…
At the start of the session the children didn’t say boo to a goose, but by the end they were full of enthusiasm, telling me which climb they liked best, how they managed to climb higher each time and how much they wanted to do it again!
Once excited boy said, ‘I have never been to Clip ‘n Climb before, but I have wanted to come forever - I really, really, really loved it!’
Whilst most of us as adults probably take for granted that Clip ‘n Climb is just a fun activity (which of course it is), it is so much more than this. With so many of these children going through some tough times, learning new life changing skills and improving their confidence is in invaluable. The whole experience goes so much further than you think, which is why this plays such an important part in our Youth Development Programme.
more From our junior schools’ tournament at ITFC in February through to Santa and Rudolph in December, we draw on support from across the community. Community Lunch on 20 June was both a celebration and a thank you.
more Six junior schools in the Felixstowe area competed for the Rotary Club of Felixstowe’s Community Cup at ITFC on the 14th February. And this year Trimley St Martin came out on top. (Thanks to Bushfire Photography for the pics.)
more For the second year now, the Rotary Club of Felixstowe has funded an activity weekend break for 20 local Young Carers at PGL in Bawdsey. Their own blog says it all .....
more As part of our youth development programme, on 3 July the Rotary Club of Felixstowe arranged for 14 Year 8 students from Felixstowe School to get a taster session at Alton Water.
more Here at the Alex, thanks to the Yeo Group, we see Mayor Seamus Bennett, Rotary Club President Dougie Pipe, and young chef Vasilisa Tymoshenko who earned the Top Chef award for her outstanding work.(Images Bailey’s Photography.)
more On 22 March six teams from junior schools around the town met on the Portman Road all-weather pitch to compete in the Rotary Club of Felixstowe’s Community Cup. And for the second year running Colneis won the day.
more Thanks to Ipswich Clip ‘n Climb, on 21 March we were again able to give children from several junior schools around the town the opportunity to have fun, face challenges and build their confidence in a new environment.
more Thanks to the Yeo Group for again hosting at the Alex Brasserie, Kids Kitchen is an established part of our Youth Development Programme. This year eight young cooks prepared and served a three-course meal for almost fifty. (Photos: Bushfire Photography)
more Children from Felixstowe junior schools had an amazing morning taking part in our Community Cup on Ipswich Town Football Club’s all-weather pitch. (Images thanks to Bushfire Photography)
more On 14 July the Rotary Club of Felixstowe sponsored some thirty children from the primary schools of Felixstowe for a session at the fabulous Ipswich Clip ‘n Climb.
more On 18 October, thanks to our young cooks and the Yeo Group, this year’s Kids Kitchen culminated in an excellent three-course meal for fourteen parents, special guests and Rotarians in the Alex Brasserie. (Photos thanks to Bushfire Photography.)
more Football tournaments in association with Ipswich Town Academy (Photos Bushfire Photography)
more Do We Have a Future Olympian Climber in Our Midst? (Images thanks to Bushfire Photography)
more Learning culinary skills in association with the Yeo Group and Felixstowe Academy (Images thanks to Carl Middleditch of Bushfire Photography)
more West End Week offers young people a 5-day musical theatre experience. Students take part in workshops covering drama, dance and singing with entertainment industry professionals and appear in a show alongside top West End performers.
more Excellent talk by Oliver Brooks, this year’s RYLA candidate
more Our annual lunch provides a fun opportunity to establish and maintain links with our supporters and collaborators working with young people across the community
back Thanks to Andrew Rowdon, Youth Development lead, we have an established programme including Community Cup with ITFC, Climbing with Clip ‘n Climb, and Kids Kitchen with the Yeo Group. Fun, but also an opportunity to build confidence in a new environment.