Four days of fun, games, and discovering Jesus on Sheringham clifftops and beach have now ended, as the return of BeachLife has been hailed as a resounding success. Tony Rothe reports.
Around 200 children and young people are believed to attended at least one of the activities during the week, with many more parents and family members taking part in the afternoon events.
Sheringham BeachLife ran from Tuesday 30 August through to Friday 2 September. The mornings started with the Beach Special, pictured right, where everyone gathered for songs, challenges, Punch and Judy with a difference, and even a gunge tank! The children and young people then split into their age groups for the Going Deeper sessions, where that day’s theme was explored in fun and creative ways.
The theme for the week was “Jesus on the Beach” and the stories covered included the call of the disciples, the miraculous haul of fish, the house built on the rock, and Jesus walking on water.
The family events in the afternoons included a treasure trail around Sheringham, a putting contest at the Beeston Hill putting green, beach sports and games, followed by the tide fight, pictured top, and chips, sand sculptures, swimming at the Reef pool, and a bacon roll brunch on the Leas on the final day. The mayor of Sheringham, Peter Ratcliffe, came along to judge the sand sculpture competition and to award the prizes. All activities were free of charge for those taking part.
Sheringham BeachLife is organised and run by the churches in the town primarily for the benefit of young people in Sheringham and the surrounding areas, but with many holidaymakers and visitors also taking part. It has been running for 10 years and has a team of over 50 volunteers coming from the different churches.
One parent commented “I have had such fun with my two year old boy and 6 month old girl and I am so grateful for all you have done. I cannot wait to come again next year. I’ve met some really lovely people so thank you all for giving us such fun days together.” Another said, “Thank you very much for a fantastic week, the girls were singing the songs on the way back home to Norwich!”
Peter Skivington, planning group leader, said “We’ve had a fabulous week, with mainly glorious weather, and a huge amount of fun had by all. Many parents have been asking us for the 2023 dates, so they can book next year’s holiday in Sheringham”
Thanks go to Sheringham Tesco, Starlings toyshop, and Mr fifty for donating prizes.
The next BeachLife event is expected to be a family fun day during February half term. Next year’s summer BeachLife will run from Tuesday 28 August to Friday 1 September 2023.
Visit the Sheringham BeachLife website and Facebook page for latest news.
Read our previous story about Sheringham BeachLife.
The bottom picture shows a Going Deeper session for the 4-7 age group.
The pictures above are courtesy of Gareth Gabriel.
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Tony Rothe, 06/09/2022
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