Summer Playscheme 2010

Allsorts moves to the West Church Hall for the summer holidays- open Monday to Friday from 8.30 am to 6.30 pm - from Monday 5th July - Friday 13th August. The programme is full of fun and adventure for the children - with regular visits to the Allsorts Free Play Area for FUNtastic sessions, as well as trips to Camore Woods with Forestry Ranger Andrew Murray, Ospisdale Farm, the Beach and an Indiana Jones trail at Clashmore. There are two day trips - one to Landmark (thanks to the generous donation from the Dornoch Charities Shop) and the other to Ferrycroft with Countryside Ranger Ian Paterson. There will be a themed day of Circus Fun, woodwork & art workshops, baking & "gruesome cooking". Essie Stewart will be telling tales of the Travelling Folk and the children will make tents & build a wooden shelter. There are special holiday rates of £5 for two hours, £9 for half day and £16 for a full day- so call or text the Allsorts mobile on 07900 24 74 54 to book a place! The full programme is available HERE.(link to Summer programme 2010.pdf attached)

There are ten members of staff involved this year including two new recruits – Ruth Rooney who is a Nursery Assistant at Rogart School and Lucy Williams, a local artist.

Summer Playscheme 2009

The West Church Hall is the summer home for Allsorts from Monday 6th July to Friday 14th August. Sally Wild and Jane Bregazzi will be running five art workshops, including modelling, making fun fruit and vegetable pots to grow cress in, making entries for the Sutherland Show and contributing to “Nessie” in Festival Week. Sally Nichols will visit the club to take the children on nature trails combined with storytelling. Popular magician Clive Grewcock will captivate the children with his tricks and our contribution to Homecoming Scotland will include making up our own poems in Scots Language and learning about our crofting and fishing heritage through dance, music and costumes. Our annual day trip will be on the Strathspey Steam Railway from Aviemore to Boat of Garden thanks to the generous donation from St Finnbarr’s charity shop. The full programme is available HERE.

There are nine members of staff involved this year including three new recruits – Maree Gordon, Tereen Calder and Darren Eadie - who have lots of ideas for sports, games, baking, outdoor exploring and crafts to keep the youngsters busy. The Summer Playscheme runs Monday to Friday from 8.30 am to 6.30 pm. The minimum booking is one hour, the cost is £2.75 per hour and 24 children can be accommodated at any one time. Please phone Allsorts to reserve a place - on 07900 24 74 54.

Summer Playscheme 2008

Allsorts Summer Playscheme is being held in the West Church Hall where an exciting programme is planned including a visit from Bob Pegg, the Storyteller on 7th July. The children will be dressed as Vikings and put on a short performance at the end of the day. Clive Grewcock, Magician will be entertaining us on 1st and 29th July and our annual day trip will be to Aigas Field Centre in Beauly in August. Sally Wild will run art workshops to encourage the children to produce entries for the Sutherland Show and in the run up to Festival Week she will be making a Scottish dragon with Allsorts. Jane Bregazzi is running two Art and Craft sessions and Jerry Bishop is returning with his Woodwork Workshops.

There are ten members of staff involved this year including two new recruits - Amanda Macdonald and Jeremy Done - who have lots of ideas for sports, games, baking, outdoor exploring and crafts to keep the youngsters busy. These include Teddy Bears picnic, Treasure Hunt, Inflatable Tunnel Tent, Water Canal play, Face Painting, Parachute Games, Junk Modelling, a trip to Grean in Golspie, glass painting, decorating piggy banks and making picture frames.

The Summer Playscheme runs Monday to Friday from 8.30 am to 6.30 pm. The minimum booking is one hour, the cost is £2.70 per hour and 24 children can be accommodated at any one time. Please phone Aileen Andrew to reserve a place - on 07900 247454.

Allsorts After-School Club Summer Playscheme was held in the West Church Hall, Dornoch from Monday 2nd July to Friday 10th August. The project was supported by Highland 2007 and as part of Scotland’s Year of Highland Culture, the programme was based on Highland Heritage, in partnership with Historylinks Museum. Through dressing-up, storytelling and acting, art workshops, song and dance and visits to Historylinks museum the children explored their heritage.

Photo: Clive Grewcock

Two themes were chosen - the first two weeks focused on the Vikings and the remaining four weeks on Fishing and Crofting, which included learning a Gaelic song.  The annual day trip was to Aigas on 10th August - also based on Highland 2007 - finding out about birds, wildflowers, beavers and hut circles.

The club also visited the Dornoch Highland Gathering and prepared entries for the Sutherland Show.

Summer Playscheme 2006

Allsorts Summer Playscheme was held in the West Church Hall, as Dornoch Academy was closed for maintenance.  An exciting programme included a visit from Rescue Reptiles, regular Art and Crafts workshops run by Sally Wild and Jane Bragazzi, a construction workshop led by Dave Mahoney and three dance workshops.

Allsorts will join in Festival Week activities and trips are planned to Dornoch beach, Dornoch Playpark, Skelbo Woods, Tain Playpark and the Black Isle Wildlife Park. Regular club favourites will also be enjoyed including baking, football, rounders, clay making and karaoke.

The Summer Playscheme runs Monday to Friday from 8.30 am to 6.30 pm. The minimum booking is one hour.the cost is £2.60 per hour and 16 children can be accommodated at any one time. We already have a number of bookings for the holidays, so please phone Aileen Andrew soon if you would like to reserve a place - on 07900 247454.

Summer Playscheme 2005

Six art workshops were run by Sally Wild (every Monday) and three additional workshops by Jane Bregazzi (on Tuesdays). The day trip to Ferrycroft was on Friday 12th August. Other days were filled with sports (including the popular rounders challenge), outdoor exploring, face painting, baking and many other activities.

Summer Playscheme 2004

The Allsorts Summer Playscheme 2004 was a great success. We offered a wide variety of activities, which ranged from sports, games and outdoor activities to baking, arts and crafts. Photo: Helen Bird

Sally Wild ran four art workshops and Jane Bregazzi two, which allowed the children to have a go at weaving, knitting, making salt dough and also paper mache.

A visit to Dornoch Fire Station was enjoyed by all the children, especially when they got to try out the fire hose and felt the pressure of water which came out.

We took the children down to the sports day that was being held at the Meadows and much to some of the youngster’s delight they even went home with winning medals!

A group of 15 children enjoyed a day trip by minibus to Ferrycroft Countryside Centre in Lairg. Ian Paterson, the Countryside Ranger had set up a range of exciting activities to encourage the group to explore and learn more about the natural environment. This was obvious first hand when we were eaten alive by midges!! A picnic with an ice-cream and a play on the swings and slides was the perfect end to the day.

Summer Playscheme 2003

The Allsorts Summer Playscheme was held in the Primary School, for the whole 6 weeks of the holidays; there were contributions from various workshop leaders, which helped to bring variety and new skills for the children.

Photo: Clive Grewcock

Cathey Reece is an outreach worker from Eden Court Theatre; she held 6 drama workshops throughout the holidays where the children improved their confidence and self-esteem, as well as having lots of fun. New games were learnt by all. The children were helped to choose a play, and then helped to write their own version of the Gingerbread Man. They all chose their own characters and at the end of the holidays, performed a magnificent play.

Jane Bregazzi held 5 art workshops, which were linked in to the drama, so that the children made all their own scenery, and helped with their costumes. Many new art techniques were learnt, including: glass painting, fabric painting, salt dough and mosaic.

Sally Wild held a workshop for weaving, and the children helped to make a rag rug, which was also used in the Gingerbread Man production.

A drumming workshop was attended very well, and was very noisy! The kids thoroughly enjoyed being able to make lots of noise in school!

On a quieter note, Karen Connor brought her Clàrsach (Scottish Harp) and the children enjoyed listening as well as joining in with percussion instruments. Other days were filled with sports, obstacle courses, games, baking (gingerbread men of course!) and many other activities.

To finish off the holidays, a group of 8 children went off to Ferrycroft Countryside Centre in Lairg for a day trip. A Chauffeur-driven minibus made us all feel very special, and activities put on by Ian Paterson, the countryside ranger, included finding clues to dress up as a moth or a grasshopper, searching for camouflaged caterpillars, and getting drenched, trying to water plants with a beaker with a hole in the bottom! A picnic and a play on the swings and slides finished off a lovely outing.

We moved all our equipment back to the Academy ready for the new term, and were very grateful to Mr Bramley and the staff at the Primary School for making our short stay there run smoothly.