A ball at Broomlee!

14th August 2024

Our Project Officers Ande and Mark had a blast at Broomlee in the summer holidays with the Ask Dad project. We whisked seventeen  dads, children and young people off to the wilderness to enjoy new experiences together while creating peer networks between dads, and giving the children and young people something to look forward to during the long summer holidays.

We crafted a brilliant residential programme on the 18th and 19th of July with help from the fantastic team at Broomlee, a facility set in  30 acres of land offering a range of activities on site, including a small river, and several areas of woodland with wildlife tracks.

Our team of seventeen excited participants arrived full of energy and raring to go. Two groups, led by instructors James and Finn launched into Nightline and Low Ropes, the two activities chosen for the first day. Even the drizzly Scottish summer didn’t dampen the group’s enthusiasm!

Nightline

The Nightline activity obstacle course looked great, and not too tricky, until the instructors brought out the blindfolds! It then became a task focusing on trust, great communication and teamwork to help team mates navigate the course and crawl through the mud, under the netting to successfully reach the end.

 

 

Low Ropes

Low ropes is another activity that ticks all the boxes; adventurous, environmental, leisure based, challenging, and educational.  But more importantly, fun!

Supporting each other, navigating the activity across low ropes, testing strength, stamina, agility, balance and flexibility. The  instructors added in the extra challenge of transporting cups full of water at the beginning, to fill a tub at the end. Although it seemed impossible to fill! The team soon figured out the tricksters at Broomlee ‘forgot’ to tell us about the holes in the tub!

 

Tired out and ready for a hearty dinner after all that fresh air and exercise, our party were delighted with the mac ‘n’ cheese and chilli served up by our lovely hosts. A roaring campfire and toasted marshmallows were the perfect end to the day packed full of fun and adventure! Extra long sticks made sure there were no toasted fingers! After some chatting and a wee kick about, it was time for bed. The family dorms were comfy and cosy and got a big thumbs up from our group.

 

Archery

With one archery instructor and two talented archers already in our group (we were surprised to learn one of our party was an archery instructor and his daughter was amazing too!) it was time to kick off our second day! Our group enjoyed finding out about Archery and loved trying out this new activity while working on risk taking skills. They did an excellent job of communicating and taking turns – keeping the area clear ensured their team-mates safety.

 

Crate Climb

One of the ‘high’lights of the day!

With teamwork really front and centre of this task, crates are balanced and built up with the help of the group, but when the tower grows too tall and the group was out of reach, it’s up to the individual to hoist more crates up! There was a healthy tension in the air, with everyone competing to see who could build the tallest tower.

 

 

 

             

Home Time

After a short break and some tinkling of the ivories by Lottie, it was time for home. With friendships forged, WhatsApp groups created, and memories made, we were over the moon with the feedback we received:

“Thanks for arranging such an incredible time for us and giving my wee family lasting memories.  Thanks to all the other families for welcoming us into the fold. It was awesome to have shared that wee adventure with you all.” Martyn

“Thanks so much to Mark and the team for the opportunity to spend some quality time with some great dads, and seeing the kids really pushing themselves – getting personal bests or doing things out of their comfort zones and having an amazing time outdoors. We had a blast – so grateful. Thank you.” Dave & Oliver

“Honestly one of the best times I’ve had in a long time. And you guys are amazing. Thanks for being dads.” Jamie

“It’s been a couple of days worth remembering for a lifetime. Definitely something I hope we can all do again.” David

“Looked absolutely amazing. Totally in awe of you all and so proud to know such a fantastic group of dads and children. Well done on organising such a tremendous event.” Graeme Richards – Circle’s Haven Project

Our team would like to say a huge thank you to our Ask Dad funders, The Robertson Trust and The National Lottery Community Fund who make these brilliant adventures possible.

We’d also like to say a huge thank you to Catherine and the team at Broomlee for helping us host such a brilliant experience for all the families who took part – we hope to see you all soon!