Games – Oxford Phab

Phab Weekend in Bournemouth

National Phab organised a weekend in Bournemouth, a great opportunity to get together with other Phab clubs to socialise and do some fun activities together.

A group of 21 of our members signed up for the event, had been looking forward to it for months, and now it was finally time!

Friday 29th November – Getting there, and Dinner

With so many members going, and different needs, not only in terms of accessibility and support, but starting points and work commitments, transport is complex. Our minibus started it’s journey in Kidlington, one car started from Botley, with a pick up in Abingdon, another car from Marston, another from the Oxford Eye Hospital after it’s passenger (not the driver!) had an appointment there and then picked up luggage in Abingdon. The fourth car started after work from Banbury – collecting a passenger in Kidlington.

We did all arrive at the Marsham Court Hotel in Bournemouth, and checked in. There was an additional check in step for people with additional needs, to prepare evacuation plans for anyone who might require extra assistance, and the hotel were able to lend Strobe Light Alarms to deaf visitors.

At 7pm we had an evening meal, with options of fish pie, chicken curry, a vegetarian option, with a selection of vegetables.

This was followed by singing by the accomplished Lee Austin – who had entertained us for several years at Chichester, and a Karaoke, Games and a Disco. Some of us retired to the quiet of the bar for a chat before making our way to our rooms

Saturday 30th November – activities

A wide choice was available for breakfast between 8 and 9, though this was too early for some, who preferred a lie-in. There were cereals, and fruit salad (a little crunchy, but real, not tinned), toast and croissants , with jam made on the premises. The hot buffet had a similarly wide selection with fried and scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, hash browns, tomatoes (real ones, grilled, not tinned), and so on. It did tend to run out of some items from time to time, but was being replenished all the way through till 9.

After breakfast, or just getting up for the sleepy heads, we had a selection of morning activities.

Indoor Archery and Nerf guns

We could indulge our inner Robin Hood or Shane in safety with rubber tipped arrows and Nerf gun darts.

A nerf dart is lodged between the yellow ball and the frame – Good shooting!

Yoga

For those who wanted to find their inner peace there was a Yoga session

Lunch

We sat down for some sandwiches for lunch.

Lunch was followed by even more activities!

Boccia

Boccia is always popular, and it was good to be able to join together with people from other clubs for a game.

Arts and Crafts

Zumba

George Martini and a group of Zumba enthusiasts were staying at the Hotel at the same time, so he kindly had a break from his Zumba to lead a session for us.

Creature Teacher

Some of our members chose to make friends with the animals

Wine Tasting

The hotel laid on a lesson in wine appreciation, with an experienced member of staff to take us though the wines on offer.

Bingo

Bingo is another popular activity.

Gala Dinner

Have split up for all the activities everyone gathered for the Gala dinner, with a pre-dinner drink in the bar beforehand.

After we had eaten there was dancing, and a professional photographer, so some left with a memento of their weekend.

Sunday 1st December – Worship, quiz, Sunday lunch and home

We had brought the Oxford Phab projector, but it’s bulb blew before the service, and the hotel were able to lend us one so everything was set up just in time. As on previous weekends Mary had put a lot of thought and preparation into the service, and the attendees included several who had been to the services in Chichester in previous years.

We also fitted in breakfast and packing, leaving our rooms clear for cleaning, and many enjoyed Lee’s entertaining quiz.

Sunday lunch and raffle draw

After a Sunday Lunch with lemon chicken, roast potatoes etc, the raffle was drawn, with some of our members winning prizes (and, as is the way with raffles, some not)

Homeward bound

With a slight re-arrangement of passengers to accommodate different destinations, our four cars and minibus set off on the return trip. There was someone who could act as a navigator as well as the driver in each vehicle, in case of major incidents en-route, but our return was uneventful. Although we had enjoyed the weekend it was good to be home!

Christmas Crafts and so much more

We had Christmas Crafts on the programme, and some members did indeed make Christmas cards – hand made cards from a friend, family member or someone you have supported through the year are very special.

We also had the Hama beads and other craft activity available.

The Hall was set up with tables and chairs for an event on Saturday, but this was no obstacle (or and obstacle we could work around!) to a little football. This is so much more challenging and interesting than playing in a large empty field! We play with a foam ball, which is less risky than a real football would have been.

We also played Boccia, another Phab favourite.

It was good to see some less familiar faces too – Phab is a social club, so the more people to socialise with the better!

Boccia – in the church

Normally we play Boccia in the Hall, but as the church had been booked for a science fair and the John Wesley room were we normally chat was laid out of lectures so we resorted to the Atrium (which is a pleasant space, but a bit long and thin to chat, and has a slight slope – not ideal for Boccia.

Luckily there was enough room in the main part of the church – and most or the chairs had been moved – so this became our Boccia area.

And a good time was had by all – they had even put up festive bunting for us!

Indoor Curling

We played several games of Indoor Curling, for which the Hall at Wesley Memorial Church is ideal, as a large space with a smooth wooden floor. The game has a mat for a target and ‘stones’ which roll on ball bearings.

It works well for Phab as it can be played by a seated player, and does not require sweepers, or an ability to ice skate.

Easter Bingo

Once again members were very generous in the prizes they brought to our Easter Bingo – the beautifully wrapped mugs with cute teddies and bunnies made by Tom’s mum were particularly admired and eagerly sought as prizes.

As we usually do, we play a rule that people who have already won a big prize pick a small prize if/when they win again and we play until all the prizes have been won, so nobody goes home empty handed (unless they ate their prizes on the night!)

Tom did out bingo calling, with assistance from Libby, who informed us of notable events from the twentieth century which the number which had been called, such as 14 – 1914 – Start of the First World War.

Boccia

As well as our usual cups of tea or coffee and chat we played several games of Boccia. There was some fluidity in the teams, with some members playing for either, or both, while our keenest Manchester United supporters insisted on playing Red.

As we usually do, some of our members use our improvised ramp, made from a piece of plastic gutter, while others threw freehand. As usual with Phab the games were filled with some unexpectedly good throws – as well as some really wild ones which makes it more exciting than you might expect.

Christmas Bingo

One of our traditions at Christmas and Easter is that we bring small prizes to Phab and play Bingo to redistribute them.

As well as festive chocolate bars etc we have chocolate brussels sprouts and other small prizes for people who win a second time. We also try to make sure we have prizes for those of us who can’t eat chocolate.

We sometimes vary from the traditional bingo calls, this time, since we meet in church hall, we uses the names of Hymns from Hymns and Psalms, for example “25 – He’s got the whole world in his hand”, rather and “25 – Duck and Dive”.

An interesting Quiz Night

Tom and Martha teamed up to give us another interesting and well-balanced quiz. Questions included recognizing biscuits and board games from pictures, some of only a part of the subject – enough for the teams to know they have seen it, but not always enough to be able to identify it.

We play in teams, and it is helpful to have a range of interests on the team, and surprising to find out what members know. We also learnt some things that none of us knew, such as that a sloth takes two weeks to digest a meal, and that the animal which produces cuboid poo is the wombat. We also played a couple of Rebus games, which some members had not encountered, and enjoyed once they caught on to the format.

Easter Bingo

Once again, as we like to do in the run up to Easter, we asked member to bring in prizes, and played Bingo to redistribute them.

This year the prizes included some home grown chilies, which the winners turned into a tasty meal, with sea bass and ginger.

Initially we used traditional Bingo calls, such as ’59 – Brighton Line’, but moved on to our own variant, using Hymns from Singing the Faith, thus ‘59 – Lord the light of your love is shining‘ – with audience participation for the catchy ones.

Wesley Memorial Church Party

Like many other social activities the Wesley Memorial Church party, normally held in January, had not taken place since 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Having decided it was time to resume the tradition they kindly invited Phab.

The evening began with socialising and a quiz, involving identifying a range of people, each famous in their own way, ranging from John Wesley to Little Mix, from pictures posted on the walls of the John Wesley Room.

This was followed by a bring and share meal in the Hall, where church members had made a variety of tasty salad, and brought little sausages, crisps and other snacks. This was followed by range of desserts and fresh fruit.

Once everyone had eaten their fill, and while a stalwart team in the kitchens laboured over the clearing up, we played several games of Beetle.