The BIG Brownie Takeover/STARBURST at Butlins in Skegness, 15th - 17th January 2010

Report by Susan Jenkinson, 4th Newport Pagnell Brownies

The 3rd and 4th Newport Pagnell Brownies registered an interest in joining the Girlguiding Anglia event nearly 2 years go. We had 4 girls each who wanted to attend and with 4 adults we made 12 in number, we are grateful to Kim Williams of 1st Willen Brownies for allowing us to join them on a coach.

Friday 15th January

We met at soon after 1.30pm, the anticipation was palpable! Everyone had been looking at the skies hoping that there wouldn't be anymore snow, there was slush still on the ground but the elements were kind to us. We were off! The coach journey was uneventful, we made good time and were at Butlins just after 5pm. We registered, got our identity bracelets on our wrists, found our chalets, chosen our beds and the adventure had begun. We were all hungry and walked to our designated restaurant area. We had been given a map of the site and a programme for our group, we were indigo. All groups were assigned to a colour of the rainbow and this indicated the time of your meals and the activity you would be doing. There were I believe 4 restaurants catering for the 2000+ Brownies and Guiders. The first evening you were invited to eat when you were ready as groups were arriving from 4pm onwards. Two of our leaders were utilised as Support Workers so before they ate they found out their duties for the following day. There was a good choice of food, chips, roast potatoes, carrots, sausages, spaghetti hoops, vegetable and beef lasagne, roast chicken and a salad bar. Everyone went and collected their own food on trays and could ask and receive exactly what they wanted. The desserts consisted of ice cream, jelly, chocolate cake with custard (which was extremely popular with our group), cheese cake and banofee pie.
After our dinner we went for a walk round the site to try and familiarise ourselves with the area. We didn't do too badly considering how vast the place is. Once the girls were back at their chalet they busied themselves with emptying their cases and making the place look as though a bomb had hit it. This was followed by the time-honoured ritual of the girls beautifying and dressing themselves for the disco. The smell was divine. We then had to walk to the nightclub called REDS where the redcoats were waiting to entertain and start the girls dancing. Sue Robinson, the other leader and myself went to a meeting for an update on the events of the weekend and to hear about the Health and Safety aspects. Our Brownies were left in the capable hands of our deputies Louise and Kelly who were going to take them back to the chalet at 9.15pm when the disco finished, our meeting not ending until 9.30pm. When we returned the girls were getting ready for bed and they joined us in our chalet for hot chocolate and biscuits. They returned to their rooms to clean their teeth and to enter the lovely world of NOD. Everything seemed to be going well, a check had been made on the girls they were all drifting off, the leaders spent some time making our flag for the restaurant table and then decided to retire. At 1am I was woken by a noise, I struggled into my dressing gown and went into their chalet to find every one of them awake, and one of my Brownies telling me she couldn't find her swimming costume. Once she had spoken I realised that all the girls were in various stages of getting into their uniforms. Someone had thought it was time to get up, and had encouraged the others to wake up. Great Idea!

Saturday 16th January

The adults were awake before 7am; Louise and Kelly were on duty at 7.30am. Fortunately for us we were 8.30am diners. We woke the girls at 7.45am; they readied themselves for the day. They needed to have their swimming gear ready for the afternoon, (and yes that elusive costume was found), and their spending money as the days were jammed pack with no time to return to the chalets. Again there was plenty of choice at breakfast, a selection of cereal, fried eggs, sausages, beans, tinned and fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, veggie sausages (the best I have tasted so I got the name of the supplier) omelette, toast, butter marmalade and choices of drink, milk, water, fruit juices, tea, coffee, hot chocolate. The inner woman was well catered for! Our first activity in our programme was a show at the Reds Theatre. Support workers with flags the colour of your group were outside the restaurants to guide you to the venue you needed. The girls were entertained by the Red Coats and other staff. There was a competition with games and prizes for some girls who were picked for the audience. Following this we went to circus skills where the girls could attempt plate spinning, juggling, tight rope walking, diablo. They were ably taught by some wonderful scouting folk. Then we went to parachute games. Although the girls had done this before they wholeheartedly embraced the activity and rated it highly on the feedback form that we had to complete.

Being good guiders we had a supply of cups, water and squash in our bags, and were able to have a drink before we went to lunch at 1.00pm. At lunch we met a support worker from the NW Trefoil called Mary Harpley who now lives in Norfolk. She sat with us for lunch and was able to advise us that there were some crafts available to be tried out in the Adults quiet area. After a consultation with the two younger members of the guiders it was agreed that in order for the crafts to be undertaken they would take the girls swimming and the two oldies could relax and do craft. Lunch again had a wide choice of food, chicken nuggets, veggie pizza, jacket potatoes, fish, salad bar, chips, and lovely desserts plenty of drink available. After this feast we were to be found trekking to the far side of Butlins for 40 minutes of singing. We negotiated this on our own, and were very pleased with our efforts as the person carrying the Indigo flag got a bit disorientated and those following her were a wee bit late. The songs proved to be old favourites and a few new ones. The brownies thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie of this experience. The next event on our programme was that old chestnut "shopping". Once the girls had decided on their purchases there was a colossal queue for the till. Our next activity was swimming and no one wanted to miss this. Sue and I went to the pool to ensure that they could all get in because of quotas of adults to children and abilities. All being over 9 and able to swim was help. Having slipped the leash for a while we relished the crafts, making Mothering Sunday cards, fathers cards, a centenary bag, a macramé keying and taking designs for other crafts. In this oasis we could also buy a Costa coffee, and the craft ladies had provided home made scones and jam, victoria sandwich, and delicious chocolate cake!

We managed to walk back to the swimming pool before our girls had left the changing rooms. I needed the walk to compensate for the scone! We were due to have free time but this was now taken up by finishing the shopping. Once those purchases had been paid for and packed it was time for dinner 6.30pm. Chicken, vegetable tikka Masala and rice, roast
pork, hot dogs, veggie pasta fish fingers and the salad bar. We returned to our chalet after dinner to get back into our uniforms. Although the evenings entertainment was to be a celebration disco and show, with a surprise act to entertain us, and many other units were putting their Glam gear on, we wanted to be supportive of one of our Brownies. Emily had been chosen to go on the stage as a representative of Buckinghamshire to say what she liked about Brownies. Whilst on the
stage she would be renewing her promise along with the rest of the 2000+ people present at 20:10pm. Our girls were dancing with the best of them, but there was one question on their lips "who was the surprise act?" I am sure that the Butlins staff were very impressed when it came to getting the whole of the disco hall quiet for the reps of the different counties to say their piece followed by the promise renewal. It was done really well with big screens at the side of the stage in case you couldn't see. The Butlins staff took over again doing what they do best and then at 20:30 they announced the suprise act. It was Same Difference, a sister and brother act who came third in the X Factor final of 2007.They sang several songs and our girls certainly got a second wind, as they had been looking very tired before they came to the stage. One of our Brownies managed to get to the front of the stage and took several photos that are now her pride and joy, as she had never seen anyone famous before. Just before 9.00 the performance came to an end, and we quickly gathered up all the girls, getting them to put their hats, gloves, coats and scarves on hoping that the cold air wouldn’t wake them up too much. We needn't have worried, after their ablutions they were in their pyjamas and were all asleep before 10.00pm.

Sunday 17th January

Our Brownies has to be woken up at 7.30am in order to get a shower and to start packing. We told them how lucky they were that breakfast wasn't at 7.30am. A rather huge jumble sale then occurred with Kelly and Louise encouraging them to have the shower and to pack as much as possible. There was the usual quest to find Brownie trousers, matching up socks, and reuniting the owner with her toiletries, amazing how much gets mislaid in a small space. Even stranger was the one Brownie who never recognised her own coat the whole weekend! Once they were ensconced in the Coral Beach Restaurant, they found their appetites eating full cooked breakfast, preceded in some cases by cereal, and followed by fruit, yoghurts, toast and marmalade. This was all taken at a leisurely pace and at 9.30pm we girded our loins to move to the Crazy Horse Hall where the girls took part in party dancing. Chocolati was very popular with all those taking part able to take to the stage in four groups to show off their dancing expertise. Wow!
Since we returned home they have shown the other members of the pack their skills, and there was I thinking I would never hear that tune again. Hot on the heels of party dancing it were cheerleading with lovely red and white pom poms. They were very enthusiastic and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Our final activity was a trip to the cinema to see Walt Disney's UP. It was lovely, we were all chilled out and two members of our contingent fell asleep, the adult member was so relaxed she snored and woke herself up, it caused great mirth to those around her! Lunch, our last meal at Starburst, there was macaroni cheese, roast beef, chicken nuggets, jacket potatoes, salad, the list goes on. Tasty blackcurrant mousse was popular, and again there was fruit available. After lunch we went to see Sue Beswick to thank her and the committee for making Starburst such a wonderful experience. A Butlins employee informed us that the staff were all very impressed with the behaviour of the girls, and that they had really enjoyed working there that weekend, one of the best for them. We returned to the chalets, and finished the packing; the girls had done very well with those last minute bits, not too much sitting on cases to get them to close. By 2.00pm we had double checked the two chalets, shut the doors, had two more photo calls and were able to return our keys and hand in our feedback forms. Our coach was waiting for us, so we left at about 2.30pm. We arrived in Milton Keynes at 5.15pm, all tired but happy. The girls had a wonderful time and want to do it again. The adults all had a great time and yes they would all do it again. Thumbs up to all those hard working souls who made this possible, and thumbs up to Butlins' staff, they were brilliant!