News this month...
Look out for Calshot at Southampton Boatshow
It's the time of year when people start to make plans for their annual visit to the Southampton Boatshow (10-19 Sept)
Well there are two locations which are an absolute must for your intinerary:
1) Calshot main stand A008, The Arena. Next to the footbridge over to the Holiday Inn area, you will see us after coming through the entrance.
Drawn daily, our FREE PRIZE DRAW offers you the chance to win an activity course of your choice, from a specified list.
And this year we've got a miniature replica of a section of our velodrome, along with a couple of our brand new track bikes on display!
Why not come along and see for yourself, say hello and while you're at it, enter our prize draw.
2) Nautical Imaginarium Show Stage, next to the Sunseeker stand in Solent Park. Calshot will be running the Traversing Wall, a low-level wall with hand and foot holds, where the object is to travel from one side to the other, without touching the floor.
Our staff will be on-hand to help, guide and keep everyone safe. It's sure to be a specatacle, and something a little bit different to try.
So. Two areas you won't want to miss. See you there!
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Autumn Courses now on the website
The dates of all the autumn courses are available on the website now. This includes: skiing, snowboarding, track cycling, rock climbing and abseiling.
Our winter brochure will be available from early September. If you would like a copy sent to you, put "Brochure request" in the subject window and your postal address in the main content.
Brochure request
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Try Climbing - Immediate Success!
Last weekend saw the launch of our Try Climbing
sessions (see story below) and it proved a great success with over 30 visitors trying their hand on the climbing walls. Try Climbing...it's informal, it's immediate and it's inspirational!
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Try Climbing - NEW!
We've got great news for any casual visitor who sees our awesome walls and fancies a go. Try Climbing is offered at any time that the on-duty wall supervisors are available to spend time instructing and assisting visitors to enjoy a couple of exciting climbs. There's no need to book, or bring any gear, so if you drop into Calshot and fancy an impromptu climb, go to the climbing wall kiosk and 5 minutes later you could be on your way!
Look out for the advertising board outside the front door, a directions notice outside reception and an information board outside the kiosk.
Usually you'll get going immediately, but just occasionally demand may be high and a short wait might be necessary. Just check at the kiosk. Our wall supervisors are experts at working with beginners, will instantly put you at ease and soon having you scaling the heights.
These sessions are most likely to be available on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, and at weekends, but whatever time of day you visit just ask if a climb is available. There will be no upper or lower age limit for these providing we can fit them in suitable harness & helmet.
Try Climbing soon!
£5 per person
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No Limits at Calshot
Calshot has launched a new initiative for young people with disabilities.
No Limits_strapline "Enabling young people with disabilities”_ offers activity opportunities for people between the ages of eight to nineteen years of age.
Tuesday 10 August was the inaugural session, attracting 10 enthusiastic participants. Assisted by five Calshot instructors, the group threw themselves into canoeing, rock climbing and ski bobbing, proving that with encouragement and determination anything is possible.
The next No Limits will feature two age groups, 8 – 12 yrs and 12 – 19 yrs, taking place on Friday 27 August, from 9.30 – 4.30. Family members can accompany those taking part.
Future sessions are planned for the October half-term (25 – 29 Oct). For more details contact Calshot Activities Centre:
Tel 023 8089 2077, Email: Calshot.ac@hants.gov.uk
No Limits
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More Track Success for Louise
Calshot track rider Louise Burman enjoyed more competition success last week, taking Bronze in the Women's Pursuit at the European Masters Track Championships.
Louise entered two contrasting events: 500m Time Trial, where she finished fifth, and the 2km Pursuit, achieving personal best times in each event.
This followed a Silver medal, won in the National Championships at Newport, in July.
Though a regular competitor on the roads, this year was Louise's first racing on the track. We would like to offer her our congratulations on her achievements.
Track riding at Calshot
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Key Stage One Visit to Calshot
The Field Studies Department were lucky enough to have a visit from Fawley Infants, Years 1 and 2 recently. They were trialling a new session for us called ‘This is Calshot’, tailored to Key Stage 1 Humanities.
Students explored our site by using all their senses. Listening tasks were completed, including a blind folded walk. Using a Dictaphone, we recorded how the views made us feel and things that we could hear, as well as collecting memorable objects and taking photos of items that we discovered along the way.
Head of Field Studies Hannah Cheek takes up the story:
"We are very lucky at Calshot to have a site with such a long and interesting history, especially as the buildings are still standing and can be explored. Points of interest were spotted from the top of the castle, and once inside students sorted pictures into a historical timeline to show how the Castle had changed over time.
"We guessed at what we might find inside the hangers – a sea plane perhaps? To some students' surprise they found people scaling our enormous climbing walls and skiing down the dry ski slope!
"Once we had finished exploring outside, we retraced our steps on a huge felt floor map with model buildings. First we worked out where we started, then we put the castle and the hangers onto the map. The last task was to personalise the maps for our walks by putting our collections of interesting objects on the sites where they were found. As we talked about our exploratory walk we replayed our recordings and looked at the pictures we had taken."
Sue Harbottle, Year 1 Teacher at Fawley Infants School commented:
“The children had a 
fabulous morning at Calshot. They particularly enjoyed Calshot Castle and were inspired to research its history back at school and did some super drawing and writing. The whole session was motivating and fun and could easily have been extended to fill a whole day. There is so much to explore in the area- and such a variety of opportunities which could be develop further.”
The students were a real credit to their school and threw themselves whole heartedly into the tasks. It was a real pleasure to have them as our ‘guinea pigs’ for our new session.
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If you are interested in bringing Key stage one groups to Calshot for a morning or a day of exploration, please contact us at: calshot.ac@hants.gov.uk or phone 023 80892077. |
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Calshot Photo Competition
Post a picture of you doing an activity at Calshot on the Calshot Facebook page and you could win either a Track Cycle or Climb taster.
The Competition will run from 1st July to 31st August 2010, inclusive.
The competition is split into four categories with a winner from each category going through to be whittled done to one prize winner. So get ready to post those pics in either cycle track, watersports, snowsports or climb.
Participants need to be Fans of the Calshot Facebook page to enter.
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