“Cobnor Activities Centre was established in 1979 and continues to offer a range of courses to give young people in the local area the opportunity to experience challenging outdoor activities, both water and land based,” explains Mark Murray-Brown, Centre Manager. “But we are receiving an increasing number of enquiries from businesses and organisations in the South of England looking to offer their staff ‘something different’ in the way of team-building, with an ever-diminishing budget. We realise that we are perfectly positioned to meet this increase in demand and we are able to offer a tailor-made day in an idyllic setting. Cobnor can offer groups, ranging from 8 to 100 people, a team-building experience that is affordable and fun as well as achieving the desired purpose of getting teams to work more effectively together.”

Companies and organisations work with the instructors at Cobnor to plan their bespoke day around a variety of activities, which could include: sailing, canoeing, kayaking, climbing, mountain biking, archery, low ropes, orienteering and raft building. There is also optional on-site catering and a residential block. Cobnor is served by good road and rail links to London, Surrey, Hampshire and Sussex.

After attending a corporate activities day last year, Vanessa Aquilina, a teacher from Bosham Primary School, said: “We had a fantastic corporate day at Cobnor. What a wonderful programme you put together for us! It was extremely well organised, and the lunch on the beach was superb. What a great way to spend a day … and team build with your colleagues at the same time.”

Should you wish to find out more about our team-building activities or make a booking, please call us on: 01243 572791 or email: sail@cobnor.com.

Why not send them to Cobnor Activities Centre for some outdoor activities fun…

As our Summer Camps and Multi-Activity Weeks were a huge success once again this summer we thought we’d offer all of you outdoor activity fans something to get your teeth into this October Half Term. Not only are we introducing Daily Activities Week but we’re also offering a special Seal Watching Trip and Cream Tea. Are you hungry for it?

Daily Activities Week

We’re introducing a Daily Activities Week and this comprises different activities as taster sessions, from sailing to mountain biking, every weekday throughout Half Term. These new Daily Activities will run from Monday 24^th October until Friday 28^th October, 9.30-16.00. The programme is open to 10-16 year olds and each Activity Day is just £38 per person. You can book just one day or all five, the choice is yours.

The programme for the week is as follows:

Monday
AM: Climbing and Archery
PM: Mountain Biking

Tuesday

AM: Low Ropes and Raft Build
PM: Canoeing to Bosham

Wednesday

AM: Mountain biking and Archery
PM: Bosun Sailing

Thursday

AM: Climbing and Raft Building
PM: Sea Kayaking

Friday

AM: Orienteering and Archery
PM: Mountain Biking

Please not that appropriate safety equipment is provided for all activities but you will need to bring sensible footwear and clothing appropriate to conditions.

Seal Watching Trip

Age Range: 8 onwards

Times: Monday 24^th October, 13:00 to 16:00 (approximate return)

Come and join us for the afternoon starting with a delicious cream tea in the surroundings of Chichester Harbour at 13.00 before boarding the Cobnor Chairboat at 14:00 to set sail, in search of our Harbour Seals.  There are currently 23-25 seals living in the Solent and they regularly visit Chichester Harbour, with 18 being the most recorded at any one time. We will visit the areas where they are sighted most and hopefully enjoy some fantastic views of these wonderful creatures. The boat will return to Cobnor at around 16:00.

Please note that spray top and bottoms are available, if required and lifejackets will be provided.

To book a place during our Daily Activities Week or for on the Seal Watching Trip please call: 01243 572791 or email: Sail@Cobnor.com.

This creative writing event is taking place at Cobnor over the Bank Holiday weekend, from the evening of Friday August 26^th and all day Saturday and Sunday and it’s a writing retreat with outdoor activities for that little extra creative inspiration…

We are providing the accommodation and facilities for the Writers’ Retreat and as Cobnor is situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty writers will not only have the opportunity to take in the stunning surroundings but they’ll also get the chance to get stuck in to some outdoor activities. A powerboat trip, a coastal walk and an informal kayaking lesson are all on the cards for those writers that want to get out from behind their desks and get some inspiration from the Great Outdoors.

The event will kick off with a Pimm’s reception, informal networking, inspirational talks from professional writers and a book signing on Friday evening, designed to give local writers, publishers and creatives the opportunity to meet likeminded people. A writing and publishing panel talk will take place, offering an enlightening discussion between award-winning local writers Gabrielle Kimm (His Last Duchess, Sphere, 2010 and The Courtesan’s Lover, Sphere, 2011) and Isabel Ashdown (Glasshopper, Myriad Editions, 2009 and Hurry Up and Wait, Myriad Editions, 2011) and their editors. There will also be a raffle in aid of charity with some great prizes, including a voucher for half a day sailing donated by Cobnor Activities Centre. While the number of guests on the Writers’ Retreat weekend is limited, so that they get the very best writing experience possible, Friday evening’s event is open to the public for just £15 a ticket and limited tickets are still available.

Aspiring writers will have plenty of opportunity to brush up on their penmanship throughout the weekend. As well as plenty of free time to get pen to paper, Gabrielle Kimm is giving a creative writing workshop and Isabel Ashdown is giving a workshop to help writers develop their characters. There will also be talks from local writers, such as Stewart Ferris (Unusual Character Names for Writers, e-book, 2010; How to Publish Your Own Book, Summersdale, 2008; How to be a Writer, Summersdale, 2005; How to Get Published, Summersdale 2005), on the agenda. Boat trips to local points of natural and historical interest, such as East Head and Bosham Church, are planned too.

An exhibition of art will take place throughout the weekend, including Lorrie Whittington’s Sea Dreams: Exhibition of Paintings and Illustrations. This is a stunning collection in hues of purple, blue and green. The artwork will be on display to inspire the creatives and it will also be on sale so that they can take their inspirations home.

Cobnor Activities Centre’s Bryn Jones is so excited about the prospect of this event that he started getting all creative yesterday. Bryn donned his beret, coined himself a “Famous Welsh Poet”, and came up with this verse that’s loosely related to the haiku:

Water breaks

The sound is heard

I see the beauty

We’ll let you judge this particular literary phenomenon! Don’t be put off though; this “Famous Welsh Poet” is not on the bill. To book tickets for the weekend or for the Friday evening, please contact Katy on: 01243 533421 or email: katy@chichestercopywriter.co.uk.

Summer Camps, Multi-Activity Camps and Residential Sailing Camps run throughout the Summer Holidays at Cobnor Activities Centre. Campers get to take part in all sorts of outdoor activities, including sailing, kayaking and climbing throughout their stay at the Centre. We’re always striving to create the best experiences for Summer Campers so we regularly run evening trips to local highlights (great British weather permitting), such as East Head, and last Monday was no exception.

We thought it would be a great idea for our roving reporter to go out and about with the children and their watch-leaders to see what they get up to on a typical evening trip and here’s what she saw…

At around 19.00 a fleet of boats, including the Cobnor Chairboat and various other powerboats, left Cobnor for a leisurely cruise through Chichester Harbour in the late sunshine. All the time, we kept our eyes out for seals as the tide was fairly low and the conditions perfect but luck was not with us this time.

The boats arrived around 30 minutes later at beautiful East Head and the children were dropped off on the beach, where they were able to disembark safely and gather their belongings. Watch leaders then rounded up their troops and headed eagerly for the sand dunes to prepare for the games ahead.  

A sea mist came over, which added an air of mystery to events and, of course, made it all the more enjoyable for a bunch of thrill-seeking eight to thirteen year olds. Games of hide and seek and manhunt ensued then it was time for group photographs before everyone tucked into cake and drinks while watching the sunset – not at all bad, really!

After dark, the fleet made its way back to Cobnor HQ through the mist and the children were even involved in helping with night navigation. They helped the skipper spot the coloured lights and buoys that guided the group back to base and there were certainly a few keen navigators that the Centre is sure to meet again soon.

On arrival, the group trudged back up the slipway and made their way to their tents. It was most definitely time for bed and, we’re guessing, a very good sleep; the campers were spent on the freshest sea air and filled to the brim with satisfaction from their mini adventure.

Want to be a happy camper at Cobnor? Find out more about upcoming available camps and courses here or get in contact to discuss your options if you’d prefer something more bespoke.

All we ask you to do is remember your favourite activities centre when shopping for bread and milk. Please use your Community Support Card at Bosham’s Co-op and pop your token in Cobnor’s donation pot at Waitrose in Chichester.

The Co-operative’s Community Support Card Scheme

Cobnor Activities Centre has been chosen, alongside the Bosham Monday Club, as a recipient of the Community Support Card scheme running at The Co-operative food stores in Bosham.

The scheme works through The Southern Co-operative making a donation to the fund when customers present their Community Support Cards on purchase. the total target for the scheme is £10,000 over the coming year, with 50% of the total raise donated to Cobnor Activities Centre. The scheme began fundraising on 22^nd July and will continue until 21^st July 2012.

You can register for a Community Support Card by filling in a short application form in your local Co-op then all you have to do is remember to present it when you pop out for some Hobnobs to either Bosham Co-op (The Farm Shop or the Co-op by the train station) and we’ll be very grateful to you.

Waitrose’s Community Matters Scheme

Community Matters is a scheme designed to help put a share of Waitrose’s profits back into local communities. This is done by each store supporting three local charities or causes each month. Each branch has £1000.00 per month, which is divided proportionally between the three nominated local organisations.

When you do your shopping you’ll receive a little green token at the checkout and you can choose which charity should receive your token (it’s like a vote). As you exit the shop there’s a choice of boxes, one for each charity, and all you have to do is pop your token into the box of your choice. This way you (the community) choose what proportion of the total £1000, allocated monthly to each Waitrose store, each cause should receive. Cobnor Activities Centre is one of the charities chose to take part in the scheme in Waitrose, Chichester, throughout August.

All charities taking part in the scheme are asked to write a little information about their cause. Here’s why you should use your token to increase Cobnor’s proportion of August’s donations:

Cobnor Activities Centre

As an independent not-for-profit charity, which has operated for over 50 years, Cobnor Activities Centre aims:

To help educate young people in West Sussex, to develop their physical, mental and spiritual capacities so that they may grow to full maturity as individuals and members of society and that their conditions of life may be improved.

To give young people in the local area the opportunity to experience challenging outdoor activities, both water and land based.

As a result, around 30,000 sessions involving young people from over 60 schools, youth groups and individuals are carried out at Cobnor Activities Centre every year, and around 400 of these individuals are disabled or disadvantaged.

We couldn’t achieve this without an excellent range of equipment, which continuously needs replacing, and our team of fantastic qualified activities instructors, many of whom are volunteers. With the rising cost of maintenance and staff training courses we rely heavily on donations to achieve our aims.

“Thank you so much for all your help with regard to our Y6 Residential visit this week. The children all had a fantastic time – all the instructors were encouraging and supportive and helped the children to challenge themselves and achieve. All the activities were superb…We’re looking forward to coming next year!” Kim Thornton, Headteacher, Boxgrove C of E Primary School, July 2011.

Please remember Cobnor Activities Centre whether you’re doing the weekly shop in Waitrose this August or just popping out to the Co-op for a pint of milk throughout the next year. As another well-known supermarket says, every little helps!

Twenty three pupils visited Cobnor Monday to Wednesday. On their first day they did some problem solving, Pico sailing and canoeing. Day two involved a day sail around Chichester Harbour, where the children gained more of an opportunity to focus on their sailing skills.

On the third day 23 more pupils arrived and joined their school mates. All the children enjoyed a fun-packed day of mountain biking skills, climbing, archery and low ropes. At the end of Wednesday the first group of pupils returned home and the second group to arrive stayed at Cobnor for the rest of the week, receiving the same outdoor education as the group that attended Monday and Tuesday.

It seems that the children from Swiss Gardens Primary had a wonderful time at Cobnor Activities Centre this year and they sent us lots of lovely letters to show their appreciation. Here is a small selection for you to see:

Dear Amy, Mike, Paul, Andy, Adam, Ollie, Bryn, Brian, Nick, Jackie, Roy, Beverly and Toby,

Thank you for giving me a fantastic time. It was hilarious when we were on the low ropes and the mountain biking. It was fun at Cobnor; I’ll come again with my family.

Yours Sincerely,

Robbie William Hatcher

Dear Cobnor Instructors,

I’m from Swiss Gardens Primary School and I loved my three enjoyable days at Cobnor. At first I was a bit worried of capsizing and some of the sailing but once I jumped in the water it was actually the best bit. I just wanted to say thank you to Amy, Mike, Paul, Andy, Ollie, Nick and Toby.

Love Claudia

Dear Paul,

Thanks you for our spiffing three days. Thanks for guiding us on the big sail. We sailed through some fierce waves and we almost went vertical! The way back was a little bit calmer at least; we got back quicker. Cobnor has helped me improve my maturity and it’s helped me have fun!

Love from Will xxx

Dear Mike,

Thank you for doing the big sail with me, and thank you for doing some big waves on the normal sail. And thank you for everything else like the low ropes and every other thing. Thank you very much Mike.

Yours Sincerely,

Reece Way-Hooker

Dear Cobnor Instructors,

Thank you very much for making our trip worthwhile.  After the first night we got up at 5.00 am in the morning in my room, we were so excited. If we stuck all of you together you would be a superhero! Saving the world from boredom! I think Cobnor man would look like this (See image below).

Thanks again,

Rosie xxx

P.S. please thank Jackie for the food, it was yum.

Dear Cobnor instructors,

Thank you for showing us how to do things like archery, mountain biking, low ropes, the spider web, human knot, sailing and much more. Thanks for feeding us Jackie.

I would also like to give a special thanks to Nick because our coach was late so he entertained us and played games with us for a whole hour.

Love from Molly

Dear Instructors,

Thank you for inviting us to Cobnor and Jackie I really love the food and I love cottage pie that was lovely. I love doing sailing and you teaching us how to do sailing.

Thank you for the lovely room. The bed was comfy. Thank you for all the activities and I want to stay there forever.

My favourite bit was sailing and rock climbing, low ropes, archery and canoeing.

Yours sincerely

Seran

Dear Andy,

You may not remember me. I was only there for the day. Wednesday was amazing. I’m writing to you because you helped me get to the top of the rock climbing wall. I’ve never got to the top of a rock climbing wall before. I can’t put it in to words how I felt when I looked down from the top.

THANK YOU

From Charlotte

The Goodwood Area Schools (GAS) initiative is part of the able pupil programme. The West Sussex schools involved in the initiative are Singleton, West Dean, North Mundham, Boxgrove, Lavant, Tangmere, and The March (Westhampnett). Four pupils from years 3 and 4 (collectively) and four pupils from 5 and 6 are chosen by the schools to take part.

Seeing as the participating schools are quite small, a range of activities is offered to children with similar interests every now and again, such as art or maths. The children that visited Cobnor Activities Centre this week all shared an interest in water-based outdoor activities and enjoyed activities such as sailing and raft building.

However, the initiative is not just about having fun, it’s designed to allow pupils from different schools to socialise and integrate with each other. This helps them adjust as they progress from primary school to secondary school; they get to know names and faces from other local schools, making the transition a lot less daunting.

Cobnor’s Bryn Jones asked the children what they thought of their GAS experience at Cobnor Activities Centre. The general consensus was that sailing is brilliant, especially when capsizing is involved – children certainly love to get wet! He also had a chat with some of the teachers and Christine Smith from Lavant Primary School said:

“The kids had a great time, as part of our programme we can match children from different schools with similar interests. It’s great, from a Head’s point of view, to bring the group down here and not worry about anything. I know that the activities are run very professionally and it means we can relax in the sun. I couldn’t bring a group anywhere I’d be worried, as a Head you leave nothing to chance!”

Click here to find out more about the courses, sessions and camps coming up at Cobnor Activities Centre.

Seeing as Katy Lassetter of Chichester Copywriter was so inspired to write her first novel by Cobnor’s coastal and countryside landscapes she decided that Cobnor would be the ideal place to hold the Writers’ Retreat. The peace and quiet, the new log cabins, the excellent classroom and full IT facilities all offered by Cobnor Activities Centre, in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, provide the complete package to inspire any creative.

The Writers’ Retreat weekend will kick off with an event on the Friday evening including: networking, writing and publishing talks, book signings and art an exhibition of coastal art. Tickets are £15 each for the Friday evening and include a glass of Pimm’s; any local creatives are welcome to come along and enjoy a bit of culture by the water. On the Saturday and Sunday there will be a range of workshops and talks with professional writers based in the Chichester area, including Isabel Ashdown, Gabrielle Kimm and Melanie Penycate. There will also be plenty of free writing time to help guests brush up on their penmanship and get those chapters finished. Weekend places start from £200 and include accommodation, food, workshops, activities and more.

What’s more, this is a writers’ retreat with a difference so wordsmiths will have the opportunity to experience Cobnor Activities Centre’s other facilities and equipment when they take a powerboat trip to either historical Bosham or naturally beautiful East Head; both locations will make excellent creative writing inspirations! There will also be the chance for them to try their delicate writers’ hands at kayaking and even indulge in an aromatherapy massage or a rekei treatment, provided by Cobnor’s own Quintin Macmorland, to help boost their creativity.

Does a Writers’ Retreat at Cobnor sound right up your street?

Contact Katy@ChichesterCopywriter.co.uk or call: 01243 533421 to book a place on the weekend or to purchase a ticket for the Friday evening. Find the full schedule for the weekend here.

This annual event is organised to raise money for Cobnor Activities Centre, Christian Youth Enterprises and the Racecourse Sanctuary. Combining live music with outdoor activities, Cobstock has taken place at Cobnor for the past three years and has proved a great fundraising success as well as a huge hit with guests.

The action began on Friday afternoon as campers arrived and set up ready for the weekend ahead. After booking places on the activities they most wanted to experience, from both land-based and water-based, Friday evening offered a range of music from local bands and a fantastic festival vibe. Guests had the choice of staying on the campsite, staying in Cobnor Activities Centre’s log cabins or staying on CYE’s T.S Resolute.

Saturday Cobstockers rose early to make the most of the day’s activities. This year guests of all ages and abilities could choose from the following:

• Bosun sailing
• Wayfarer sailing
• Archery
• Rock climbing and abseiling
• Kayaking
• Open canoeing
• Chichester Harbour tour on the Cobnor Chairboat

Outdoor activities ran throughout Saturday, despite the somewhat blustery conditions. The wind meant that the sailing instructors, kayaking instructors and safety boat team had to work harder than usual and they sought out sheltered parts of the harbour to make it easier on guests where possible. The conditions certainly made things that little bit more interesting out on the water and even lead to an exciting capsize rescue mission – don’t fear, no one was harmed, it was all taken in the stride of our brave adventurers!

The live music began at 13.00 and played until midnight and the bar was open this whole time, offering adults such delights as Chucklehead Cider. The kids didn’t miss out though as they could indulge in locally made organic ice cream from Caroline’s Dairy, offering delicious flavours such as lemon meringue, mint choc chip and rhubarb – yum!

Here’s what just one happy Cobstocker had to say: “Fantastic activities, so well planned and executed can’t wait for next year.” Nicola Gouldstone, St Margaret’s, Twickenham.  

Have you got anything you’d like to say about the live music and outdoor activities at this year’s Cobstock 3? Please leave a comment below, we love to hear your feedback.

Cobnor Activities Centre would like to say a big thank you to all involved in organising Cobstock 3, to all those volunteers that made sure the weekend ran smoothly and to all of you that bought tickets! 

This beautiful and constantly evolving sand and shingle spit, one of only two sand dune systems in West Sussex, is home to wide range of wildlife and has been a National Trust property since the 1960s. One of the National Trust’s current projects is to protect the rare Silver Spiny Digger Wasp.  At the moment, a piece of the beach is condoned off to keep visitors from disturbing the wasps’ habitats and signs are in place to describe the creatures’ behaviour. Each wasp has a burrow in the sand and for two summer months the adult wasp emerges to feed on sand flies. At the end of this period it paralyses 10 sand flies, dragging them into the burrow and laying eggs on the first. When the eggs hatch the larvae feeds on one sand fly a month emerging as Digger Wasps the following summer – isn’t nature an incredible thing?

While walking among the dunes in the glow of early spring the bird song is magical as sky larks and sand martins pay heed to the sunshine. It’s popular with walkers and last weekend there were a lot of families and dog-walkers making their way through the different landscapes on offer. The different landscapes really are fascinating – there are marshy mud flats, grassy sand dunes and flat, seaweed and shell strewn shingle beaches. The dunes are created when wind-blown sand is trapped by marram grass, driftwood and seaweed. But as fast as new dunes grow in one place, the sea claims old dunes back, meaning East Head is always changing.

East Head is located around a 30 minute powerboat ride away from Cobnor Activities Centre and the water shelf is so steep just off the shore that it’s rarely a problem to land boats close to the beach, giving easy access regardless of the tide. In fact, East Head’s somewhat easier to get to by boat during the summer months as it’s such a popular holiday destination that the roads on their way to the Witterings and the beaches’ car parks can get jam-packed.

We urge those that haven’t experienced the delights of East Head to make a visit soon. Even if you’re not taking part in any of our outdoor activities that include a trip to East Head groups can talk to us about hiring the Chairboat and driver, or a powerboat and driver, and the driver could take you on a pre-organised trip, just contact sail@cobnor.com for details and availability.