Record crowds at Sheringham BeachLife outreach

Four days of fun, games, and discovering Jesus on Sheringham clifftops and beach have now ended, as this year's BeachLife has attracted record numbers of children and young people. Tony Rothe reports.

At least 250 children and young people are believed to attended at least one of the activities during the week, with many more parents and family members taking part in the afternoon and evening events.
 
Sheringham BeachLife ran from Tuesday 27  through to Friday 30 August. The mornings started on The Leas with the Beach Special, pictured above, where everyone gathered for songs, challenges, drama with the Circus of WOW!, and the ever-popular gunge tank! The children and young people then split into their age groups for the Going Deeper sessions, where that day’s theme was explored in fun and creative ways, including parachute games for the younger children at St Peter's Church, pictured right. 

The theme for the week was “Wow moments with Jesus” and the stories covered included the miraculous haul of fish, Jesus calming the storm, feeding the 5000, and doubting Thomas.
 
The family events in the afternoons included a treasure trail around Sheringham, giant inflatables, boat modelling challenge, pictured below, sports and games at the High School, a family picnic on the Leas and the tide fight on the final day. The evenings saw beach sculptures, including the BeachLife logo pictured right, and the return of the "Sheropoly" youth trail around town. All activities were free of charge for those taking part.  

Sheringham BeachLife is organised and run by the churches in the town primarily for the benefit of young people in Sheringham and the surrounding areas, but with many holidaymakers and visitors also taking part. It has been running for 13 years and has a team of nearly 80 volunteers taking part from the different churches in Sheringham.
 
Peter Skivington, planning group leader, said “We’ve had a fabulous week, with glorious weather, and a huge amount of fun had by all. One family packed their bags and set off for Sheringham as soon as they heard that BeachLife was happening!”
 
Many thanks go to The Reef pool, Starlings toyshop, Salt promenade cafe and the Sitting Room restaurant for donating prizes. Once again, a generous grant from Sheringham Poors and Ploughlet Trust made a significant contribution to the costs of staging the event. 
 
The next BeachLife event is expected to be a family fun day during February half term. Next year’s summer BeachLife will run from Tuesday 26 to Friday 29 August 2025. 

Visit the Sheringham BeachLife website and Facebook page for latest news.
 
Read our previous story about Sheringham BeachLife.

The pictures above are courtesy of Gareth Gabriel.

Do you have a news story or forthcoming event relating to Christians or a church in North Norfolk?  

If so, e-mail tony.rothe@networknorwich.co.uk with details and, if possible a suitable picture.