Beamish Trip 2016

Published by Alison Watson-Shields on

Today I had the pleasure of attending Beamish Museum with members of two wonderful groups that I facilitate – Young at Heart ULO and Our Version of Events ULO.

The day started with a long drive down to St John’s Church, Durham Road in the pouring rain. The rain was so heavy that it was causing poor visibility. The whole drive had me hoping and wishing that the rain clouds would pass so that we could have a dry day out.

The church was already full of excited travellers when I arrived. Thankfully, the caretaker had opened up the church to the group so we had access to the facilities and an opportunity to remain dry.

The bus journey was longer than anticipated due to an accident on the A1, so we had to re-route to the A19. However, when we arrived we were quickly signed in and ready to venture in to the immersive Museum. Thankfully, by this time the sun was shining and the puddles drying up!

I headed straight to the Pit Village for some traditional fish and chips and a cup of tea, while other group members boarded the trams and buses to explore the different areas. I was joined at Davys Chip Shop by Mary and Marie, who had never visited Beamish before, so we had a chat about the Museum and Young At Heart service developments.

After exploring the Pit Village I headed to the town, via the fairground, to do a spot of shopping. The town now has a pharmacy, bakery and photography centre which weren’t there last time I visited. I bought some fresh made bread, pies and sausage rolls as well as some old-fashioned kola and lemonade in a bottle with a marble as a cap. I also enjoyed another cup of tea with a piece of lemon drizzle cake in the company of Mary, Marie, Grace and Shelby.

At the end of the day I bought a Beamish Guide book for everyone who attended the trip so that they could learn more about the Museum and use it as an aid to discussing the trip in the future.

I would like to thank Volunteering Matters for their contribution towards the cost of the coach hire and the provision of volunteers, Our Version of Events for contributing towards the entry costs and providing volunteers, and the members and carers from Young At Heart who, together, made the day a very memorable one. I look forward to sharing days out like this with you all again in the future!


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