Games and Hobbies

Three afternoons a week, members of the Bede’s community from all year groups are invited to join Bede’s rambling group. We embark upon walks of different lengths and difficulty across the South Downs, through Friston Forest, around Arlington Reservoir and along the beaches of the Sussex coastline. A great way to spend time with friends, stretch the legs and enjoy some fresh air, as well as taking in some of the most beautiful panoramas in the United Kingdom. Downland Walking is consistently one of Bede’s most popular clubs.

Inspired by the likes of The Great British Bake Off and Masterchef, Cooking for Fun sees pupils compete in a series of weekly challenges throughout the year. Primarily designed as a training ground for First Year and Fifth Form pupils looking to enter the Eastbourne Young Chef competition in the Summer Term, Cooking for Fun is designed to challenge the culinary talents within the Bede’s community and see them reach towards creating fine dining dishes and those more elaborate cakes and pastries not encountered in Food and Nutrition lessons.

Dungeons and Dragons Club encourages thoughtfulness and teamwork, as well as allowing certain pupils to embrace (unfamiliar) leadership roles, together with forward planning and some mathematical thought (for those who get involved in the mechanics of the games).

Based around the iconic series of pen and paper roleplaying games, our group has played

a variety of story-based games in a wide range of settings, with a lot of creativity from both

players and organisers. We have had sci-fi adventures in which the pupils had to try to fly a Siri-guided space shuttle, a fantasy escapade during which a brave warrior jumped into a pit of flaming tigers to successfully obtain a pair of fabulous shoes and another in which the party had to take a rabble of orcs shopping at a medieval superstore, it is easy to see why the club’s membership is on the rise.

Reading for Pleasure is open to all year groups and is an opportunity to read quietly with a cup of tea and biscuits. This is not designed to be an extra prep session and it is purely an activity for those who enjoy reading.  It is also a chance for pupils to share their own recommendations with each other and our librarian is always on hand to give

suggestions from her own personal extensive reading lists.

This Sixth Form only activity was founded in 2012 and has only grown in popularity - something which should come as no surprise considering the fine tradition of Sussex ales and ciders.

Bede's is perfectly placed for this activity considering its location; with Harvey's Brewery in Lewes only 7 miles away and over 30 acclaimed breweries located in local towns and villages, there is plenty of inspiration for participants to draw on.

Pupils who join the group are provided with the opportunity to create a diverse range of beverages from scratch, from wines and dessert wines to ciders, lagers and ales, learning all of fundamentals of home brewing as well as gaining a huge range of scientific knowledge.

From studying aerobic and anaerobic reactions, the conversion of sugars into alcohol and bottling and label design, Wine Making and Brewing is the one-stop shop for aspiring distillers.

Indeed, members of the Wine Making and Brewing activity have gone on to work (and currently work) in local Sussex breweries including at the Old King Inn.

The Snooker activity is open to all pupils from Lower Fifth upwards, regardless of ability. In these modern times of technology and noise, playing a game as simple as snooker can be therapeutic as pupils are asked to whisper in the snooker hall and enjoy an intelligent pastime. As their skills improve they will start to enjoy the game more and appreciate watching two of the top 50 world ranked players practising alongside them and even take up the challenge of playing Mr Driver - if they feel brave enough!