Above : New 10-pin bowling alley
Observant visitors may have noticed a few wee changes on site recently - one fairly obvious and one hidden away discretely.
The old rifle range, which has been lying dormant for the past decade (this activity not taking place anymore) has been converted into a 10-pin bowling alley to provide a new self-supervised and all-weather activity.
The range (at the side of the main store) has been used for a variety of purposes since then, mostly storing wood, random bits of metal and lots of useless things. The roof had suffered a bit and so this has been mostly replaced to make it weatherproof again. With help from a number of volunteers, the range has been cleared and converted into the bowling alley, complete with fantastic hand-made skittles.
Above : Beavers entranced by spooky glow from outer space
A couple of local beavers were happy to assist with the obligatory opening / photoshoot, and achieved very respectable scores too.
The 10-pin bowling is now available for use by site visitors and can be booked by the hour, often at short notice...and Ian has added further details and rules on the main website (www.fordell-firs.co.uk)
Above : After a hard day's work, Bob finds out that some young scallywags have stolen his house and are removing the floor joists for a campfire
The more obvious change is near to the reception / vending machine area - you may remember the old triangular house (The Sheiling) which was used by various full-time staff and which was demolished several years ago. Well, nearly demolished - the foundations were left and it was suggested that they could be used to make a wooden stage which would both provide a useful facility and also make the area look a bit nicer too.
Above : Nearly finished - service team working on stage
As luck would have it, there happened to be a very large team of explorers on site on the weekend the wood arrived who were super-keen to take part in a service project. The team were from all over Scotland and are training for a trip to Malaysia, where they will take part in a number of large service projects, including building new buildings to help local people.
After an amazingly short time, the huge stage was finished and the troops had well-deserved break. It's planned to use the stage for the first time during the big Festival camp in a couple of weeks (Guides) so we'll put up some photos here. After that it's planned to erect a small marquee/gazebo on top and use it as a tea-tent / relaxation area for the campers.
That's all for now, but here are a few piccies from recent weekends - with lots of groups enjoying the great weather.
Above : Leader cheats by using perspective and standing on a tree to get past tricky bit of route
Above : Young scout is sent up to carry out weekly fire-bell test
Above : Fordell crate thief caught red-handed
