Nathan Swain was Junior Winner of The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2015. He and his family visited the UK to attend the awards ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Commonwealth Essay Competition Prize Trip: From 22nd Oct.2015

This page shows Nathan's time in the West Country
See also:

More about the competition, Nathan's essay and Tristan photos: Commonwealth Essay Competition
Nathan's time in London and Surrey: RCS Essay Prize Trip
The RCS Winners Week Events: RCSWinners Week
Nathan, Mark and Paula as guests of Alan and Ann Ashworth in Norfolk: RCS Essay Prize Trip 3
The family return home via Cape Town RCS Essay Prize Trip 4

Sunday 25th October
Journey from Somerset to Norfolk (on Nathan's 12th birthday!)

Photo shows Paula, Nathan and Mark waiting for the train to London Waterloo. They were met by Gwynneth Cooper who provided a packed lunch and guided them safely to catch a Liverpool Street - Norwich train, changing on to the last rail leg to Sheringham from where Alan and Ann Ashworth took them to their home in Wells-next-the-sea for the final stay of their 2015 adventure.

Saturday 24th October
Sports Day in Somerset
In West Lydford:
Above right: Paula, Margaret, Nathan and Mark on the
Brue Bridge with St Peter's Church behind
Above: Margaret and Nathan 'scrumping' cider apples
Right: Mark and Nathan on a Brue footbridge
Left: Nathan enjoyed games of table tennis
Above: Mark thrashed Richard 3-0 even though this was his first experience of a full-sized snooker table in a Street club.
The evening meal celebrated Nathan's birthday the following day with a cake and a new fireworks in the garden with Mark in the role of 'Rocket Man' after his snooker success!

Friday 23rd October
Trip to Lyme Regis in Dorset

 

Above: Margaret, Nathan, Mark and Paula
in the gardens overlooking Lyme Regis' Cobb Harbour
Right: Paula, Nathan and Mark at Jane's Cafe

Nathan with his boomerang on a Lyme Regis beach on Dorset's Jurassic Coast
On Lyme Regis' famous Cobb Harbour
Visit to the Lyme Regis Boat Building Academy:
Above: Training Manager Paul Dyer showing the family
one of the hand-made wooden boats (and another below)
Right: Nathan in a kayak
We were treated to a talk about the academy's work
from Principal Yvonne Green, a tour,
and afterwards Yvonne presented Nathan with a woollen hat
and a hand-built wooden model plane made by the apprentices
in honour of his visit and his essay
which described his ambition to build boats on Tristan.
Find out more about the academy on www.boatbuildingacademy.com
Nathan and Mark fossil hunting on a local beach
Below: The fossil hunters return - Nathan putting.

Thursday 22nd October
Travel to Somerset and visit to Glastonbury

 

Chris Carnegy's photo left shows Mark, Paula and Nathan Swain about to board their train at London's Waterloo Station and above, their arrival at Gillingham in Dorset before the drive to Somerset. West Country photos from Richard Grundy

On top of Glastonbury Tor
Richard and Margaret Grundy with Mark, Paula and Nathan Swain