HPB Activity Clubs

The Easter holidays at La Gomera had more to offer to children than ever before. Nick Walton and Graeme Alcorn returned for a month over Easter to oversee the children’s activity programme in La Gomera – and are there again for eight weeks to run the Activity Club over the school summer holidays.

Nick is an LTA tennis coach and tournament referee; this is his sixth HPB ‘season’, and his fourth at El Balcón de Santa Ana. Meanwhile football is Graeme’s first love – he hopes to work in the ‘beautiful game’ full-time on completion of his Football Development and Coaching course.

In all HPB’s Activity Clubs there is a wide spectrum of sports available for children to try their hands at. As well as tennis the Activity Clubs offer a ‘human hamster ball’ in the outdoor pool, which allows children to run on the water in a giant inflatable. The Junior Activity Club on Wednesday mornings provides a focal point for the week’s sport, with football, cricket and rounders on offer. In addition to offering private tennis tuition, Graeme and Nick also take charge of the non-sporting activities, which include a pizza and movie night, a barbecue night and the rather more tranquil pursuits of bracelet making and t-shirt and Frisbee painting.

While La Gomera is a family-orientated site, the Activity Club allows parents some time to themselves, whether in the day time or evening, as well as giving children the chance to meet others of a similar age. Most of Nick and Graeme’s coaching at home focuses on improvement, but they make sure that the holiday activities are all about fun. ‘The kids can be a bit shy to start with,’ Nick says, ‘but half an hour in and they are making friends and enjoying themselves.’ ‘They usually arrange to come back to another activity with the kids they have just met,’ adds Graeme, ‘Which is the best reaction we can hope for.’

Our summer Activity Clubs, running once again at all our “resort” sites during the summer holidays, promise more of the same good stuff that so impressed John on his recent trip.

All our activities are run by young men and women who are pursuing sport as a career. Offering a winning combination of enthusiasm and experience, our co-ordinators and coaches are dedicated to ensuring that you get the most from whatever activities you decide to partake in – and above all, that you have a good time!