Day 15 - Wednesday

Another busy day on site as we aimed to have all the footings cemented and ready to be built on by the end of the day plus a second coat of paint done in all the classrooms. Once again the local community turned out in force in order to ensure the projects run effectively and smoothly. However, there's a small issue with this in that there tends to be a lot of discuss/heated debate for quite a while before any decision is made due to a lack of project management. Once it is all cleared up and a direction is agreed on everyone quickly gets back to working flat out.

I forgot to mention that Mr Osbourne our resident wildlife expert whilst sat admiring the work spotted a snake. He mentioned this to one of the local guys who picked up a large stick and proceeded to chase the snake before battering it to death and then chopping it up with his machete! It was only our group that seemed at all amazed by this process as the locals seemed fairly nonchalant about the whole affair...

We again divided into working parties but today the students tended to gravitate towards the areas of work they felt best at. Jekin and Barney continued to work at a ferocious pace setting an outstanding example to others in cement mixing which was being used in the footings. This was matched by Rosie who took care in ensuring that the cement was properly mixed much to some of the boys dismay when they were happy with half a job, an ear bashing quickly followed and back to work they went. After mixing what seemed like enough cement to building a housing estate and with everyone worn out Dan Mallett pointed out that if anyone had asked he could've brought the cement mixer he has at home!!! Alongside the cement mixing we also moved approximately 150 bricks using a chain gang method to pass them down the line where they were placed ready for laying tomorrow.

The painting group did a very professional job in all the classrooms based on the locals desire to water the paint down so much it basically ran off the wall. Olly Clark led the way on the painting front and made sure that none of the paint went missing as he carried everywhere he went. There is now no more magnolia paint left in west Ghana so we have had to move to the slightly more garish green and blue for the remaining rooms which certainly provides a stimulating working environment. As well as competing against the very watery paint the students also had to deal with several hornet nests and numerous large spiders which lurked in the corners of the rooms.

Various groups of students continued to have surfing lessons throughout the day and some of them hired the boards at the end of the day to practise their skills further. Most impressive were Greg, Dan B and Cameron who seem to have the whole surfing thing mastered, with Greg even picking up some of the lingo by referring to things as "sweet".

A student organised quiz was the evening entertainment which proved challenging for all that took part including the quiz masters who had to write the questions without the aid of the Internet. However, Jamie, Stuart, Nathan, Alex and Harry did a fantastic job organising the quiz which allowed the teachers to prove themselves of superior intellect much to the students annoyance. Mr Abbott seemed to be attracting all sorts of wildlife...

Day 14 - Tuesday

Another early start in order to continue from yesterday's good start on site. The group was broken down into 3 desperate groups with student team leaders designated by the groups in each one. There were three main tasks to complete today and each group would work on a rotation as to experience each aspect of the work. The three areas of work today were the continuation of the digging of the footings, making bricks and painting the existing 3 classrooms.

The local community turned out in force again today and not only matched our numbers but actually raised us which made for many hands on deck. This meant that we were able to dig the footings even deeper to combat the risk of erosion around the building to the land and make sure that it is more stable. 

As a result of the deeper footings more bricks were required and the students learnt how to make these in one of the empty classrooms where once they were made they were left to dry out.

The painting involved the mixing of the paint with water to ensure that we had enough. The classrooms were very dirty and we think hadn't been painted since the school was built in 2004, so it was certainly in need of a lick of paint. The students cleaned the walls and removed any debris before getting to work with the paint. At the end of the day we had given 3 classrooms a first coat and managed a second coat on one of the rooms.

We knocked off work at 1.30pm as we had used all the paint and cement. This gave us plenty of time to hit the beach and take advantage of the good surf!

After dinner Mr Abbott organised a poker tournament for approximately 10 players which included Mr Osbourne and Mr Dickens. The deal was Mr Abbott who also won, not want to cast aspersions but this was particularly suspect and Sam Keys who came 2nd was asking for a stewards enquire about the result but to no avail!

Day 13 - Monday

Today was the first day on the new project which was three 22ft classrooms starting from scratch and painting the existing 3 classrooms.

Mr Abbott turned Sir Alan Sugar as he sent Mr Harris and Sarah along with Cameron Ashworth and Barney Thorpe to Agona Junction. The concept he seemed to of come up with was a cross between Top Gear and The Apprentice with the rain it made the road very slippy for our very old Mercedes Sprinter which I'm sure has many stories to tell since it was first sold in Leeds. The first problem came after 5 miles when we became stuck and acquired the services of 10 local men who endeavoured to dig us out and send us on our merry way, this took 4 shovels and 30 minutes!

On arriving at Agona Junction the 2nd concept of the challenge took place with us having to go around and purchase 1 tonne of cement and various other building materials to start 'Abbott & Students Builders Ltd'. We successfully achieved this challenge and even managed to negotiate a 5% discount which we were most impressed with!

Back at site the students were hard at work clearing the site of tree roots and digging the footings for the buildings. As Mr Abbott keeps reminding us that it's dynamic project management as the locals change their minds as often as the wind and suddenly we were adding a store room as well! We spent 5 hours digging the footings and the locals matched our efforts as we flew through the earth in a blur of pick-axes, shovels and matlocks... At 3pm we knocked off for the day to enjoy a well deserved dip in the sea and for one group to try their hands at surfing with the local instructor Bjorn (via Sweden).

The food at night was delicious and the quiz that followed devised by Mr Osbourne  provided an excellent quizmaster! The conception was fierce but Jack K, Jekin, Dan L, Tom B and Barney showed that a year extra at TBSHS really helps as the Year 13's beat all others...

Tomorrow we will be painting, making cement for the footings and making bricks! 

Day 12 - Sunday

Following the first night of luxury in double beds listening to the sound of the sea and animals as we drifted off to sleep we were also given a lie-in which was gratefully received. The students rolled out of bed between 8am and 10am to tuck into pancakes and local honey which was delicious.

The plan for the day was a gentle stroll to the local lighthouse along the beach and then back via the village to have a look at what work required doing. This was all going very well until halfway round the walk the heavens opened and it started to rain quite heavily. Walking past the school it became very obvious that it was in a dire state but a great project for us to undertake as we could make a real difference. A group if Americans had recently done some work at the school building latrines which looked excellent.

We finished walking back along the beach before changing out of the wet clothes. The rest of the day was spent on the beach, in the sea and around the central venue of the lodge playing cards, table tennis and reading. All in all a very relaxing day before the hard graft starts again at 6.30am!

Day 11 - Saturday

Following the success of Sports Day and the victory in the football match Abbobayor allowed everyone a little bit of a lie-in before we bid farewell to Bronyibima. Unfortunately, the night was disturbed by constant loud music from the village which went on through the whole night finishing with a flute ensemble. It turns out that this was a funeral that would be taking place today and that's common practice for the equivalent of an all night rave to take place the evening before.

The journey down to Cape 3 Points took about 4 hours with a stop at the local market which unfortunately seems to run on the same day as Stortford market, so there wasn't much happening!

We arrived at the Eco lodge (www.escape3points.com) and the students were amazed at the beauty of the place. Once off the bus they ran down to the beach and paddled in the sea before having a look around the site. 

After a lovely chicken and rice lunch the students were allocated their lodges and given some time to relax before dinner of pasta and mushroom sauce!

Tomorrow we will be walking to the local lighthouse and having a look around the village we will be working at for the next 9 days...

Live Sports Day updates...

A proper British sports day in drizzle!!!

Lime & Spoon race...

The Sack Race...

Musical Statues...

Bean Bag Relay...

Presentation by the Chief of the village and one of the Elders, as every child received a goodie bag and sticker!

The morning session has finished and a mini-showcase will be presented with Irish Dancing, local children dancing, singing, group Macarena dance and then the traditional rendition of Jerusalem!

Mini-Showcase

TBSHS showcasing its talent with a rendition of the National Anthem, Meghann Cook performing some Irish Dancing, Sam Keys singing, local students dancing to 'Blame it on the boogie' choreographed by Sam Keys, then came the Macarena with everyone joining in the dance craze before we all sang Jerusalem...

Looking forward to this afternoons events including the 100m and 200m plus long jump amongst others.

All the competitors lined up in their house teams...

The long jump in a pit that was dug out prior to the competition by the school children..

The boys 100m finalists...

The football match is about to kick-off following the National Anthems. TBSHS are physically bigger than their U15 rivals but if I were a betting man I would be backing the more skilful and fitter Ghanian team! We shall see who wins in 90 minutes time...

First 10 minutes has seen Jekin the busier of the keepers but Dan Mallet had a sight of goal but didn't catch it properly!

A fast and furious pace has been set early, will TBSHS pay the price for this?

Harry Cochrane is having a good game in centre midfield but a rash challenge that was somewhere around head height went unpunished by the ref (A. Osbourne). Jordan has forced a corner and from the resulting corner TBSHS take the lead, a great strike from Jordan Albert!

It's standing room only for this hotly anticipated match, the locals are lining the road watching the game! Jekin is in inspired form but is helpless as a superb volley flies past him from 12 yards out, 1-1...

The Ghanian team love to attack as they commit numbers forward for every attack and it nearly paid off except for a great reaction save by Jekin. It's worth mentioning at this point that Jekin has lost his glasses, I'd love to see how good he is with vision!

Jamie Brewer has led the attack down the right and after beating 3 men laid the ball off to Dan Laycock who sweetly smashed the ball passed the keeper to give TBSHS a 2-1 lead! I may have to eat my hat if the game continues in this vein...

No sooner had a complimented Jekin then the commentators curse strikes as a calamitous piece of goalkeeping sees him turn a cross into his own net under no pressure at all. The teams come into half time evenly matched 2-2...

Manager Barney Thorpe is looking for "much of the same in the 2nd half with greater pressure being applied in midfield to prevent the attacking options".

The 2nd half gets underway and Barney has been ruthless at halftime bringing off McAndrew, White, Barker and Albert as he looks to get the win!

The plan seems to be working for Barney and TBSHS as Jamie Brewer pops up in the box and buries it into the bottom corner! 3-2 to TBSHS...

More changes as Barney looks to consolidate the lead with the introduction of Albert, Dickens and McAndrew!

TBSHS ride their luck as the post is struck and the ball bounces fortuitously into Jekins hands from the rebound! The game has really opened up as McAndrew is unable to get over a free header...

Wow... 4-2!!! Tom Barker beats the left back and fires a dangerous ball across the box which was met by McAndrew who stylishly back heels the ball into the net! Barney Thorpe looks like a managerial genius...

More pressure from TBSHS allows Jordan to attack down the right and then fire the ball across for an easy tap-in for Rob Prior to make the score 5-2! Looks like I will be keeping a low profile tonight after my pre-match predictions... Abbobayor comes on upfront as Barney plays to the crowd bringing on the Mr Abbott for a run out... 

The final whistle blows and TBSHS win their first match 5-2, the locals are as shocked as me! Well done boys...

Day 9 - Thursday

The group split in half as there was the official opening of the ICT suite in Dunkwa and more work on the library to be done in Bronyibima. Both groups set off early with one dressed for official duties and the others for a day on the building site.

At Bronyibima the local community had turned out in force to continue the work from yesterday and the students got stuck in early. The local tradesmen should the students how to build a wall and worked together in partnership in constructing the outer building. Toby, Alex, Dan B and Rosie discovered a real aptitude for laying bricks and were soon a very dab hand at putting the mortar down ready. Alex hit an all-time high of 50% work output in comparison to day 1 which by his own admission was probably only 10%, fingers crossed by the end of the trip he will be somewhere near 100%! However, his 50% really impressed as his handiwork was commended by the locals. Once we got to 4 bricks high at about 11am work ceased for the day as more cement is required which will delivered ready for a 6am start tomorrow prior to sports day! Just like England the weather is looking a little dodgy for sports day as it is currently raining!!!

The official opening of the ICT suite went very well with the local dignitaries very impressed with the work that we had done and by linking the village to the outside world via the Internet. 

Preparations for the sports day are in full swing with a range of traditional races alongside the sack race, lime & spoon race and obstacle course. This will be followed by the hotly anticipated football match against the U15 school team managed by Barney Thorpe as he discusses tactics at his pre-match press conference he announced that in true English fashion we will be playing 4-4-2 in the style of Mike Bassett!