Mrs Sue Hooper writes ...  Saturday morning school finishes at 12.15pm and there are great whoops of delight from our boarders who know that the pressure is off and its time now for fun. Real fun.

The forthcoming boarding activities are displayed on Friday morning and children can sign up for options that catch their eye.  On a Saturday afternoon there may be a number of sporting fixtures which will see some disappearing off in a whirl, having consumed lunch at great speed and laden down with sports kit bags and usually a staff member’s words ringing in their ears – don’t be late. Not that they would be - as the chance to play for their teams is highly prized. They are never happier, it seems, but when they can beat their opponents. Mr Watson and Mr Lewis are always quick to announce the results of matches played over the weekend at Assembly on Monday morning.  Praise and encouragement are offered - for those who have contributed to that success or near miss, there is without doubt, that heart-warming glow, which makes it all so worthwhile. Some fixtures take them out to other schools e.g. The Oratory near Reading which will involve an overnight stay. Likewise St Mary’s Hall staff reciprocate and thus solid friendships are forged that end up spanning the years.

For other boarders there is often on Saturday afternoon a minibus trip out to Clitheroe or Skipton for the purposes of some serious retail therapy.

Lucia and Olisa with their friends relax in Clitheroe High Street before getting down to the task in hand. The weather is perfect, the shops are buzzing and there is pocket money to be spent. The joke shop has to be visited, of course. 

Lately there has also been the chance to stay back at base and participate in an arts or crafts session kindly led by Mrs Jackie Hines. Rug making this term has found keen advocates and the aim is to see these bright and original offerings decorating dorm spaces. For others, Saturday afternoon may be the chance to get down to dealing with their backlog of e-mails or playing computer games in the supervised I.T. suite. 

After tea there is normally a video or DVD which is watched on the big screen in the Centenaries Theatre with ice cream, popcorn or pieces of tuck to munch on.  

On Sunday morning the boarders attend Mass in St Peter’s Church at Stonyhurst College. Here the group are gathered outside St. Mary’s Hall by the chess set with Mr Crouch, the Headmaster, and Mrs Smith, our Housemistress.

Miss Mickiewicz, one of our gap students, is seen here accompanying pupils into St Peter’s Church, Stonyhurst. 

The whole Stonyhurst community join together for Mass and it is a wonderful occasion.  After Mass there is free time until Sunday lunch. 

This is our special meal of the week. Sunday lunch is that time of the week when the catering team set out white tablecloths and the tables are put together to create a real family atmosphere. The staff wait on the children (they love this bit) and delicious roasts and gateaux are the order of the day. Mr Crouch and other invited guests will often join us at table.

Rory and Rafa are tucking into their Sunday lunch with their usual fervour and soon there will be nothing but empty plates from all to show that the catering team’s hard graft has been greatly appreciated. They always do us proud.

In the afternoon there may be a coach trip outing to such attractions as the White Scar Caves at Ingleton, Camelot Theme Park,  the Waves Leisure Centre at Blackburn or occasionally an all day trip e.g. to Blackpool and the Sands Waterworld Experience. With a whole day out, Mass is attended on the Saturday evening with Father Howell celebrating. Sometimes we organise our own in-house entertainment with rounders and football matches which our gap students excel at. This weekend we have taken the boarders to the Vue Cinema complex in Accrington where they were able to try their hand at bowling, following this up with a popular current film and bags of popcorn. A leisurely stroll to Paradise by the River Hodder might also feature some weekends where children have the chance to paddle and relax whilst staff are the ones who end up being laden down with towels, sun lotion, spare clothes and the inevitable first aid kit.  An afternoon at Edisford Bridge on the River Ribble with ice creams, rides on the miniature train and a rounders match, a walk along the river bank is equally popular.

Tea on Sunday is invariably followed by the old fashioned practice of writing home as the children themselves realise how much parents love to receive those personal letters. The boarders likewise enjoy this time… judging from the number of felt tip pens passed around, the buzz of happy conversation followed by frowns of concentration and much scribbling. They too look forward to receiving family letters and photographs.  Some prefer to write more than once a week, particularly the girls. Claudia and Anja are amongst our keenest scribes.  As they say there is always so much news to be passed on.  Most, however, will have as much pleasure in decorating their envelopes and filling them with all sorts of souvenirs for Mum and Dad to sample as the putting together a handful of words to encapsulate a host of colourful memories from what has been a very happy and productive week.