YOUR COMPLETE FREE SESSION · 35–45 MINUTES
A Trip to the British Seaside
A quiz, a conversation and an imaginary afternoon by the sea. All the planning is here, including a host’s script and large-print handouts.
12 pages. Print pages 6–10 for participants.
No card or sign-up required.
Use the whole session or dip into one part. Read aloud, work together, keep score if you like, and welcome anyone who prefers to listen. Personal memories are optional.
1 · A FRIENDLY START
Welcome everyone in.
Today we are taking an imaginary trip to the seaside. You can bring a memory, a preference, or simply your imagination. There is no need to have visited any of the places we mention. We will have a quiz, a conversation and then plan an afternoon together.
A first question: Would you choose a wide sandy beach or a lively harbour? Either is a good starting point.
2 · TEN QUESTIONS
A little seaside knowledge.
Read each question aloud. Offer the two choices if helpful. Open the question to reveal its answer.
1. Which seaside resort is famous for its tall iron tower?
Optional choices: Blackpool or Bournemouth
Answer: Blackpool. Blackpool Tower opened in 1894.
2. In which seaside city would you find the Royal Pavilion?
Optional choices: Plymouth or Brighton
Answer: Brighton. The Royal Pavilion is near Brighton seafront.
3. Llandudno is a seaside resort in which country?
Optional choices: Wales or Scotland
Answer: Wales. Llandudno is on the North Wales coast.
4. Tate St Ives overlooks a beach in which county?
Optional choices: Kent or Cornwall
Answer: Cornwall. Tate St Ives is beside Porthmeor Beach in Cornwall.
5. Which place has the world's longest pleasure pier?
Optional choices: Southend-on-Sea or Bognor Regis
Answer: Southend-on-Sea. Southend Pier stretches into the Thames Estuary.
6. What do the letters RNLI stand for?
Optional choices: Royal National Lifeboat Institution or Royal Navigation and Lighthouse Institute
Answer: Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Accept "the lifeboat charity" in a relaxed session.
7. What is a lighthouse mainly there to help with?
Optional choices: Measuring beach temperatures or Helping mariners navigate
Answer: Helping mariners navigate. Accept "guiding ships" or "warning sailors".
8. Portobello is the seaside neighbourhood of which Scottish city?
Optional choices: Edinburgh or Aberdeen
Answer: Edinburgh. Portobello has a beach and promenade in Edinburgh.
9. The Giant's Causeway is on the coast of which part of the UK?
Optional choices: Northern Ireland or England
Answer: Northern Ireland. The famous rock formations are in County Antrim.
10. Blackpool Tower first opened in which year?
Optional choices: 1934 or 1894
Answer: 1894. This is the optional challenge question; offer the choices.
3 · LET’S GET TALKING
A postcard’s worth of stories.
The first glimpse
What would you notice first: the water, the buildings or the people? What makes a place feel like the seaside?
A postcard worth sending
Which view would you put on a postcard? It can be a real place or somewhere you invent.
A small holiday ritual
Was there a favourite way to spend a day off, at the coast or closer to home? What would you enjoy now?
Then and now
What would you keep from a traditional seaside town, and what would you change?
4 · A GAME TO PLAY TOGETHER
One afternoon, three stops
Together, choose three stops for an imaginary seaside afternoon. One stop should be quiet, one should offer a view, and the third is entirely your choice.
- A bench overlooking the sea
- A small local art gallery
- The end of a pleasure pier
- A harbour with fishing boats
- A bandstand performance
- A seaside cafe
- An amusement arcade
- A shop full of postcards
Choose one quiet stop, one with a view and one other favourite. Invite reasons, find a compromise, and finish with a spoken postcard describing your group’s imaginary afternoon.
5 · A WARM FINISH
One last thought.
If we could keep one sound, one view or one moment from our imaginary afternoon, what would you choose?
Keep the full sessionSources, answer notes, a running order and all participant handouts are included in the PDF.
Would four fresh sessions help?
Our planned membership is £12 per month per venue. Four complete British-themed sessions, ready for your team to host.
See the membership and register interest