Emily, Gillian, Sarah, Susan, Claire, Amanda (Hiding) and Laura at the airport

The first potential problem was who was going to sit with who on the plane. Maybe it was too early in the morning but everyone just sat down without any hassle - A good start.

Laura was a bit nervous being the first time she had flown in a plane, however a smooth take-off put her mind at ease and she was soon chatting at full speed like the rest of the team.

The flight to London City was noted for Gemma’s excellent drawing skills. Particular interest was shown in her sketch of a £20 note and how many counterfeits she could draw before going out to the evening disco.

After a smooth landing, the fun was about to begin. The challenge was to get our party of 18 from plane to bus to tube to bus to the Sports centre. Surprisingly, it all fell into place quite nicely and we reached Hornchurch in plenty time for our performance.

We managed to muscle in on the Kingston Vale seating camp and had a thankful rest. After a short recovery period, Frank set off to find the packed lunches, Vivien started to prepare the team and Innes and Paul sat and enjoyed the view of the rather nice looking female presenter.

Kestrel Gymnastics Team slumming it on a London Number 69 Bus

Hey Ho, Hey Ho, Its off to Hornchurch we go!!!!!!

After lunch, the final preparations were made (hair spray, glitter, pleats and such like) and the team set off for their warm up. The Kestrel performance was the usual high standard and the children had a sense of excitement afterwards. Special mention should go to Catriona who completed a back flip for the first time, Well done Catriona, it's amazing what you can do when there is a prize of a mobile phone if you succeed. With a confident performance already under their belts, there was talk of attempting additional back flips and suchlike the following day.

We then set off in taxis to the hotel for a chance of a shower and a hearty meal. I unfortunately was stuck in the taxi where the driver wanted to tell you everything about his life. Fortunately, Frank took the front seat and saved my life.

At the hotel, Amanda and Susan’s sense of cleanliness was immaculate and decided that one afternoon of wearing their leotards was enough and decided they had to be washed. If I had known this, I would have passed over my smelly socks to be washed at the same time. So with their leotards drip drying on their radiator, they set off for their meal.

The meal was a relatively quiet affair which was disturbed by the delivery of what can only be described as a large flower vase full of ice cream and chocolate. Whether this was ordered by Lorna or Pauline remains a mystery but it was clear that even Innes, Pauline and Lorna couldn’t eat it between themselves and some extra dishes were ordered. I am sure most kids had at least one bowl each.

Completely full, it was back to the Sports centre for the Disco. The kids danced the night away while the adults watched in awe of times well past. It was a weary bunch that headed off for bed that night.

The following morning saw everyone up, bright eyed and bushy tailed. I had visions of screaming kids running through the corridors at 2 or 3 in the morning but I was pleasantly surprised by the silence. Obviously, up at 5am and down at 11:30 pm was too much for most, including the adults.

After a hearty breakfast, it was off to the Sports Centre again. An earlyish performance was required if we were to squeeze in the bus tour in London. We were on early and some of the Gymnasts were looking to add in something extra today.

Warm up went well, even with the interruption for a photo shoot. The routine started well with Claire and Sarah successfully completing three consecutive back flips for the first time. However, joy was soon changed to horror and concern as Susan landed awkwardly on her neck from her back somersault and lay motionless on the mat. The audience went silent and with the heart taken out of the rest of the team, the performance was stopped.

After what seemed a long long time, Susan was eventually moved off the mat to the seats and seemed to be recovering slowly. What truly amazed me was how the 9 other gymnasts immediately changed their attitude from the excitement and joy of performing their own little triumphs and the normal chitter chatter that goes with them to that of silence and concern. A true sign of teamwork and a shared concern for Susan’s well being. This was indicative of how the team treated each other over the entire weekend which made them an absolute joy to be with.

With Vivien "Witch Doctor" Gourlay working her magic solutions, Susan was soon on her feet again, shaken but not stirred and the team took a bow to the audience to which they were given a great reception. We left shortly afterwards to head into London.

This is where the weekend started to go horribly wrong. For some reason unknown to us, there was no guard at the tube station and we couldn’t buy our special travelcard tickets. Frank’s trusty Visa card allowed us to buy a ticket that had to be changed at our destination station. Two tubes later, we arrived in the heart of London (Piccadily Station). We all filed through the ticket machines and while the group had a rest, Frank and Paul set off to change the tickets. Approximately 45 minutes later, meetings with ticket personnel, supervisors and the opening of all exit ticket machines at Piccadily, we managed to get the tickets we needed and the appropriate refund.

Unfortunately, this disruption had not been planned and with the children hungry and tired, we headed off to McDonalds for a healthy burger and to replan the afternoons events. 18 burgers and cokes later and the group were beginning to look a bit happier. To late to go on a bus tour or to head to the London Eye, a quick solution had to be found.

The Kestrel Team outside Lizzie’s Hoose - "There’s a lot of people here to see us !"

We decided to go and knock on Elizabeth’s door at Buckingham Palace and see if she would give us afternoon tea and then head off towards the airport via The Tower of London, Canary Wharf and The Dome. A bit of an alternative tour but it allowed the children to see something of London.

The excitement wasn’t over yet though. After getting off the Electric train, we needed to get a bus for a further five minute journey. Unfortunately, the London Triathlon was on and the roads to the airport had been closed off to all traffic. No problems to the fit gymnasts though and we set off on about 1 mile walk to the airport seeing even more of the London dockland.

Eventually arriving at the airport, we relaxed our weary bones over a coffee and maybe something stronger and looked forward to a relaxing flight home. taxi, bus, 4 tubes, electric train, walk, now plane - It had been a long day.

After a few cokes, sweets and the cuddly toys bought, the laughing and giggling had started again and everyone was getting their second wind until disaster struck - Flight delays. Not just one delay but three in total with a very strong possibility of us being stranded overnight in a hotel.

Thoughts of missing school and work generated further excitement and it was a big disappointment all round when the stewardess announced that the plane had been fixed and was ready for boarding. Concerns about getting on a broken plane were high and some of the gymnasts and maybe adults too had to be gently persuaded that there was nothing wrong with the plane.

Off course, with the delays, some of the members of the group had a few extra dry white wines and a particular lady (ex Kestrel coach) had to hurriedly rush to the toilet as the plane was climbing out of London, much to the annoyance of the stewardess. I think the conversation went something like :

Ex Kestrel Coach : "I need to go to the toilet."

Stewardess : "I’m sorry madam, the seat belt sign is on and you can’t go to the toilet while the plane is taking off."

Ex Kestrel Coach : "I’m sorry too, I’m going now or you will have a very wet seat."

The rest of the flight went well without any further delay and it was a tired group who landed late on the Sunday night. Altogether, an excellent weekend with a great bunch of people. Here’s to next year.