The weekend of 21/22nd May was a very special one. On Saturday where was a Swimathon, raising money for the Lord's Taverners. Next day was our annual Fete, raising money for the Princes Trust.

Shortly afterwards one Sixth Form wrote short and sometimes amusing descriptions of their experiences. They are all published below, in alphabetical order.

J Sellers with his very popular lolliland stall

We headed over to the swimming pool. I dipped my toes into the water and shivered at the thought of plunging into the water for 15 minutes. After I had brought my thoughts together I dived into the water - even though it was in the shallow end! After that I got out of the pool and wrapped my towel around my body. I rushed over to the marquee to be first in line for a jam doughnut and some orange squash.

We then had some free time and then we had a meeting for the fete. My group was doing Royal Challenges: guess how many skittles in a jar, eat as many crackers as possible in two minutes and swallow wine gums without chewing.

After all the hard work we had done, our stall had been set up. It was bang on 2 o'clock. And really windy, blowing most things on our desk away.

After I had completed my shift I went to try the other stalls. Well, that's what I thought I was going to do. But no, the likes of Krispy Kreme doughnuts and ice cream overwhelmed my senses. At the end of the day I was stuffed and I couldn't drink another drop of coke, or take another lick of ice cream. It was great. I can't wait to come back next year.

S Ahmed

On Saturday morning it seemed rather daunting to have to stay in for the weekend, but during and after the weekend everyone grudgingly admitted that perhaps it was not so bad after all. On Saturday afternoon after school was over and our matches had come to a close (victorious in most cases) we raced up to Top Field in a tumultuous throng to have a kick about. At 7 we were called on to the croquet lawn to enjoy a delicious meal of burgers - with salad of course - sausages, chicken and coke. After we had got that down we thought it couldn't be a nicer meal but we were defied by Mr Baker handing out ice lollies.

After a lovely evening we woke up and pulled on our home clothes, today was the day of the fete and everyone was eager to get started. Before that could begin however we took part in a swimathon raising money for the Lord's Taverners which raises money for sports for the disabled. I made my contributions with a meagre 30 lengths When the fete started a crowd filled in the fields and started to spend. This was not only a social event and a fun occasion but the money raised by the stalls was put forward to the Prince's Trust.

O Arzt-Jones

As we sat on the side of the pool I’m sure we all were joking about the feat ahead as we stared at the marine blue water. After all, we hadn't had to do anything serious so far that day and we leisurely strolled to our starting blocks at the edge of the water. We all simultaneously plunged in and the fresh, cold, water hit our skin. From then on we were more determined, every now and then reminding ourselves of what we should accomplish and the people we were fighting for. We were all glad to dry off, have a doughnut and get ready for the barbecue, we all enjoyed the meal and a choc ice, and the food was fabulous, thank you to all staff who aided in that.

That was a large contrast to Sunday and the Fete. the wind shook the bunting as we strived to set up in time with our schedule, Union Jacks rippled and we all struggled to keep pieces of paper flying rampant in the morning's wake. Then the Fete started and the spaces were filled with people mingling around and chatting like parrots. I think we all really enjoyed the Fete, the boarders and their families. I’d like to say thank you to Ma'am Buck and I hope others enjoyed it as much as I did.

G Atkinson

When Sunday started everyone was excited about the wonderful Royal Wedding themed fete and the swimathon. I only just managed to bring myself to jump into the freezing water but I found the courage and leapt in. The water's temperature did not bother me. After a while of furiously front crawling up and down the length of the pool, I only swam a disappointing 28 lengths but I enjoyed it no matter what.

Before lunch all the boarders had to set up their stalls. My stall had an easy job because we only had to lay out a table and some chairs. The idea of my stall was to guess how many skittles were in a jar. After lunch we had to grab our prizes and finish off our stalls. There was a leap of joy from all the Caldicott boys as the Headmaster declared that the Fete was open. At the start my stall was doing very badly with no customers arriving but by the halfway mark we were making a lot of money. I was upset that this was going to be my last Fete. I would like to thank Ma'am Buck for organizing all of this because it was lots of fun.

G Beard

Sunday morning started with the sponsored swim which for some was a proclamation of how well they could swim, although for me it was more like a struggle to swim only 20 lengths. There was a lot of free time afterwards, and although I was playing football on top field a lot of boys used that time to finish preparations for the fete which would commence later that afternoon. After lunch there was a scramble for boys to get their stall up and running but I think everyone managed to do so before two o'clock. I have to say mostly due to all the hard work from Ma'am Buck, a lot of members of staff and of course the boys the Fete was huge success in terms of how much money was raised. Having asked my friends and other boys most stalls raised about £100. I quite enjoyed the Fete and I am sure quite a lot of other people did as well. I am sure the Prince's Trust fund will be pleased with our efforts!

J Chibo

After an afternoon of games (sponsored swim in my case) and bright sunshine the weekend started. We all changed into our home clothes and got ready for the boarders barbecue. The wind picked up a bit towards the evening and we all got our fleeces on. After Mr Baker's word everyone rushed up to get their burgers and chicken. The food was brilliant and everyone tried to get seconds. After a lovely day we settled down to a good night’s sleep, looking forward to the Fete.

The next was the swimathon before the fete. The middle and junior school had already done theirs and the senior school had yet to swim. After the swimming it was looking like a very nice day. We were told what to do for the Fete and we were off getting set up. When we had got outdoors we realised one big problem. The wind was huge! Things kept on getting blown away, posters getting ripped, chaos. However after lunch we found solutions and the start of the Fete had begun.

Two people set off with trays full of lollies (this made a lot of money). In a hurry we set up our other two stalls and waited for customers. After calling and advertising out loud we got people to come. Somebody won six cans of coke. Near the end of the fete when the Headmaster was reading out the raffle tickets I got my share of free Krispy Kremes. Yum! After the fete we all cleared up and settled down into 'school mode'.

E Curtis

Sunday the 24th was a jaw-dropping day. We started the day off with the sponsored swim, which I admit I was pretty hopeless at, but still I carried on doing it. I did about 36 lengths which I thought was a decent effort, but compare to Be Maxwell getting 38, my effort seemed pathetic and feeble. After the swimathon we started setting up our Fete stalls. It started off OK (I guess), but when we tried to stack the cans on one another, instantly a huge gust of wind would blow it down.

Later at 1400 the Fete started. Soon afterwards, we scrapped the idea of knocking over cans with tennis balls and changed it to the idea of throwing tennis balls into a bin. I couldn't understand what chucking balls into bins had to do with the Royal Wedding, but still we did it. Except for all the fuss about our Fete stall the Fete was a terrific day, but I knew none of this could have happened if Ma'am Buck didn't put the effort into making the whole thing an enjoyable experience.

J Dudley

On a mild but breezy day our 5th and 6th Form were yet to swim the ultimate test … the swimathon. The rest of our school was doing well but they deeded a little bit of support to reach our goal and that is where the Senior School came in. After swimming for a gruelling 15 minutes we finally jumped out of the pool with goosebumps all over in disbelief - but at the same time we are in England! At 1400 we finished lunch and started to get our amazing stalls ready for action. In my stall we had a penalty shootout but after bringing all of our prizes and sweets down from surgery, it looked like we had just a bit too much and were just a bit over the top with sweets. At the end of the day we were extremely tired and felt a bit sick, but we all finished at 1630 and started to hand in our money and of course our group won. But we were actually giving the money to the Princes Trust and hopefully raised enough money to help them out. At the end of the day we started to tidy up our stall, and the whole weekend was a great success!

H Guy

I had expected the weekend in to be a tedious and exhausting sequence of boring events. My predictions were wrong, however. When I returned from heavily beating saint John’s Beaumont and singing along heartily to Adele in the bus I arrived to see the Saturday night barbecue. I rushed for my BBQ chicken, sausages and burgers and then the unwanted, redundant salad and grabbed a Pepsi. All boarders would agree with me in saying we had spiffing food with a cheerful atmosphere.

After a satisfying sleep the following event unravelled. The day began with the sponsored swim. Many boys contributed - of many different ages, sizes and coordination abilities. The well-raised money is being sent to the Lords Taverners.

Afterwards we prepared for the Fete. There were many different stalls and lots of money was raised, this time to the Prince's Trust.

B Maxwell

I got up early on Sunday morning full of excitement about the day’s events. Unfortunately the 5th and 6th Forms were yet to do the sponsored swim and I was not looking forward to plunging into the water reasonably early on a Sunday morning. I got in knowing the school must be depending on me to help reach the goal which had been set. Once out I was quick to grab a doughnut and race inside where I was greeted with the welcoming warmth of the senior school changing room.

After lunch having already started setting up our stalls for the Fete, we quickly made some final arrangements and I collected the float money for my group. Our group’s game was that you had to throw different size balls through certain holes on a large board, our group was a huge success and even the gale force winds didn't stop us from having a good time!

T McCullagh

The fete started by a lot of preparation from Ma'am Buck. My group was preparing for two hours and even that wasn't enough for us. We had to transport a load of classroom tables and chairs outside to form the stalls - not to mention the whiteboard which we moved as well. My group missed the start of lunch as we had loads still to do for our stall. We were doing Welly Throwing, it wasn't our original idea but it was still quite good. We never thought it would be as popular as it was.

After lunch the Headmaster declared that the Fete was open at 1400, which put a lot of pressure on us as we saw people wanting to come to our stall but it wasn't even ready yet. Ten minutes in, we were finally ready. The customers kept coming in and in. I was running frantic, trying to catch wellies, measure people, measure distances, explaining how the stall worked. If I had to do it again I would ask for a group of six people instead of the three we had. There was hardly any time for us to even go for a break and see the other stalls. My friend didn't even had a break. Also people would walk across our throwing area, and there were a number of close incidents, especially with young children, when people were throwing the wellies, I mean the big throwers. Even Mr Barry, my Latin teacher, had a go at throwing a Welly. We didn't make as much as other stalls I don't think but I was reasonably happy with the result of about £40.

R Mendis

On Sunday morning the boarders did their sponsored swim. Everyone was not looking forward to it as that weather was quite cold, but as soon as we took the plunge in the water and got going it was fine. Swimmers of all abilities did well because of the motivation of raising money for The Lord's Taverners Charity. After the swim boarders started setting their stalls up. We had a quick lunch and then continued with the stalls. The afternoon began and the crowds flocked, eager to go on the stalls. The whole afternoon was a great success. Ma'am Buck did incredibly well to organise it. We raised a great amount of money for the Prince's Trust. Then everyone went to the raffle and things quietened down.

O Parsons

Friday was probably one of the happiest days of the school week, just being able to look forward to the barbecue and then to the summer Fete on Sunday. On Sunday we had cricket matches in the morning and coming back with the pleasure of a victory to the barbecue in the evening. On Sunday I woke up and at 1030 we had the swimathon which we were raising money towards the Lord’s Taveners. At about 1130 we started setting up our stalls for the Fete. It started at 1400. Our stall was a very successful penalty shootout which carried on being successful throughout the day. For me the highlight of the day was the Krispy Kreme stall which probably made over £100 from me alone!

L Stalder

The week-end kicked off for the boarders on Saturday night with the barbecue where every boarder stayed in we had a scrumptious meal and then finished with a game of football. The next morning we woke up and swam some lengths for the ultimate Swimathon which thanks to Ma'am Kroiter was very enjoyable everyone pitched in to raise money for the Lord's Taveners. The best thing was people were giving 100% and they were enjoying it. Then the School Fete kicked in straight after a delicious roast lunch cooked by the kitchen staff. We all thank Ma'am Buck for all of her hard work and providing us with the enjoyment of managing our own stalls. I enjoyed the sack races and the water slide which I must say were exquisitely fun. My stall involved guessing how many skittles there were in a jar. Also how many crackers you can eat in a minute. These were really fun.

Also we must thank all the members of staff who gave up their time for the Fete and the Swimathon particularly to Ma'am Buck and Ma'am Kroiter.

We must not forget to thank the Headmaster for allowing both events. Thank you Caldicott staff.

D Sharma

After coming back from a long day of cricket and a successful day as well, we returned and had a boarders barbecue. The food was delicious and I loved the burgers and had seconds. We then played football and went up to bed. On Sunday morning we got up and had breakfast and then the 5th and 6th Form took the water in an attempt to swim from Kate Middleton's home to Buckingham palace and back. I swam 26 lengths but other people managed to swim over 100 lengths. Then we had a nice lunch, and then setting up for the fete began.

At 1400 the Fete opened and the 5th and 6th Form began rolling in the money. It was a great day that raised lots of money for charity. Thanks to Ma'am Buck who organised the fete and Ma'am Kroiter who organised the swimathon.

E Taylor

As I lay in bed after an eventful weekend in, I thought about how the weekend had gone. It all started with a delicious boarders’ barbecue. The members of staff I thought did a particularly good job. Then on Sunday morning the sponsored swimathon, which everyone put a big effort into, brought a smile to my face. From the belly dive in and the burning muscles to the doughnuts and comparing each other’s lengths, it was a great success and I hope everyone thanked Ma'am Kroiter because everyone knows how much effort she put into it.

Then on Sunday afternoon, of course, it was the fete. All the stalls I went to seemed as if everyone had a great time. Also it was for a good cause because it was for the Prince's Trust and all the money raised was sent there. Ma'am Buck this time was the star of the show and she put hours of work into it and everyone had a great time. So as I lay in, all in all I thought it was a very good weekend.

H Weir

As I arrived back from my cricket match I was welcomed by lots of boys running around ready for the barbecue. It was a great night, but the real thing to look forward to was tomorrow.

The next day I woke up with a rare smile on my face as I had remembered the events coming up. First we were taken to the pool as we were about to swim many lengths. There were separate groups and times for different people. Everyone tried their best and it was very successful.

Later on in the afternoon the Caldicott Summer Fete had begun. In my sight I could see lots of interesting stalls which grabbed my attention. The Fete included the raffle, food stalls, wine stalls and all the stalls the boys had provided. As the event went on, lots of money was raised and everyone had a fantastic time. Overall it was a very enjoyable and successful weekend. Also I would like to thank Ma'am Kroiter and Ma'am Buck for their hard effort and organisation.

T Wright

A chance for the normally extremely respectable staff to dress up in the top fashion!