We’ve had firsts on the reserve before – most recently, an albatross skimming the sea. This week’s first however, was slightly different.
When five elderly residents of Amelia House in York spent a sunny morning at Bempton Cliffs earlier in the week, the cliffs were alive with the sound of music as well as seabirds. As we walked along a path I found myself joining in a rendition of one of the residents' all time favourites from the musical My Fair Lady - complete with cockney accent. That’s never happened before and, to be honest, it’s unlikely ever to happen again.
But it wasn’t the opportunity to perform musical theatre on the cliff tops that persuaded carer Jenny Rayner to bring a group of residents here on a day out.
Jenny had been on a recce to the site and was impressed by the ease of access for wheelchair users. The hard surfaced paths, the ramps onto the viewpoints and the wheelchair bays all meant that her residents would be able to enjoy the same views as everyone else. She’d also watched the Accessibility video on the Bempton Cliffs web pages which she’d found really useful in planning the trip.
So here they all were, ready to discover the delights of Bempton Cliffs for the first time.
Nancy was first to have a go at a spot of puffin spotting – pushing her bifocals to the top of her head before peering through binoculars. The excitement of seeing a puffin for the first time doesn’t diminish with age and these 80 plus year olds were as thrilled as five year olds to see our most popular visitor.
Clive, easily the best dressed man on the reserve in a dapper grey suit, shirt and tie, was amazed at being on the edge of the cliffs in his wheelchair. Looking down to the sea over three hundred feet below from the safety of the viewpoints was an experience he found hard to put into words.
It was Harry though that appeared to be totally overwhelmed by the sheer splendour of the cliffs and the ‘beautiful, beautiful birds’. When his friends had had their fill of sea air, he wanted to see more. So he paid a fleeting visit to Grandstand viewpoint to in the hope that the puffins nesting close by were on parade. Even a glimpse was enough to raise a smile.
The carers from Amelia House felt that the residents’ mood was definitely lifted by being out in natural surroundings. And we’re told that Harry and Co talked about their visit all the way home. But it’s not just the residents that feel the benefit of getting close to nature. Jenny said that their families feel reassured when their loved ones are taken on outings to places like the cliff tops and are keen to know all about the trips.
Then after hearing all about puffins and sandeels,not to mention gannets and herring, it was back on the minibus for the short journey into Bridlington for the group's own fish dinner – along with a few chips too.