Trainee witches and wizards came from far and wide to work on their spells, potion making, Quidditch game play and owl handling at the College's first ever Magic at Shiplake event.
As soon as they pushed the luggage trolley through Platform 9 ¾, our special guests' first task was to find out which house they were in with the sorting hat. It was then time to test their invisibility with the invisibility cloak. We are pleased to say all passed the test!
In the Great Hall, preparations were underway for a grand banquet with floating candles and delicious treats from Madam Puddifoot's Café run by the Thomas Franks catering team. Witches and wizards ate their Pumpkin Pasties and Hagrid's Rock Cakes under the watchful eye of the professors at the top table!
Outside on the terrace, Lego mastery was going on with Mr Pettifer and older Shiplake students helping build a range of Harry Potter themed sets. On the lawn, Berkshire Birds of Prey showed off their beautiful birds including Bertie the magnificent Eagle Owl and Bella the Barn Owl. Over on the Quidditch pitch, Quidditch for Muggles were running half-hourly matches with teams on broomsticks chasing the golden snitch.
Back inside there was a buzz over on the wand making station with Head of Art Mrs Thomas overseeing children making their own wands to cast spectacular spells and alongside this, potion making was going with a whizz and a bang. The colouring table was also popular with younger guests, particularly whilst waiting for the rain to subside.
At lunchtime, Headwizard Professor Howe revealed the winners of the fancy dress competition. It was a difficult decision with so many guests making such an effort with their costumes.
Finally, around the grounds there was lots of activity on the A-Z quiz trail where guests had to find clues and fill out the answers on their Marauder's Map. Along the way you could have a selfie on Hagrid's Chair or perhaps have bumped into Mr Jones challenging you to a wand duel in return for a chocolate frog!
Mrs Green, Director of External Relations, said: "It was wonderful to welcome so many guests to Shiplake at our first Magic at Shiplake event. Everyone who came made such an effort with their costumes and it was great to see everyone having a fantastic time, whether that was running around on a broomstick, finding more out about owls and learning how to hold them, or taking part in our creative wizarding activities. Even the rain didn't dampen spirits!
"I would like to say a huge thank you to the members of staff and pupils who gave so much support and help on the day. Watch this space for our next Magic at Shiplake event."
