The Lysses Hotel in Fareham was the venue for a reunion of Oakley Holiday attendees on the Sunday afternoon of 1st July, 2007.

A grand total of 24 (including various Sealys and Derbyshires) gathered together to catch up on news, enjoy a variety of traditional Oakley games, and to celebrate Lewis Kent's recent investiture at Buckingham Palace, where he was awarded an MBE by the Queen for his services to young people.


The afternoon activities started with each person being given the name of a well-known historic or present-day person or fictional character. To break the ice, we had to discover our own identities by asking each other incisive and penetrating questions (or just looking in the mirror).

After we had all found out who we really are (a first for some of us), we split into four teams to enjoy a range of different games and quizzes.

We discovered, during the newspaper quiz, that the most exciting thing to happen locally in Fareham over the previous seven days involved a horse being wedged in a wall. Other fun activities included 'Kim's Game' and a categories quiz.

The afternoon also offered a rare Oakley opportunity for a full innings of table cricket. Light was good, and the wicket seemed to favour the bat. Mark Rowley scored an impressive 20 before being forced to retire due to greying hair.

Russel Bailey narrowly escaped accusations of ball-tampering. The first wide was recorded in living memory. By close of play only four runs separated the two well-matched sides.


Throughout the afternoon we were sustained by a plentiful supply of juice, tea and coffee, together with an abundance of sandwiches.

The highlight was a lovely cake (made especially for the event by Beverly Kent), which we all devoured whilst admiring the photographs of Lewis on his day at the Palace.

Finally, the afternoon was rounded off with a couple of typically Oakley circular games led by Lewis, which left us all laughing but very confused.

Our thanks and congratulations to Lewis for organising such an enjoyable and successful reunion.