The Ben Fogle Advent Calendar - 10 Dec

When I was a kid, advent calendars featured a navity scene on the front and the only thing behind the little doors was a picture.  Usually a lantern, maybe some holly, an angel, occasionally the stable or a star.  These days, advent calendars feature Hello Kitty or Power Rangers on the front, they have no relation to Christmas and they have some foul tasting piece of  "chocolate" behind the door.  My 3-year old neice opened no. 1 the other day and immediately troughed the chocolate, so she started on no 2.  Numbers 3, 4 and 5 soon followed and she'd just about got to Christmas Eve when her mother found her!

This year, the Swanage Coastguard team have produced their own advent calendar, with Ben Fogle behind every door, invariably flanked by one of the team in their best 'I'm not starstruck' pose.

You may recall that Ben came and trained with us one evening in the summer and brought a film crew with him.  Bit of a waste of time bringing the film crew, because once the evening was over and all clapped up (a TV term I am led to believe), all of the material they shot ended up on the cutting room floor.

So instead of Ben Fogle's Harbour Lives, I give you the Ben Fogle Advent Calendar, and todays's starstruck star with stars in their eyes is.....Eric